5 ms·

Data from hundreds of sites shows 23% usage of adblock

molbon 13y ago
This is quite surprising. I'd never expect to be that high.
- ROFISH 13y ago
  From the public? Maybe. However, some more tech-savvy sites are hit even harder. Apparently 50% of the readers of gaming site Destructoid use Adblock[1]. [1] http://www.destructoid.com/half-of-destructoid-s-readers-block-our-ads-now-what--247904.phtml http://www.destructoid.com/half-of-destructoid-s-readers-blo...
  - seanblanchfield 13y ago
    Some sites we're working with have over 60% of their audience blocking ads! Tends to be the gaming sites in particular.
mcdonnellb 13y ago
PageFair's blog post & full report are here: http://blog.pagefair.com/2013/the-rise-of-adblocking/ http://blog.pagefair.com/2013/the-rise-of-adblocking/ Some site categories were hit much harder than 23%.
DoritosMan 13y ago
If I didn't have to worry about malicious ads, pop up advertisements, video ads that automatically play, and obnoxious ads then I probably wouldn't use AdBlock. But since advertisements are nothing but obnoxious then it makes it hard for me to change my mind...
- mcdonnellb 13y ago
  Yeah, some advertisers actually hurt their own industry with really pushy ads. How mild would the ads need to be for you to be happy to turn off your adblocker? Would you tolerate any ads, even from your favourite site?
seanblanchfield 13y ago
What we found most surprising was the growth rate - 43%. If this keeps up all ads will be blocked by 2018! Of course, this won't happen. But it looks like things are set to get a lot worse for publishers before they get better.
- ciferkey 13y ago
  xkcd.com/605/ In all seriousness that is a staggering growth rate. Though I don't see the majority of the population moving the AB. It would be interesting if you could objectively gauge what kind of users are prone to using tools like AB and then see how close we are to saturating that portion of the user base.
  - thatswrong0 13y ago
    Tricky link you've got there. Hidden character at the end. Try copying and pasting this: xkcd.com/605/‎ vs. xkcd.com/605/
- Terretta 13y ago
  Just like TV, publishers will eventually grasp they need product placement. Ads will stop being external JS, and start being server-side API calls to the ad farm for content the publisher in-lines with its own content. Not hard to do, and the motivation is there anywhere above 10% - 20% leakage.
etioyuahgdhjdkg 13y ago
I don't understand why having the right to choose what to display on my screen is so hard to understand for these people.
- seanblanchfield 13y ago
  From the publisher's point of view, ads are the only realistic way that they can pay for the expense of running their websites. The alternatives are paywalls, which don't work, or shutting down (which a bunch of sites that were using over the last year ended up doing!). Anyway, most people install adblock because of really crappy ads that get in your face. Do you have a real problem with static image banners that don't get in the way of content?
AndrewDucker 13y ago
If Adblock had a "text ads are fine" setting then I'd happily turn it on (I do leave the default setting to allow some ads on). I don't mind supporting sites - but I cannot deal with flashing, moving, or overlaying ads. They drive me crazy.
- DanBC 13y ago
  Why do you support the site with page views? Why don't you move away from sites that use bad adverts?
  - Terretta 13y ago
    Because I don't know that they have bad adverts. I've never seen them. I'm occasionally shocked when trying to browse something from a public computer or at an in-law's house: "People actually use the web like this???"
    - Steffen012345 13y ago
      That means people like you are the reason why nothing changes. If you would completely ignore bad websites instead of "tuning" them with your adblocker other websites with unobtrusive advertisements would survive.
- neiloconnor 13y ago
  What about static images? Would you find banner ads as distracting if they didn't flash, move or overlay?
- shib71 13y ago
  I also like it for sites that have ads everywhere. But the outright intrusive ads are the worst.
someadsblocked 13y ago
Adblock makes back room deals with corporations and publishers to allow some ads through. Obviously GMail ads are still shown, but keep an eye out, you will notice others.
- drill_sarge 13y ago
  This is a false assumption by a german blogger (I forgot exactly which blog it was). It was mind boggling how many flaws where in his posts. Also you can turn off acceptable ads or just use Adblock Edge fork.
  - Steffen012345 13y ago
    It was mobilegeeks.de and the assumptions are confirmed facts. And if you really think you can turn off "acceptable ads" then i have to tell you that Adblock Plus changes your settings with the next update.
programminggeek 13y ago
Um, this doesn't impact online advertising because the people who are likely to click on ads are NOT the people who use adblock.
- mcdonnellb 13y ago
  I can relate to your intuition, but is that all you're going on? Do you know of any evidence to back this up?
- overdude 13y ago
  You're unfortunately incorrect. Many, many publishers rely on on a CPM based ad payment model rather than CPC, such that the site is paid based on the number of ad impressions seen, not clicked. Clicks have little/no impact on CPM.
zharko 13y ago
Well, Google is good reference how unobtrusive and useful ads can be actually even desired by an average user. Of course Google now looks much more like Microsoft than it did 5 years ago when the "dont be evil" mantra sill made sense. With the ads from Google I can still live... although it is becoming a borderline case
drill_sarge 13y ago
-flash-ads -animated ads -ads with sound -tracking through ads -ad networks often get hacked -more ads than content on a page -ads overlay content -wasting data volume on 3G mobile connection -wasting battery on phone thanks to ads Just a couple of reasons why I am using adblocker on most sites. Until all those "advertising networks/providers" don't learn (they didn't in the last 10 years), my behavior will not change.
mesozoic 13y ago
The funny thing about adblock is I first got it because of the extremely annoying ads Twitch.tv will run. Now the twitch streamers suffer because so many of their viewers have adblock but it's ultimately because Twitch runs some of the most annoying ads on the internet. I've browsed them recently without adblock and they have even more annoying ads today.
BuckoA51 13y ago
My site gets around 1500 views a day, I may have to close due to ad-blocking. bigger sites can take the hit, but I can't, if I can't make money writing my site, I'll have to take the advice I so often hear from Adblock advocates and "diversify my business", by going to flip burgers at the local fast food joint. I don't see how that makes the web a better place like the ad-block advocates claim.

