Publishers running AdSense will soon see fewer public service announcement banners on their sites, as Google has announced changes to phase them out of back-up ad options.

Previously, publishers were able to choose to show PSAs, to redirect to another URL, or to show a solid color when Google couldn’t find an ad to match with the page’s content. Public Service ads also show when publishers haven’t been verified by Google.

The company cites its own review of products and “feedback from our non-profit partners” for the change. It will continue to offer non-profits free AdSense ads through its Google Grants program. Publishers get paid for PSAs through the Google Grants program, just as they do with regular campaigns.

For now, publishers who have selected PSAs as back-ups will show blank spaces until they change their options within the AdSense interface.

Related Topics: Channel: Display | Google: AdSense

About The Author: Pamela Parker is a contributing editor for Search Engine Land and Executive Features Editor at Marketing Land. She’s a well-respected authority on digital marketing, having reported and written on the subject since 1998, including a stint as managing editor of ClickZ. She’s also worked to help monetize independent publishers’ sites at Federated Media Publishing. She blogs about media and marketing at The River and about cooking, gardening and parenthood at Free Range. She can be found on Twitter as @pamelaparker. See more articles by Pamela Parker

Connect with the author via: Email | Twitter | Google+ | LinkedIn