This reveals that African markets are large, mobile-first and still unevenly connected. 

Most African businesses do not need a platform trophy. They need customers who pay. With tight marketing budgets, every wasted click is real money lost. 

We shouldn’t be asking “which platform is better” in the abstract, we should ask “which platform gives me buyers for my money, today?” I’ll show you how to answer that for your business, sector and funnel.

The advertising context in Africa

Digital ad spend is large and growing: global internet ad revenue climbed strongly in 2024, and digital formats make up the majority of that growth. 

At the same time, African markets are impacted by mobile-first users, heavy social engagement, and real-world follow-up channels such as WhatsApp and phone calls. 

Nigeria is scaling, but other markets still lag in penetration and search volume.

This means benchmarks from Europe or the US mislead. Local behaviour and the downstream sales process decide outcomes more than platform sophistication.

How Google Ads drives leads (intent economics)

Google gives leads by answering a search intent. People search because they have a problem or need now. That intent is what makes search-driven leads easier to qualify and quicker to convert.

Practical realities:

• Search ads capture demand that exists already.
• Keywords with commercial intent (eg “buy solar inverter Lagos”) often deliver high-converting traffic.
• For services with immediate need; repairs, legal help, urgent courses; Google usually puts you in front of the ready buyer.

Limitations:

• In smaller or niche African markets, search volume for high-intent keywords can be low.
• Competitive CPCs on profitable keywords rise fast.
• A strong keyword and landing-page strategy is required; poor execution wastes money.

How Meta Ads drives leads (discovery economics)

Meta’s platforms work the opposite way: they interrupt attention and create interest. Users scroll. They don’t always look to buy. That’s both the opportunity and the problem.

Practical realities:

• Meta yields scale and visual storytelling power.
• Campaigns can spark interest, capture leads through forms, or drive traffic to WhatsApp.
• It works especially well for brand-first offers and product discovery.

Limitations:

• Leads tend to be softer; lower initial intent.
• Creative quality and funnel design determine success.
• Without strong qualification and follow-up, many leads remain non-converting. 

Lead quality; separating volume from value

This is the heart of the matter.

Google leads generally:

• Arrive hotter.
• Close faster.
• Require shorter qualification.

Meta leads generally:

• Arrive colder.
• Need more nurturing.
• Demand better follow-up systems (WhatsApp flows, phone outreach, email sequences).

This pattern is similar across sectors. A lead from search usually bypasses four qualification steps a Meta lead must pass. That saves time and reduces lost opportunities.

Cost per acquisition (CPA) realities; what numbers hide

Click cost (CPC) is not the same as acquisition cost (CPA).

• Cheap clicks on Meta can create expensive CPAs if a high share of leads never convert.
• Higher CPC on Google can still be cheaper overall when conversion rate is far higher.
• Hidden costs are important: time spent qualifying leads, manual follow-ups, and poor landing pages.

So when comparing CPAs, measure final business results; paying customers per platform after real-world follow-up, not just clicks or leads. I recommend testing both platforms with identical offer, tracking actual sales and then comparing CPA to lifetime value.

Industry-by-industry performance; practical rules of thumb

1. Professional services (law, healthcare, consulting)
   • Google tends to be on top. Clients search specific needs and show buying intent.
   • Meta can build awareness for longer consideration services, but closing usually requires search or direct outreach.
2. Real estate
   • Mixed. Google captures immediate buyers searching locations; Meta targets passive browsers and can work when paired with strong retargeting.
3. Education & training
   • Google for high-intent searches (short courses, certification). Meta for awareness and lead-gen for long-enrolment cycles, provided there is strong follow-up.
4. E-commerce (consumer goods)
   • Meta usually provides better scale and creative performance for impulse buys. Google Shopping and search work for branded or high-intent purchases.
5. Fintech & digital services
   • Both platforms can work. Google Ads for demand capture, Meta Ads to test product-market fit and run app-install or lead-gen funnels.

These are starting points. Each vertical requires live tests and local calibration.

Remarketing: where cross-platform strategy beats single-platform bets

Remarketing is the multiplier. It turns discovery into intent and intent into customers.