This is quite surprising. I'd never expect to be that high.

ROFISH 13y ago
From the public? Maybe. However, some more tech-savvy sites are hit even harder. Apparently 50% of the readers of gaming site Destructoid use Adblock[1]. [1] http://www.destructoid.com/half-of-destructoid-s-readers-block-our-ads-now-what--247904.phtml http://www.destructoid.com/half-of-destructoid-s-readers-blo...
- seanblanchfield 13y ago
  Some sites we're working with have over 60% of their audience blocking ads! Tends to be the gaming sites in particular.

PageFair's blog post & full report are here: http://blog.pagefair.com/2013/the-rise-of-adblocking/ http://blog.pagefair.com/2013/the-rise-of-adblocking/ Some site categories were hit much harder than 23%.

DoritosMan 13y ago

If I didn't have to worry about malicious ads, pop up advertisements, video ads that automatically play, and obnoxious ads then I probably wouldn't use AdBlock. But since advertisements are nothing but obnoxious then it makes it hard for me to change my mind...

mcdonnellb 13y ago
Yeah, some advertisers actually hurt their own industry with really pushy ads. How mild would the ads need to be for you to be happy to turn off your adblocker? Would you tolerate any ads, even from your favourite site?

seanblanchfield 13y ago

What we found most surprising was the growth rate - 43%. If this keeps up all ads will be blocked by 2018! Of course, this won't happen. But it looks like things are set to get a lot worse for publishers before they get better.

ciferkey 13y ago
xkcd.com/605/ In all seriousness that is a staggering growth rate. Though I don't see the majority of the population moving the AB. It would be interesting if you could objectively gauge what kind of users are prone to using tools like AB and then see how close we are to saturating that portion of the user base.
- thatswrong0 13y ago
  Tricky link you've got there. Hidden character at the end. Try copying and pasting this: xkcd.com/605/‎ vs. xkcd.com/605/
Terretta 13y ago
Just like TV, publishers will eventually grasp they need product placement. Ads will stop being external JS, and start being server-side API calls to the ad farm for content the publisher in-lines with its own content. Not hard to do, and the motivation is there anywhere above 10% - 20% leakage.

