Google announced it will change its advertising policies after several brands pulled ads from the platform because they appeared alongside offensive content.

Google admitted that although the company has strict policies that define where Google ads should appear and prohibit ads from appearing on pages or videos with hate speech, gory or offensive content, ads may still appear against content that violates its policies.

The U.S. company said it would give advertisers more control over where their ads appear on both YouTube, and the Google Display Network, which posts advertising to third-party websites and against search engine results.

"We've heard from our advertisers and agencies loud and clear that we can provide simpler, more robust ways to stop their ads from showing against controversial content. We will be making changes in the coming weeks to give brands more control over where their ads appear across YouTube and the Google Display Network," said Ronan Harris, managing director, Google U.K.

The announcement came after the U.K. government and the Guardian newspaper stepped up pressure on YouTube to police content on its platform, pulling ads from the video site because they appeared beside clips they view as inappropriate.

Ads appeared "next to extremist and hate-filled videos," prompting Guardian News & Media to stop all advertising through YouTube parent Google, the British publisher said in an emailed statement Friday. The U.K. government said it suspended advertising on YouTube until the site can ensure they're not placed next to content it doesn't approve of.