• Use Meta to re-engage visitors who saw creative or watched video.
• Use Google remarketing (search and display) to catch previously interested users when they search with intent.
• Combine platform data with WhatsApp and SMS follow-up for markets where phone contact converts best.

In Africa, remarketing that moves the conversation to WhatsApp or a phone call often outperforms pure web-based funnels.

Tracking, attribution and the real transparency problem

Tracking is the chronic headache.

• Attribution gaps happen because users switch devices, clear cookies, or interact offline.
• Conversion events tracked inside platforms may differ from your CRM’s offline conversions (calls, WhatsApp sales).
• Privacy and signal loss reduce pixel reliability.

The solution is to prefer outcome-based measurement: map platform events to real closed deals in your CRM, and attribute revenue conservatively. Spend effort on reliable conversion import (offline conversion tracking) and call-tracking where phone sales matter.

Common mistakes African businesses make

I see the same errors often:

• Copying international creatives and expecting local behaviour to match.
• Ignoring the follow-up systems (landing page, WhatsApp flow, call script).
• Assuming lower CPC equals better ROI.
• Relying solely on one platform.
• Failing to test creative and landing pages simultaneously.

Fix those and platform choice becomes a tactical decision, not a strategic trap.

Decision framework; how I decide for clients (practical, testable)

Answer these four questions:

1. What is the user intent at the moment of contact?
   • If they show demand now → start with Google.
2. How long is your sales cycle?
   • Short cycle (days) → Google favours you.
   • Long or exploratory cycle → Meta plus nurturing works.
3. What follow-up channels convert best for you?
   • If WhatsApp/phone close most deals, invest in Meta-to-WhatsApp funnels and strong qualification.
   • If web conversions close best, optimise search + landing pages.
4. What is your budget and tolerance for testing?
   • Small budgets: focus on the higher-intent channel first and ensure follow-up is tight.
   • Larger budgets: parallel testing with cross-platform remarketing.

Use a 90-day test for Google Ads and Meta Ads: identical offer, equal creative effort, clear offline conversion mapping, and measure true CPA (sales closed) not just leads.

The platform is a tool, not the answer

I will say this: neither Google Ads nor Meta Ads closes the deal for you. The closing happens when attention is matched with intent, when creative and offer align, and when a follow-up system moves the lead to payment. 

In Africa, that usually means building funnels that respect local behaviour; mobile-first, WhatsApp-enabled, and attribution-aware.

Start with intent. Measure outcomes. Optimise follow-up. Let platform choice follow those priorities.

The post Google Ads vs Meta Ads: Which Platform Ensures Better Leads in Africa? appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The deal, announced on Wednesday, will see PayPal’s payment technology embedded into Google’s ecosystem, from consumer apps to enterprise services.

Both companies say the collaboration is the beginning of a new era in “agentic commerce”, a model where artificial intelligence tools take on more responsibility in helping users discover products, compare options, and even complete purchases with little to no manual input.

“Through this partnership, PayPal will use our industry-leading AI to enhance services and security, and we will more deeply integrate PayPal’s innovative payment capabilities for a better experience across Google products and platforms,” said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google parent Alphabet.

PayPal’s Enterprise Payments will now be one of Google’s main payment providers. That means it will handle card transactions on Google Cloud, Google Ads, and Google Play. This places PayPal at the centre of some of Google’s most valuable revenue streams.

PayPal is also migrating parts of its infrastructure to Google Cloud, a transition designed to speed up innovation and expand its AI-driven commerce tools globally. It highlights a growing trend of fintechs leaning on hyperscale cloud providers for scale and security.

Security and trust are also at the core of the deal. PayPal will integrate its identity and fraud prevention tools across Google’s platforms, while Google backs the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), a proposed standard to safeguard agent-led transactions. 

This is important as AI-powered systems begin making decisions on behalf of users, raising fresh questions about consent, fraud risks, and transparency.

PayPal CEO Alex Chriss described the tie-up as “a new standard for commerce ecosystem innovation.” This is less about payments as we know them and more about boosting how the future of online transactions will be managed by intelligent systems.

The announcement follows another recent step by PayPal into AI partnerships. Earlier this month, it teamed up with Perplexity to give its users early access to the AI-powered Comet browser through a 12-month Pro subscription trial. 

