Why You Should be Using HTML5 for Your Google Ads

Some have referred to it as the “big kill” – the move of Google Chrome to drop Flash web ads. They have been wanting to do this since 2010 and it just started happening this year. Google Chrome is now dropping Flash web ads. Technically, however, Google is simply blocking Flash web ads by pausing their upload. If a person wished to see the Flash web ad, he would have to click on it for it to upload. HTML5 web ads, on the other hand, will auto-play.

This was a decision made by Google+ and announced last June. Sadly, for Adobe, Google is not the only one. Other companies have expressed similar sentiments about using Flash like Facebook and Amazon; and of course everyone knows that Flash is not available on Apple’s mobile devices. Big companies are forgoing Flash because it compromises on user experience. It affects performance, which is very huge in the ever-growing competitive cyber world.

The shift away from Flash can be explained simply by saying that it is too vulnerable to hackers and crashes.

The new alternative to Flash is HTML5.

What is HTML5?

HTML5 is a new way of presenting content on the Internet. It was launched in October of 2014 and supports the latest multimedia without making it hard for people to read or for computers to understand.

HTML5 enjoys similar features to Flash but, unlike Flash, is free. The downside to HTML5 is that it is not for beginners. One needs to have a working knowledge of CSS and JavaScript. Fortunately, early this year, Google was kind enough to automatically convert Flash web ads to HTML5. Earlier, Google offered interactive HTML5 backups and conversion tools.

Advertising using HTML5

To be eligible for the automatic conversion, the advertiser would have to upload its ad using AdWords Editor, AdWords, or any other compatible third-party tool on Google’s ad platform. Not all Flash ads are eligible but Google offers a tool that can be used to determine if your ad can be converted. The easiest way to see if the conversion is successful is to check the ad on a mobile device. Flash is not available on mobile devices, and only HTML5 is compatible.

Entrepreneurs would do well to start shifting their ad campaigns to HTML5, especially if they have, or plan to launch, a mobile web strategy. Recently, the Interactive Advertising Bureau announced its plans to update its advertising guidelines for marketers and techies on using HTML5 software. Their new guidelines will contain recommendations and strategies to optimize digital ads using HTML5 for both mobile and desktop, including how to use animation and video, text, fonts, and shared content libraries.

Online businesses will have to face the reality that HTML5 is the new standard and embrace it, as it will protect them and their market from being victimized by malvertising efforts that have become more commonplace. Additionally, it places a business on mobile devices, which have already surpassed desktops in popularity and use.