DoubleVerify overhauls its keyword-blocking policies

DoubleVerify will now restrict keyword blocking to “unclassified URLs” only, with the company also launching tools to help advertisers optimize keyword blocklists to avoid excessive blocking against news content. 

The announcement was formally unveiled in a blog post by DoubleVerify’s head of news, Jack Marshall, who joined the ad verification company in late 2024 to launch its News Accelerator program. Editor’s note: Marshall is a former Digiday employee.

“DV [sic] will enable advertisers to apply keyword avoidance only to the URL paths of site pages that have not yet been classified into one of DV’s content categories. This update empowers brands to prioritize DV’s 100+ content categories,” reads the post. 

It continues, “In addition, DV is introducing an innovative AI-powered feature that allows advertisers to optimize keyword lists and identify stale keywords based on historical data insights.” 

Marshall told Digiday that the goal is to ensure advertisers’ brand suitability needs are met without unnecessary blocking of inventory that “has already been reviewed and categorized,” specifically referencing legacy news publishers. He added, “The idea is to combat the ‘set it and forget it’ problem that most publishers have.” 

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The blog post continues, “To anchor this collaboration, we are launching DV’s News Accelerator Publisher Council, a formal working group to facilitate regular roundtable discussions where publishers can share insights on news monetization, discuss challenges, and provide direct feedback on DV’s tools and strategies.”

Meanwhile, Jack Smith, chief innovation officer at DoubleVerify, explained that the approach was geared toward letting advertisers “set their own thresholds for classification” and brand safety. “It’s certainly not a one-size-fits-all [approach],” he added.

The developments come as ad verification providers have come under scrutiny in recent months, with high-profile critical reports catching the eye of senior U.S. elected politicians.

The formal update to DoubleVerify’s brand safety offering also comes a week after Scope3, headed by industry stalwart Brian O’Kelley announced it was also entering the ad certification fray to much aplomb. DoubleVerify’s Smith told Digiday his company’s latest launch wasn’t a commercial reaction to the latest launch, adding that its News Accelerator program has been in development for some time.