The browser uses artificial intelligence to deliver direct, summarised answers, placing PayPal at the very beginning of the online shopping journey, not just the end.

The post Google, PayPal Strike Multi-Year Deal to Bolster Digital Payments, AI Commerce appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

At Google’s recent “Appcelerate” summit, top industry voices explored the central role of mobile apps in today’s marketing strategies.

The takeaway was unmistakable: Nigerians spend over 4 hours daily on mobile, with 80% of that time in apps. Apps have moved from being optional extras to becoming the core of customer engagement, business efficiency, and innovation.

Smartphone access is set to reach 880 million across Africa by 2030. Monthly mobile data use is expected to triple.

Nigeria is leading this digital surge, ranking 6th globally for app downloads, with a 320% rise in just two years.

This growth signals more than user numbers, it shows a market with deeper engagement, higher loyalty, and richer opportunities for businesses that tap into the app-driven economy.

For marketers and business owners, apps are now a key growth driver. The path forward is clear: understand what makes apps work and how to maximize their impact.

1. Treat the Customer Journey as Unified

Forget dividing your audience into “web customers” and “app customers.” Nigerian consumers move seamlessly from browser to app and back again, often in a single purchase journey. For example, someone might discover your brand via Google Search, browse your site, get distracted, then see your ad again.

If they have your app, a click can bring them right back to their cart inside the app, ready to buy.

Your marketing needs to reflect this reality, ensuring that the brand experience is integrated across all digital touchpoints, making it easier to convert potential customers wherever they start or finish.

2. Focus on Profitable App Engagement

App users are your most valuable customers. They engage more, show higher loyalty, and tend to spend more than those who stick to your website. The numbers back this up, app purchasers often buy beyond their original intent.

By making it a priority to acquire and retain app users, you are building a strong foundation for business growth. Think of a local food delivery app: regular users order more, try out new offers, and use app-exclusive deals, all of which drives up their lifetime value.

3. Use Apps as a Goldmine for First-Party Data

With digital privacy in sharper focus, apps give marketers a chance to collect direct, consented customer data.

People are more likely to share information in trusted apps, giving you deeper insight into their habits and preferences.

This data is critical for building profiles and running personalized campaigns. For example, a fintech app can track user spending, preferred services, and savings goals, then use these insights to suggest relevant products and build stronger relationships.

4. Measure Holistically Across Web and App

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Marketers need to see the whole picture, not just fragments, so a cross-platform measurement strategy is a must.

Tools like Google Analytics 4 (GA4) let you track engagement and conversions across both web and app, tying user behavior together for a complete view of the journey.

For example, a travel company can see when a customer searches for flights on their website and later books a trip through their app. This full-path insight helps marketers optimize spend and improve results.

5. Turn Web Campaigns into App Conversions

When your analytics are set, guide your web users to your app. For those with the app installed, deep links can take them from a web ad right into the app, straight to the content they want.

Google’s Web to App Connect in Google Ads makes this easy. If a user searches for “affordable smartphones” and clicks your ad, they can be taken directly to that section in your app, making the buying process smooth and fast.

This frictionless experience boosts conversion rates and increases satisfaction.

6. Drive Growth with Google Ads and App Campaigns

Growing your app’s user base takes more than organic buzz. Google Ads offers App Campaigns designed for this moment, reaching billions of users across Google Search, Play, Gmail, YouTube, and more than 2 million sites and apps on the Display Network.

App Campaigns use machine learning to find the right people for your app at the right time, helping you not only drive installs but also meaningful engagement.

To date, these ads have delivered over 10 billion installs worldwide, proof of their scale and effectiveness. Nigerian developers and marketers can use this approach to efficiently build a high-value audience, whether launching a fintech app or driving engagement for a new delivery service.

7. Make YouTube Your Discovery Engine

When it comes to discovering new apps and products, few platforms rival YouTube. With nearly 2 billion logged-in users every month, YouTube reaches audiences at scale, and it’s where people spend more than a billion hours each day watching video.

Importantly, over 70% of YouTube’s watch time is on mobile, which fits perfectly with Nigeria’s mobile-first population.

