Google has announced it has made improvements to ensure ads comply with its policies.

It has:

• Improved “query watch” for counterfeit ads by widening its monitoring of sensitive keywords and queries related to counterfeit goods.

• Developed a new “risk model” to detect violations.

• Implemented a faster manual review process as well as twenty-four hour response time upon receiving a reliable complaint about an ad.

Sridhar Ramaswamy in Google’s blog post said that the company can already tell the new measures are working — the percentage of “bad ads” that made it onto Google search pages in 2011 was reduced by half compared to 2010.

ProFlowers and Pharma Ads

Google has had some high-profile fails in this area. It was roundly criticized last month when one of its advertisers, ProFlowers, placed ads for Valentine’s Day that indicated local florists were sold out, when in fact they were not. (via Search Engine Land)  It also paid a $500 million fine to the U.S. Justice Department, after admitting to taking illegal pharmaceutical ads over several years.