Internet ads have been a reality for several years, as have adblockers. If the former represent a source of income for the pages that host them and a source of customer acquisition for the companies that advertise; The latter prevent the user from having to view them if they do not wish to do so.
With the increase in internet searches, advertisers have also grown. In response to the situation, millions of users have started installing ad blockers in order to eradicate annoying ads.
In the following lines we will see what adblockers or ad blockers are and how they can affect our marketing strategy .
- What are ad blockers and how do they work?
- Are adblockers a threat to my marketing strategy?
- The most used ad blockers
- Main reasons why a user uses adblockers
- The future of adblockers and advertising
What are ad blockers and how do they work?
Ad blockers are software tools capable of analyzing websites, searching for ad codes, and blocking them to prevent them from being displayed in a browser.
Depending on the type of adblockers and their configuration, they will block all advertising, the most intrusive or the most related to a specific topic. These actions may cause certain visual content of the article or page to not appear either.
Types of ads that an adblocker can block and how to configure it
Among the different types of ads that we can find on a web page, adblockers can stop the user from seeing:
1. Autoplay Videos
2. Ad pop-ups
3. Banners
4. Pop-up
5. Advertising videos
6. Facebook Ads
7. Twitter Ads
However, you should know that it is always possible to customize the operation of this software and choose how these ads will appear (or not). Thus, for example, the user will be able to choose, among many other options:
- On which web pages you do or do not want to display ads
- Whether to block a specific ad that you consider too invasive.
- Block ads from all pages on the same site.
Are adblockers a threat to my marketing strategy?
In principle, we may think that, if our website has no ads or very few, an ad blocker will not affect us. However, adblockers can also negatively affect our marketing strategy . The reason is that, in addition to ads, they can block images, infographics and visual content that adds value to the text we show on our page; vital elements to understand the information captured.
The result will be a page with blank spaces or error messages that will cause a negative user experience , an apparent lack of professionalism and distrust about the security of the website.
How to avoid or reduce problems derived from adblockers?
The best option to avoid being blocked by the software is for the user to include the website on a whitelist . This name refers to a personal selection that includes all the web pages that may show their advertising to the user.
In this way, each person will see the advertising of the pages that they consider to be good advertising or from which they can obtain valuable information.
The most used ad blockers
Since the first ad blocker was created, many more have been developed. The list does not stop growing, although among the most used adblockers are the following:
AdBlock
Adblock is an extension for the web browser responsible for blocking the appearance of advertisements on the Internet pages that a user visits. It is completely customizable and easy to use.
AdFender
AdFender is a program that is installed and allows you to block advertisements that appear in web browsers and also in instant messaging applications. Unlike other programs or extensions, this one does not use plug-ins, but rather runs throughout the operating system and filters all the links that the user accesses.
AdGuard Adblocker
AdGuard Adblocker is an extension that blocks ads on internet pages for faster and safer browsing.
AdBlockPro
AdBlockPro is a plugin that, through filter lists, blocks and eliminates ads from all web pages while the user browses the internet with Google Chrome.
NoScript
NoScript is an add-on created for Mozilla Firefox that removes advertising when loading websites.
uBlock
uBlock is an open source extension created for the most used browsers such as Chrome, MS Edge and Safari. This ad blocker filters content and neutralizes ads for better internet browsing.
These are some of the many adblockers that currently exist on the market and that you should review in order to understand how they can affect your website in particular.
All of them work, both on computers and mobile devices. Have you started to investigate how it works?
Main reasons why a user uses adblockers
It is not only important to understand how these software works, but also to know what reasons lead a user to use adblockers. That is why we show you the main reasons. These are these four:
- Privacy : When users view ads, they know that they may be accompanied by third-party cookies that will track and collect their data . Therefore, they are distrustful and may prefer to block them to protect their privacy.
- Protection : some ads may be infected with viruses and, even if you do not click, once the ad is viewed, your computer is infected . An ad blocker will prevent the appearance of pop-ups, redirects or automatic downloads, thus protecting the user.
- Experience : some ads take up a lot of space on the page, are distracting and annoying, making it difficult to read the information continuously and focused.
- Speed – Ads slow down the loading of images, text, videos, and other elements. Users know that if they block them, the loading will be much faster.
It is important to understand these reasons that lead the user to use an ad blocker in order to better adapt the advertising and marketing strategy .
The future of adblockers and advertising
We have been able to observe that adblockers are widespread and directly affect our marketing and advertising strategies . That is why it is advisable to start thinking about using new ways to promote products and services.
Those that are correctly integrated with the information we offer to the user, that are discreet so as not to disturb and that are not invasive have a greater chance of surviving.
The final result should be quality content that encourages the user to stay, even if there is advertising, and that generates engagement through the resources, information and content offered.
Perhaps adblockers are the catalyst your marketing plan needs to reinvent itself and become even more effective .
