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How about login walls for free content? Most news sites allow for a limited number of free articles a month except that their version of free requires I create

How about login walls for free content? Most news sites allow for a limited number of free articles a month except that their version of free requires I create an account and log in. So a major news site like the nytimes will always surface to the top of Google search results and if I select their article I am met with: >"Thanks for reading The Times. Create your free account or log in to continue reading." And even should you go through with creating an account and logging in, you are stuck with an ever present creeping footer that advertises a paid subscription as well as advertisements that are inserted between paragraphs of the article.

notjustanymike 4y ago
That content isn't "free". It's a sample, given away at cost by the Times, intended to engage you just enough to become a paying customer. Remember that all this stuff costs money to make, so when it's "free" its purpose is still to make money, one way or another. The ad model is becoming unsustainable, people are catching on to the "we sell your personal information" approach, so businesses are now exploring the free + friction model in greater depth. I'm not sure what you expected with the creeping footer. As a free user you don't drive enough revenue for them to sustain their business, so they're forced to introduce friction into the user experience to convert you into a real customer.