Why are Google Banner Ads Still As Dumb as a Barn Door?

Cooking sites like Allrecipes or Delish should be a no-brainer - a quick scroll to a tasty meal idea. 

Instead, they're a battlefield. 

From Google Search, I opened a recipe page for Banana Bread on Allrecipes.com, when a video for a medical ad popped up, blocking the page for an eternity. And then, on another scroll to the ingredient list section, it happened all over again, and then my browser locked up an eternity, while I stared blankly and considered getting back into doing yoga in the garden.

Data from ad agency AdPushup found that recipe sites average 10 ads per page, with 60% being sticky banners that follow you down the screen like a digital stalker. 

A frustrated user on Reddit ranted:

"Every click on a recipe triggers three pop-up banners - one for VPNs, one for diet pills, one for insurance- by the time I get the steps, dinner's cold!" 

Worse, misleading ads disguised as “sponsored recipes” swap in branded ingredients, suddenly requiring you to rush to the supermarket to buy their expensive product to finish your cookies. 

WTF Google?

AI tools like ChatGPT or Grok can craft a complete novel - rich with plot twists and vivid characters - in seconds. 

Yet, Google's display ads, powering billions of impressions daily, remain frustratingly basic, triggering widespread “banner blindness” and dismal engagement.

Less than 0.5% of user click on those banner ads occupying all our screen space, according to statistics.

The Bell Tolls for Websites

I asked Grok for the recipe. In a few seconds, I had a well formatted, precise recipe without ads.

Instead of wasting 2–3 minutes dodging pop-ups, slowing down (and possibly freezing) my computer with ad bloat, I got exactly what I wanted, fast. 

And I can ask questions:

In an AI-powered world, banner ads aren't just dumb — they're driving websites to extinction.

What websites do you use that you have seen an “Enshittification” of banner ads?

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A 300-Word History of Google Banner Ads

Google’s banner ad journey began in 2000 with the launch of AdWords, a self-service platform letting advertisers bid on text-based search ads. Banner ads—graphical display ads—entered the scene in 2003 when Google acquired Applied Semantics, enabling AdSense. This program allowed website publishers to display targeted banner ads, splitting revenue 68/32 with Google. Early formats included static 468×60 banners and 300×250 rectangles, powered by contextual matching.

The Google Display Network (GDN) launched in 2005, connecting millions of sites and reaching 80% of global internet users. By 2007, Google bought DoubleClick, supercharging banner targeting with behavioral data and rich media (animations, video). This fueled a $2B display ad business by 2008.

The 2010s brought mobile: responsive banners auto-sized for phones, while 2013’s Enhanced Campaigns unified desktop/mobile bidding. Programmatic buying exploded via DoubleClick Bid Manager (2014), automating 90% of GDN placements. TrueView video ads and native banners (2016) blended seamlessly into content, boosting engagement.

GDPR (2018) and Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (2021) forced privacy shifts. Google phased out third-party cookies by 2024, pivoting to Privacy Sandbox and FLoC (later Topics API). AI-powered Performance Max (2021) now auto-optimizes banner creatives across GDN, YouTube, and Gmail.

2025 stats: GDN serves 50 billion daily impressions, with average banner CTR at 0.46%—low, but vital for awareness. Revenue? Display ads generate $35B+ annually, 15% of Google’s ad empire.

From clunky GIFs to AI-driven, privacy-safe banners, Google transformed a $200M niche in 2003 into a $200B+ global display ecosystem—proving even tiny rectangles can move mountains.