YouTube is a go-to destination for Gen Z, especially gamers and creators, looking to connect with communities and discover new apps. In Nigeria, YouTube watch time grew by 55% in the past year, signaling a prime opportunity for app marketers to reach engaged, mobile-first audiences and boost visibility.

For Nigerian businesses, the path to sustained digital growth and profitability is now closely tied to leveraging platforms like Google Ads and YouTube.

By adopting an integrated digital strategy that measures comprehensively with GA4, optimizes with Web to App Connect, and grows through AI-powered App Campaigns and video discovery on YouTube, marketers can unlock new levels of value and engagement.

The opportunity is wide open for any brand ready to meet customers where they are, on their phones, in their apps, and in their favourite videos.

*Olumide Balogun is the director, West Africa at Google

The post Nigeria’s App Downloads Grew 320% | Here Are 7 Ways Marketers Can Capitalize appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The previously unknown malware is delivered via a phishing site pretending to be the official DeepSeek homepage that is promoted via Google Ads.

The goal of the attacks is to install BrowserVenom, a malware that configures web browsers on the victim’s device to channel web traffic through the attackers servers, thus allowing to collect user data – credentials and other sensitive information.

Multiple infections have been detected in Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, India, Nepal, South Africa and Egypt.

DeepSeek-R1 is one of the most popular LLMs right now, and Kaspersky has previously reported attacks with malware mimicking it to attract victims.

DeepSeek can also be run offline on PCs using tools like Ollama or LM Studio, and attackers used this in their campaign.

Users were directed to a phishing site mimicking the address of the original DeepSeek platform via Google Ads, with the link showing up in the ad when a user searched for “deepseek r1”. Once the user reached the fake DeepSeek site, a check was performed to identify the victim’s operating system.

If it was Windows, the user was presented with a button to download the tools for working with the LLM offline. Other operating systems were not targeted at the time of research.

After clicking on the button and passing the CAPTCHA test, a malicious installer file was downloaded and the user was presented with options to download and install Ollama or LM Studio.

If either option was chosen, along with legitimate Ollama or LM Studio installers, malware got installed in the system bypassing Windows Defender’s protection with a special algorithm.

This procedure also required administrator privileges for the user profile on Windows; if the user profile on Windows did not have these privileges, the infection would not take place.

After the malware was installed, it configured all web browsers in the system to forcefully use a proxy controlled by the attackers, enabling them to spy on sensitive browsing data and monitor the victim’s browsing activity.

Because of its enforcing nature and malicious intent, Kaspersky researchers have dubbed this malware BrowserVenom.

“While running large language models offline offers privacy benefits and reduces reliance on cloud services, it can also come with substantial risks if proper precautions aren’t taken. Cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting the popularity of open-source AI tools by distributing malicious packages and fake installers that can covertly install keyloggers, cryptominers, or infostealers. These fake tools compromise a user’s sensitive data and pose a threat, particularly when users have downloaded them from unverified sources,” comments Lisandro Ubiedo, security researcher with Kaspersky’s Global Research & Analysis Team.

To avoid such threats, Kaspersky recommends:

• Check the addresses of the websites to verify that they are genuine and to avoid a scam.
• Download offline LLM tools only from official sources (e.g., ollama.com, lmstudio.ai).

• Avoid using Windows on a profile with admin privileges.
• Use trusted cyber security solutions to prevent malicious files from launching.

The post DeepSneak: How Malware Posing as AI Assistant Steals User Data appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Last week Google Ads introduced a suite of new AI-powered tools that enhance creativity and performance, such as advanced reporting, AI-powered image editing, generative AI for asset creation, streamlined access, and seamless integrations with creative platforms.

These tools empower marketers to uncover hidden insights, unleash their creativity, accelerate content creation, simplify their workflow, and expand their creative network.

These new features build upon the foundation of Performance Max, providing marketers with even more tools to unleash their creativity and drive results.

5 Ways Google Ads is Transforming Creative Performance

1. Uncover Hidden Insights with Advanced Reporting:

Ever wondered which of your ad creatives are truly hitting the mark? Now you can find out! Google Ads is introducing detailed conversion metrics right within your asset-level reporting for Performance Max campaigns.

