Is it right to use ad blocker when surfing the internet?
Although it seems logical, ad blocker is having a devastating affect on bloggers like me, like everyone online.
Let’s start with the definition of an ad blocker program. It’s basically an add on to most internet browsers that stops most HTML scripts from being shown aka adverts. This means that adverts won’t be seen, therefore can’t be clicked on, therefore blogger’s can’t earn money. Your probably thinking ‘it’s not that bad’. It is. Some people claim that over 90% of their visitors run ad blocker programs. 90% of potential earnings just disappears, stolen.
Just check right now if you saw an advert at the top of this page or on the side. If you did, thank you. If you didn’t you should feel bad. Web pages are free but the way most people make money is through adverts. We can’t make money if you can’t see the adverts. I have even heard some stories of people having to close down their websites due to ad blockers not because they weren’t making money, but because they couldn’t make money.
I’m not going to be biased so I’ll show both sides of the argument. Ad blocker programs say they created them to stop the annoying pop up ads from appearing. But, surely all the pop up ads only appear on scam websites? Every decent website won’t have pop up ads because they annoy visitors. We know this and that’s why we don’t ever use them to monetize our websites.
Even if your not going to click on an advert, you will still affect bloggers. Ad blocker stops advert programs tracking views and some ads are run on pay per view basis. Either way, you will be affecting them, us. Adverts are not there to make money. There primary use is to share information with visitors and attract customers to businesses. Without adverts, the internet (or Jeremy Clarkson’s interweb) will be very ‘narrow’ like a motorway, where there are no turning you can turn off. There will be no adverts to give you the ability to turn off the road.
Ultimately, even if you are not the one to ever click on an ad, still don’t use ad blockers. Just think, bloggers provide the latest and best content on a daily basis. The least you can do in return is let them show ads. I’ll leave you pondering over a question, ‘if you only made money from adverts online, would you use ad blocker yourself?’
I know my answer, what’s yours?
