If you’re a website or online publisher who relies on advertising revenue, you’re likely familiar with the frustration of ad blockers. Ad blockers are browser extensions that prevent ads from displaying on a website, which can result in lost revenue for publishers. In fact, according to a report by PageFair, ad-blocking resulted in an estimated loss of $22 billion in ad revenue globally in 2015. This number is expected to increase to $35 billion by 2020. These statistics highlight the significant impact that ad blockers can have on publishers’ revenue. And blocker usage tends to be higher among younger age groups. In the US, for example, 41% of internet users aged 18-24 use ad blockers, compared to 15% of those aged 55-64. The primary reasons given for using ad blockers are to improve page load times, reduce the number of ads seen, and protect against malware.
While ad blockers can be a challenge, there are several strategies you can implement to recover ad blocker ad revenue. In this blog post, we’ll explore these strategies and how you can use analytics to measure their effectiveness.
Educate your users:
One of the simplest ways to recover ad blocker ad revenue is to educate your users about the impact of ad blockers on your website’s revenue. Many users may not realize that ad revenue supports the content they consume, and may be willing to turn off their ad blocker if they understand the consequences.
To educate your users, consider implementing a pop-up message on your website that explains how ad revenue supports your content and encourages users to turn off their ad blocker. You can use analytics to measure the effectiveness of this strategy by tracking the number of users who see the message and the number who subsequently turn off their ad blocker.
Offer a subscription or membership:
Another way to recover ad blocker ad revenue is to offer a subscription or membership to your website that removes ads for paying members. This can provide an additional source of revenue while still allowing users who prefer ad-free browsing to support your site.
To implement this strategy, you’ll need to set up a system for accepting payments and delivering ad-free content to subscribers. You can use analytics to measure the effectiveness of this strategy by tracking the number of subscribers, the revenue generated by subscriptions, and the impact on ad blocker usage.
Implement an ad recovery solution:
Another strategy to recover ad blocker ad revenue is to implement an ad recovery solution. These solutions use technology to serve ads that bypass the ad blocker, often using non-intrusive ad formats that are less likely to be blocked.
To implement an ad recovery solution, you’ll need to work with a third-party provider that specializes in this technology. You can use analytics to measure the effectiveness of this strategy by tracking the number of ads served, the revenue generated by those ads, and the impact on ad blocker usage.
Diversify your revenue streams:
Another way to recover ad blocker ad revenue is to diversify your revenue streams. Don’t rely solely on ad revenue – consider alternative revenue streams, such as affiliate marketing, sponsored content, or merchandise sales.
To implement this strategy, you’ll need to identify the revenue streams that make sense for your website and audience and develop a plan for incorporating them into your website. You can use analytics to measure the effectiveness of this strategy by tracking the revenue generated by each alternative revenue stream and comparing it to your ad revenue.
Improve user experience:
Finally, another strategy to recover ad blocker ad revenue is to improve the user experience on your website. Some users install ad blockers because they find ads intrusive or annoying. By improving the user experience, you may be able to convince some users to turn off their ad blocker.
To improve the user experience, consider reducing the number of ads on your site or implementing better ad targeting to serve ads that are more relevant to your users. You can use analytics to measure the effectiveness of this strategy by tracking changes in user behavior,