See exactly which images, videos, and headlines are driving the most valuable actions from your audience.

Additionally, you can now track where your video ads are appearing on YouTube, ensuring your brand is showcased in suitable environments. If you spot something amiss, you have the power to exclude specific placements.

This level of transparency puts you in control, allowing you to make data-driven decisions that optimise your campaigns for maximum impact.

To access these reporting tools, navigate to the “Reports” section in your Google Ads account and select the relevant campaign.

2. Unleash Your Creativity with AI-Powered Image Editing:

Forget the hassle of outsourcing image edits or learning complex software. Google Ads now offers AI-powered image editing tools that put the power of creativity at your fingertips.

Remove unwanted objects, add new elements, expand backgrounds, and even crop images to different aspect ratios, all with a few simple clicks.

This empowers you to create a wider variety of eye-catching visuals, tailored to different platforms and audiences, without breaking the bank or slowing down your workflow.

To try out these features, head to the “Assets” section of your Google Ads account and select the image you want to edit.

3. Accelerate Asset Creation with Generative AI:

Struggling to keep up with the demand for fresh creative content? Google Ads’ asset generation feature is here to help. Now available in App and Display campaigns, this powerful tool leverages AI to generate high-quality images in a flash.

Simply provide a few prompts and let the AI do the heavy lifting, saving you valuable time and resources.

You’ll also gain access to enhanced asset reporting for App campaigns, so you can track the performance of your AI-generated images and fine-tune your strategy. To explore asset generation, go to the “Create” menu in Google Ads and select “Assets.”

4. Simplify Your Workflow with Streamlined Access:

No more jumping through hoops to create and manage your assets. Google Ads has simplified the process, making it easier than ever to access essential tools. You can now generate images, create videos, and upload assets directly from the “Create” menu.

This streamlined workflow saves you time and eliminates unnecessary clicks, allowing you to focus on what matters most – crafting compelling campaigns.

5. Expand Your Creative Network with Seamless Integrations:

Collaboration is key to success, but it can be challenging when your creative team uses different platforms. Google Ads has partnered with leading creative platforms like Canva, Smartly, and Pencil to bridge the gap.

Typeface will now be joining the fold. This integration enables seamless implementation of assets built with Typeface directly into Google Ads campaigns. Now, teams can focus on their creative strengths, while marketers enjoy a smooth and efficient workflow.

Embrace the Power of Innovation

Google Ads is committed to providing marketers with the tools they need to thrive in the digital age.

These new features, powered by AI and a focus on user experience, offer endless opportunities to elevate your campaigns, captivate your audience, and achieve your marketing goals.

[Featured Photo Credit]

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The Google Ads Safety report highlighted the tech giant’s goal to maintain a safe and trusted ad experience for users. In 2023, Google nearly doubled the number of suspended advertiser accounts to 12.7 million, compared to the previous year.

This increase shows Google’s growing ability to detect and remove bad actors from its advertising platforms.

AI Plays a Key Role in Ad Safety

This target on malicious ads was driven in part by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly Large Language Models (LLMs).

The rise of generative AI, including LLMs, is having a huge impact on Google’s ad safety measures.

LLMs are a type of AI that can analyze extensive amounts of information and identify patterns, making them ideal for detecting policy violations in ads.

Traditionally, machine learning models used for ad safety required extensive training on massive datasets. LLMs, however, can learn and adapt more quickly, allowing them to identify new trends in scams and misleading content. 

This is particularly beneficial for combating financial scams, where bad actors frequently change tactics to evade detection.

Combating Evolving Threats, From Scams to Deepfakes

In 2023, Google observed a rise in scams across online platforms, prompting the company to update its policies and deploy rapid-response enforcement teams. 

One key initiative was the launch of the Limited Ads Serving policy. This policy limits the reach of new advertisers until they establish a commendable record of good behaviour, helping to prevent scams and misleading ads.

Another challenge Google faced was a targeted campaign using deepfakes, which are manipulated videos or audio recordings that appear real. 

Google responded swiftly by creating a team to identify and remove these deceptive ads. The company also updated its misrepresentation policy to more effectively suspend the accounts of bad actors using deepfakes.