etioyuahgdhjdkg 13y ago

I don't understand why having the right to choose what to display on my screen is so hard to understand for these people.

seanblanchfield 13y ago
From the publisher's point of view, ads are the only realistic way that they can pay for the expense of running their websites. The alternatives are paywalls, which don't work, or shutting down (which a bunch of sites that were using over the last year ended up doing!). Anyway, most people install adblock because of really crappy ads that get in your face. Do you have a real problem with static image banners that don't get in the way of content?

AndrewDucker 13y ago

If Adblock had a "text ads are fine" setting then I'd happily turn it on (I do leave the default setting to allow some ads on). I don't mind supporting sites - but I cannot deal with flashing, moving, or overlaying ads. They drive me crazy.

DanBC 13y ago
Why do you support the site with page views? Why don't you move away from sites that use bad adverts?
- Terretta 13y ago
  Because I don't know that they have bad adverts. I've never seen them. I'm occasionally shocked when trying to browse something from a public computer or at an in-law's house: "People actually use the web like this???"
  - Steffen012345 13y ago
    That means people like you are the reason why nothing changes. If you would completely ignore bad websites instead of "tuning" them with your adblocker other websites with unobtrusive advertisements would survive.
neiloconnor 13y ago
What about static images? Would you find banner ads as distracting if they didn't flash, move or overlay?
shib71 13y ago
I also like it for sites that have ads everywhere. But the outright intrusive ads are the worst.

someadsblocked 13y ago

Adblock makes back room deals with corporations and publishers to allow some ads through. Obviously GMail ads are still shown, but keep an eye out, you will notice others.

drill_sarge 13y ago
This is a false assumption by a german blogger (I forgot exactly which blog it was). It was mind boggling how many flaws where in his posts. Also you can turn off acceptable ads or just use Adblock Edge fork.
- Steffen012345 13y ago
  It was mobilegeeks.de and the assumptions are confirmed facts. And if you really think you can turn off "acceptable ads" then i have to tell you that Adblock Plus changes your settings with the next update.

programminggeek 13y ago

Um, this doesn't impact online advertising because the people who are likely to click on ads are NOT the people who use adblock.

mcdonnellb 13y ago
I can relate to your intuition, but is that all you're going on? Do you know of any evidence to back this up?
overdude 13y ago
You're unfortunately incorrect. Many, many publishers rely on on a CPM based ad payment model rather than CPC, such that the site is paid based on the number of ad impressions seen, not clicked. Clicks have little/no impact on CPM.

zharko 13y ago

Well, Google is good reference how unobtrusive and useful ads can be actually even desired by an average user. Of course Google now looks much more like Microsoft than it did 5 years ago when the "dont be evil" mantra sill made sense. With the ads from Google I can still live... although it is becoming a borderline case

drill_sarge 13y ago

-flash-ads -animated ads -ads with sound -tracking through ads -ad networks often get hacked -more ads than content on a page -ads overlay content -wasting data volume on 3G mobile connection -wasting battery on phone thanks to ads Just a couple of reasons why I am using adblocker on most sites. Until all those "advertising networks/providers" don't learn (they didn't in the last 10 years), my behavior will not change.

mesozoic 13y ago

The funny thing about adblock is I first got it because of the extremely annoying ads Twitch.tv will run. Now the twitch streamers suffer because so many of their viewers have adblock but it's ultimately because Twitch runs some of the most annoying ads on the internet. I've browsed them recently without adblock and they have even more annoying ads today.

BuckoA51 13y ago

My site gets around 1500 views a day, I may have to close due to ad-blocking. bigger sites can take the hit, but I can't, if I can't make money writing my site, I'll have to take the advice I so often hear from Adblock advocates and "diversify my business", by going to flip burgers at the local fast food joint. I don't see how that makes the web a better place like the ad-block advocates claim.