Many of the geeks and nerds out there are very smart! And when they go online, they probably have an adblocker activated on their web browser. And why not do this, because these days more and more websites are filling their pages with a ton of ads that makes the website slower and for those using a smartphone, more ads means using more data. With the latest iOS update, Apple has allowed adblockers, and people with Apple products are downloading and installing them frequently! But, have you noticed that many adblockers are allowing a few ads around the adblocker? Welcome to the new world of acceptable ads!
Adblock Plus and Adblocker have both started the acceptable ads program. This program allows some of the advertising not considered annoying to be viewed. By doing this people can support websites that rely on advertising but choose to do it in a non-intrusive way. The adblockers are doing this so advertisers will have the incentive to produce better ads. Meaning, no ads that have animations, sounds, pop-ups, or attention grabbing images. So far, the only ads I have seen is on Google, when you do a Google search and see a few text ads in the search results. Now, some of the ads on the search make a lot of sense, and can be useful. But of course, some ads makes no sense, but I don’t have a problem seeing them.
The adblockers have a few rules to make sure the acceptable ad program is not abused.
- For pages featuring a reading text ads should not be placed in the middle, where they interrupt the reading flow. However, they can be placed above the text content, below it or on the sides. The same applies to search results pages: paid search results cannot be mixed with organic results.
- When ads are placed above the content of a main page, they should not require the user to scroll down. The available vertical space is likely to be at least 700 pixels. Advertising should not occupy more than one-third of that height. Paid search results on search pages are allowed to occupy more space, but they should never outnumber organic results.
- When placed on the side ads should leave enough space for the main content. The available horizontal space can be expected to be at least 1000 pixels, and advertising should not occupy more than a third of that width.
- Advertising should be clearly marked as such with the word “advertising” or its equivalent, and it should be distinguishable from page content, for instance via a border and/or different a background color.
- Marking and placement requirements do not apply for hyperlinks with affiliate referrer IDs embedded in the content of the page. Additional criteria for hyperlinks with affiliate referrer IDs:
- Redirects originating from the hyperlink should not present any other webpage than the destination page.
- In texts, not more than 2 percent of the words can be hyperlinked for monetization purposes.
- Hyperlinks should not be formatted or behave differently than other links.
- Hyperlinks should not be misleading, in either content or placement.
The adblockers have said most users would accept some kinds of advertising to help websites. Some users are even asking for a way to enable adblockers on some websites only. The program says no one can buy their way into the acceptable ad program. And everyone has to follow the same rules to have their ads bypass the adblockers. Now, you still have the option to turn off all the ads if you want too. But, for someone like me who runs a website, seeing the acceptable ad program is a good thing. My hope is the program will not be abused, and soon the adblockers will be worthless because most of the ads get through the adblockers.
I know, it’s very annoying to watch a livestream, and have it interrupted by an ad. It’s annoying to see ads before watching a YouTube video, thank you adblockers! It’s also annoying to see half of a webpage filled with ads, including pop-ups! There needs to be a balance between ads on a website and the adblockers. Mostly all the geeks and nerds will continue to use adblockers, including myself. But, could there be a day where adblockers are no longer needed because mostly all the websites don’t abuse their ads? Na, I don’t see that day, praise the adblockers!