In total, Google blocked or removed over 206 million ads for violating its misrepresentation policy (which encompasses scams) and 273 million ads for violating its financial services policy. Additionally, over 1 billion ads were blocked for promoting malware.

Investing in Election Integrity and User Control

In the report, Google acknowledged the importance of political ads in democratic elections. The company upholds strict identity verification and transparency requirements for election advertisers, along with limitations on targeting options. 

All election ads must include a “paid for by” disclosure and are recorded in a publicly available transparency report. In 2023, Google verified over 5,000 new election advertisers and removed more than 7.3 million election ads from unverified advertisers.

Google remains focused on staying nimble and adapting to new challenges. The company plans to continue developing new policies, strengthening enforcement systems, facilitating industry collaboration, and empowering users, publishers, and advertisers with more control over their online advertising experience.

The post Google Blocks Over 5.5 Billion Ads in 2023, Nearly Doubles Suspended Advertiser Accounts with Help of AI appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

People want to know what personal data is collected, how it’s used, and who it’s being shared with online.

Echoing sentiments found in Europe, as highlighted by research from IAB Europe, which reveals that 75% of Europeans would opt for the current internet experience, complete with targeted ads, over a version devoid of personalized advertising but requiring payment for access to websites, content, and apps, Africans too, despite their privacy concerns, highly value personalized online experiences

Now it’s time to take a hard look at your ads privacy strategy and get a realistic picture of how much you may still rely on legacy technology, like third party cookies.

This is the end of the ‘precision’ era in favour of new tools like AI and privacy preserving technology that enable  ‘prediction’.

Here are the five steps marketers need to take:

1. Tagging is the most important step:

Tagging is the foundation on which a successful measurement strategy is built – it’s how advertisers understand how their websites and campaigns are performing, measure conversions and thoughtfully and responsibly collect first-party data.

A strong tagging foundation is absolutely essential to getting the information advertisers need to make strategic decisions. It is the best way to measure conversions and optimize the value of marketing investments.

2. Consent, consent consent:

It goes without saying that getting proper consent is critical. When users do not give consent advertisers can preserve ads personalisation features through a combination of first party data and Google AI.

We have announced upgrades to consent mode to help advertisers ensure they have the proper consent structure setup for measurement and advertising purposes.

AI-driven tools require less data to make predictions and fill in the gaps for unknowns to help you optimize for your campaign goals. For instance, leveraging consent and conversion modeling techniques could significantly benefit an African airline, mirroring the success seen by Air France in European markets.

By adopting similar strategies, Air France was able to increase its conversions by an average of 9% across Europe, including a notable 4% increase in France alone.

This was achieved through more precise measurement of consent and conversions, highlighting the effectiveness of these modeling techniques.

3. Create a first-party data strategy:

First party data is absolutely paramount to the future of measurement and advertising. In a constantly evolving landscape, building and strengthening your first party strategy is more important than ever, especially as consumers move from device to device and are harder to reach.

4. Simplify the management and use of your data:

Less than a third of marketers consistently and effectively access and integrate first-party data across channels.

Google Ads Data Manager takes what could be months of work and turns it into a few simple steps, making it easier for advertisers to manage and control their first-party data.

It puts all your data management controls in one place, enabling you to drive incremental revenue and better outcomes for your business.

5. Take stock and adapt:

This year Chrome plans to deprecate third party cookies. Now is the time to take stock of how much of your measurement strategy still relies on third party cookies and begin adopting measurement solutions that will be durable far into the future, like enhanced conversions, and Google Analytics 4.

The companies that have started to embrace this new mindset shift and privacy preserving techniques are already starting to see gains. Put bluntly, privacy is good for business.

What they’ve shown is it’s important to test and learn now to figure out what works best and make adjustments.

Regardless of where you stand, the landscape has already changed. Third party identifiers are deteriorating fast.

It’s time for marketers to embrace the change and enter a new period of innovation and growth – together.

The post Five Steps All Marketers Should Take to Be Prepared for a Privacy-centric Future appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The collaboration empowers SMEs to enhance their online visibility, taking advantage of the Thryve Google Ads Bundle, which provides 1Gb of data, a minimum of 10 website conversions and 500 ad views on Google: tackling a key challenge SMEs face – access to new markets.

