Welcome to our About Adblock series. For publishers, one of the most difficult tasks is monetizing their audience. In today’s internet landscape a large portion of that audience is using Adblock, completely disrupting your revenue. We hope this series gives you the information required to understand what you’re up against while providing you with actionable solutions. For the other articles in this series, click below.
Adblock is one of the strangest tools on the internet. It has cultivated an image of a renegade fighting for a freer web, while covering up some really shady practices that have helped it thrive. Here are some of the biggest myths about Adblock, and what these lies are actually covering up.
Myth: Adblock gives users the freedom to choose whether or not they want to see ads.
Truth: Adblock shows users “acceptable ads” without their consent.
Myth: Adblock doesn’t let advertisers track user data.
Truth: “Acceptable Ads” track user data without their knowledge or consent.
Myth: Adblock is an underdog taking the fight to the biggest publishers and advertisers for a better internet.
Myth: Adblock needs user donations to survive.
Truth: Adblock makes plenty of money from publishers it extorts and advertisements it shows users. Soliciting donations to perpetuate an image of a struggling underdog is a further example of its greed.
Myth: “Acceptable Ads” is an effective way to recover lost Adblock Revenue
Truth: Adblock extensions account for a small percentage of all Adblock traffic The flawed “Acceptable Ads” initiative doesn’t account for Adblock traffic generated outside of the Adblock and Adblock plus extensions, thus providing a very incomplete solution to lost revenue.
Adblock is a brand. And just like any brand it carefully manages its image in the world, and uses it to cover some darker truths beneath the surface. It covers up how its very existence hurts journalists, how it takes bribes to allow advertisers to bypass its blocks and so much more.
Welcome to our About Adblock series. For publishers, one of the most difficult tasks is monetizing their audience. In today’s internet landscape a large portion of that audience is using Adblock, completely disrupting your revenue. We hope this series gives you the information required to understand what you’re up against while providing you with actionable solutions. For the other articles in this series, click below.
