Friday, October 23, 2015

Ad Blocking - it's the users way of saying enough is enough!


I've been running ad blocking software since, well, it first came out on Firefox.  Then Chrome and now it's available on iOS handsets now.  Why?  This snippet from the Adobe Digital Marketing blog sums it up quite well for me: 

Users are fed up with bad advertising experiences. Every install of an ad blocker is a statement against annoying ads, security risks, slow browsing, and ads’ consumption of computing resources. With ad blockers, users have taken back control of their browsing experience. Now, it’s up to publishers to adjust.
Exactly.  The ads are annoying - slow - and stop me from seeing the content I want to see.  By using the ad blocker, I can see the content without the overlays, popups and junk.  I want to support the publishers, but the content people and publishers are going to have to make some changes.  Again, suggested changes from the Adobe Digital Marketing Blog:

How publishers can adjust
If bad ad experiences are causing users to flee to ad blocking, good ad experiences can help decelerate this trend. Here are nine ways to ensure a good ad experience:
  1. Make sure the ad load to content load is fair to the user.
  2. Match audio and video ad experiences to user expectations. In-stream ads can automatically play video since the users expects this. In contrast, in-banner ads shouldn’t automatically play audio or video because it interrupts an otherwise quiet browsing experience.
  3. Prevent ads from obstructing content.
  4. Screen ads for security risks.
  5. Optimize ads for speed.
  6. Optimize ads to consume the least amount of computing resources possible.
  7. Seek out deals with advertisers or intermediaries that have a vision for well-designed, useful ads.
  8. Ask users for feedback on your ad experiences. Look for insights in the feedback that can make the ad experience better.
  9. Apply the “does this work for me” test. Give your audience the experience that you would enjoy yourself.

Do you block ads when you are browsing the web?  On your phone?  What's been your experience as a consumer, and as a publisher of content?

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