The proposition aims to support SMEs in maximising their online presence and reaching a broader audience.

The platform enables efficient Google ad campaign management, driven by simple inputs from business users like target location, keywords and ad copy.

Adbot’s system extends these inputs, launches campaigns, and leverages machine learning for continuous optimisation, ensuring optimal click-through rates at minimal costs.

MTN, in partnership with Adbot, levels the playing field, making effective Google Ads accessible to businesses of all sizes in Nigeria.

Commenting on this partnership, Lynda Saint-Nwafor, Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN Nigeria, said, “As key constituents of the emerging digital economy, it is paramount for SMEs to position themselves effectively across search engines and digital platforms to accelerate growth. Our collaboration with Adbot helps empower SMEs with the essential tools to thrive and excel in today’s fiercely competitive business landscape.”

She further stated, “With this solution, and our shared vision for innovation and progress, we will collectively ignite the aspirations of these small businesses, propelling them towards unprecedented growth opportunities.”

Michelle Geere, CEO of Adbot, said “This partnership marks a momentous milestone as we venture into Nigeria, a thriving hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. By teaming up with the nation’s largest telecoms company, we have an opportunity to bring our cutting-edge advertising tool within reach of over 40 million MSMEs in the region. This initiative aims to empower small businesses to reach new levels of success in the digital world, and we, together with MTN, are excited to see them embrace the endless possibilities that lie ahead.”

The post MTN Nigeria Partners with Adbot to Offer Automated Digital Ad Services to SMEs appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

In adherence to its policies designed to support a safe and positive experience for the users, Google prohibited (blocked) about 5.2 billion adverts in the past year.

According to Google 2022 Ads Safety Report released today, the Alphabet company added or updated 29 policies for advertisers and publishers in the year under review.

In a blog post, Alejandro Borgia, director, Product Management, Ads Safety at Google, hinted that the policy updates included expanding Google financial services verification program to 10 new countries, expanding protections for teens and strengthening its elections ads policies.

“We know that people and businesses put enormous trust in Google when they use our products. That’s why we have thousands of people working around the clock to create and enforce effective advertiser and publisher policies to prevent abuse while enabling publishers and businesses of all sizes to thrive. We do this important work because a healthy ad-supported internet means everyone can access quality information.

“As the digital world continues to evolve, Google makes ongoing investments in our policies and enforcement so people can have the safest possible experience online. In 2022, we added or updated 29 policies for advertisers and publishers. This included expanding our financial services verification program to 10 new countries, expanding protections for teens and strengthening our elections ads policies.

These policies help protect people. In 2022, we removed over 5.2 billion ads, restricted over 4.3 billion ads and suspended over 6.7 million advertiser accounts.

This represents an increase of 2 billion more ads removed in 2022 from the previous year. We also blocked or restricted ads from serving on over 1.5 billion publisher pages and took broader site-level enforcement action on over 143,000 publisher sites.

To enforce our policies at this scale, we rely on a combination of human reviews and automated systems powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. This helps sot through content and better detect violations across the globe”, Borgia wrote.

Continuing, the director wrote, Borgia: “You can read our full 2022 Ads Safety Repot for transparency into our enforcement data. Let’s take a moment to highlight a few of the key themes we tackled in 2022.

Protecting Users from Fraud and Scams

“Fraudulent activity continues to rise. While not unique to digital advertising, these scams can cause real financial harm and we are committed to combating them on our platforms.

“In 2022 we expanded our financial services certification program which requires advertisers to demonstrate that they are authorized by their local regulator to promote their products and services. This measure adds a new layer of security against fraudsters and further safeguards people from financial scams. To date, we’ve launched this program in 11 countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, and Singapore. Going forward, we intend to further expand this program. 

“Despite our continued efforts, bad actors increasingly operate at a greater scale and with more sophistication. They use a variety of tactics to evade detection. For example, at the end of 2022 and into the new year, we faced a targeted campaign of scammers creating thousands of accounts to spread malware by impersonating popular software brands.

