4 ms·

Wait so it only works on those 4 websites? I've only heard of Popular Mechanics, but I rarely (if ever) visit their site. If this was more like Youtube Red, I'

Wait so it only works on those 4 websites? I've only heard of Popular Mechanics, but I rarely (if ever) visit their site. If this was more like Youtube Red, I'd be all over this. I would love to pay to remove all google ads. I get that uBlock exists, but I want to support the sites I use. Unrelated: the sidenav thing is empty? WTF?

SamBam 9y ago
I don't understand why it doesn't work for all Google Ads. The content creator would just like the money. They don't actually want to display the ads. If they could get the money without displaying the ads, they'd be over the moon. Why doesn't Google make it work across all sites, and pay the sites using Google Ads the average revenue they were already getting per page view?
- zigzigzag 9y ago
  They did that. It was the first iteration. The problem is that - as described above - many websites use ads from multiple networks, so actually even if you paid, most ads did not disappear. It was more or less random. Also, it turns out ads make sites a lot of money (who knew), so to get even that sketchy coverage required you to pay a LOT.
  - sornars 9y ago
    I feel like your second point was a missed educational opportunity for users. Ad views are worth a lot more to advertisers (and consequently, publishers) than what you are willing to pay - 'free content' isn't free and if you as a user aren't willing to pay for it then it's probably not fair to complain about the ads. The thing that upsets me is when I am willing to pay for content (Washington Post, The Economist, FT, etc.) and I still get served ads. Online advertising reminds me of airline travel in the sense that people complain about the low quality service but are only willing to purchase the cheapest flights. The industry has shifted to accomodate what people actually want, not what they say they want.
- funkyy 9y ago
  It's bad for their brand and image. They promote their ads as least intrusive. If they are so user-friendly, why would anyone get them removed? It is simple brand management.
- pradn 9y ago
  Well, Google gets a lot more than a few cents for many categories of ads. At the extreme case, medical lawsuit ads can charge around $50 per click.

SamBam 9y ago

I don't understand why it doesn't work for all Google Ads. The content creator would just like the money. They don't actually want to display the ads. If they could get the money without displaying the ads, they'd be over the moon. Why doesn't Google make it work across all sites, and pay the sites using Google Ads the average revenue they were already getting per page view?

zigzigzag 9y ago
They did that. It was the first iteration. The problem is that - as described above - many websites use ads from multiple networks, so actually even if you paid, most ads did not disappear. It was more or less random. Also, it turns out ads make sites a lot of money (who knew), so to get even that sketchy coverage required you to pay a LOT.
- sornars 9y ago
  I feel like your second point was a missed educational opportunity for users. Ad views are worth a lot more to advertisers (and consequently, publishers) than what you are willing to pay - 'free content' isn't free and if you as a user aren't willing to pay for it then it's probably not fair to complain about the ads. The thing that upsets me is when I am willing to pay for content (Washington Post, The Economist, FT, etc.) and I still get served ads. Online advertising reminds me of airline travel in the sense that people complain about the low quality service but are only willing to purchase the cheapest flights. The industry has shifted to accomodate what people actually want, not what they say they want.
funkyy 9y ago
It's bad for their brand and image. They promote their ads as least intrusive. If they are so user-friendly, why would anyone get them removed? It is simple brand management.
pradn 9y ago
Well, Google gets a lot more than a few cents for many categories of ads. At the extreme case, medical lawsuit ads can charge around $50 per click.