“When we identify these coordinated threats, we urgently assess the situation and take action. In this example, we quickly identified how scammers were spreading their malware and put additional restrictions to block their ability to harm consumers. Over a one-month period, we blocked and removed tens of thousands of malicious advertisements and took action against the accounts associated with the bad ads. 

“Overall, in 2022, we blocked or removed 142 million advertisements for violating our misrepresentation policy and 198 million advertisements for violating our financial services policy.

Blocking and Removing Harmful Content and Combating Misinformation

“In recent years, we’ve developed extensive measures to tackle misinformation and unreliable claims in our advertising ecosystem. This includes our policies against harmful health claims and demonstrably false claims that could undermine trust and participation in elections. We’ve also developed an industry-leading policy against climate change denial. In 2022, we blocked ads from running on over 300,000 publisher pages that violated these policies and blocked over 24 million policy-violating ads from serving. In addition, we blocked and removed over 51.2 million ads for inappropriate content including hate speech, violence and harmful health claims and 20.6 million ads for dangerous products or services such as weapons and explosives.

Ahead of major elections around the world, we continued our efforts to provide voters with reliable information about the election ads they saw on our platforms. As part of that work, we expanded our verification and transparency program for election ads, verifying over 5,900 new advertising accounts in the U.S. and over 2,300 in Brazil. Election ads from these advertisers included disclosures that showed who paid for the ads and also appeared in our Political Advertising on Google Transparency Repot. We’ve also blocked over 2.6 million election ads that came from advertisers who had not completed our required verification process.

Responding to the War in Ukraine

“Following the stat of the war in Ukraine, we acted quickly to prohibit ads that exploit, dismiss or condone the war. This is in addition to our longstanding policies prohibiting content that incites violence or denies the occurrence of tragic events to run as ads or monetize using our services.

We also paused the majority of our commercial activities in Russia across our products. We paused ads from showing in Russia along with ads from Russian-based advertisers and paused monetization of Russian state-funded media across our platforms.

“Throughout 2022, we remained vigilant enforcing these policies and blocked more than 17 million ads related to the war in Ukraine under our sensitive event policy. Separately, we removed ads from more than 275 state-funded media sites across our platforms.

Prioritizing Child Safety

“When it comes to designing products and creating policies, one of our top priorities is to ensure the safety of kids and teens around the world. That’s why we’ve long blocked ads targeting and personalization for young kids. We’ve also filtered mature ad categories such as sexually explicit content and ads for gambling, alcohol and pharmaceutical drugs. And, in 2021, we announced that we would expand these protections to all users under the age of 18 globally.

“This includes blocking ad targeting based on age, gender or interests and preventing additional age-sensitive ad categories from serving to teens. We began rolling out these changes in Europe and completed that process globally last year. We also now prohibit ads promoting dating apps, contests and sweepstakes, as well as weight loss products to people under 18.

Empowering Users with More Information and Control

“In addition to our policies and enforcement, we’re committed to leading the industry in giving users more information about the ads they see and putting them in control of their ads experience.

“In October, we launched My Ads Center which helps people control the kinds of ads they see across Google on Search, YouTube and Discover. It also allows them to limit ads from sensitive categories and learn more about the information used to personalize their ad experience. In the first three months after launch, we’ve seen more than 70 million visits to My Ad Center globally, with people adjusting their ad preferences on more than 20% of those visits.

“We’ve also invested significantly in giving helpful information to users about our advertisers. In 2020, we began verifying advertiser identity and today we verify them in more than 240 countries and regions. In 2021, we launched advertiser pages in the United States which shows basic information about a verified advertiser like where they are located, what type of business they provide and other advertisements they’ve recently run. In 2022, we expanded this program globally.

Introducing Google new transparency tool – Ads Transparency Center

“Today I’m pleased to announce we are launching a new transparency tool, the Ads Transparency Center, a searchable repository of verified advertisers across all of our platforms, including Search, Display, and YouTube, that lets people search for a particular advertiser and view the advertiser page.

Looking Ahead to 2023

“Providing a safe and trustworthy ads experience for users is a critical contribution to Google’s mission to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. As 2023 continues, we will stay diligent in our efforts to combat abuse across our platforms while helping advertisers and publishers grow their businesses”, the director wrote.

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