Marketing has always had a presence in life. Billboards have taken up landscapes for decades, posters take up space in most cities, and flyers have been handed out. In the technological advancement of the present, marketing has found its way into the digital world in the shape of advertisements. Whether you are reading an article, watching a video, or scrolling through a social media platform, ads are constantly trying to catch your attention.
For many websites, advertising is a revenue stream. However, ads can also be intrusive and disruptive for the browser experience. To deal with this issue, ad blocker has emerged as a tool to eliminate ads, resulting in an enhanced browsing experience.
Understanding the Logic Behind Ad Blockers
The basic logic behind ad blockers is simple: Ad blockers are software tools which has been designed to either remove or hide advertisements on web pages. There are many forms an ad blocker can take, such as a browser extension, standalone application, or a built-in feature in web browsers.
Even though there are many types of ad blockers, they all have in common that they identify and block content that matches patterns of advertisements, which then prevents the ads from loading on the screen. There are several techniques you can use to block ads.
Blacklists And Whitelists
One way for ad blockers to work is to have a list of URLs known to service ads. These have been blacklisted, meaning the content from these sources is automatically blocked. On the contrary, whitelists are URLs that have been deemed acceptable or safe to use. Ad blockers will allow the content from the whitelisted URLs.
Element Hiding
Another type of ad blocker is element hiding. For this method, specific HTML elements are hidden which matches common ad patterns. This can include elements such as banners, pop-ups, and sidebar ads.
Script Blocking
A majority of ads are delivered through JavaScript. The ad blockers can go in and prevent these scripts from running, which results in stopping the ads from loading.
Heuristic Analysis
This type of ad blockers is a more advanced method. In this, ad blockers use heuristics to identify ads based on their behavior and characteristics. This also applies to cases when ads come from previously unknown sources.
The Benefits You Will Get From Using an Ad Blocker
There are many reasons why people choose to use an ad blocker. It is a subjective matter since it depends on what you prioritize and what you want out of the solution.
For most people, the main benefit is that using an ad blocker improves the page loading time. This is because ads, especially the ones using high-resolution images or videos, can slow down your browser. Blocking these elements thereby results in a faster browsing experience.
If you are concerned for your online security and privacy, using ad blockers can be worth considering. Most ads come with tracking scripts collecting data about your browsing habits, which can build detailed profiles of your online behavior, which most often gets used for targeted advertising or sold to third parties. An ad blocker can prevent the scripts from running, which protects your privacy and reduces the amount of your personal data that is being shared with advertisers.
For many, blocking ads is related to the visual experience. Ads can be visually overwhelming and distracting, which, for some, can make it difficult to focus on the content on the website. With ad blockers, you can declutter web pages where you remove these distractions, which can create a clean and enjoyable browsing experience. For some, blocking ads is related to limited data plans. Ads can consume a lot of data, so by blocking ads, you can save data and stay within your data limits.
Something to Be Aware of Before Choosing ad Blockers
It is clear that there are many benefits to using ad blockers. However, before you make that choice, you should also be aware of the downsides of choosing ad blockers. Firstly, many websites rely on ad revenue to fund their operations. Blocking ads can, therefore lead to reducing the income of content creators. The financial strain can impact the quality and availability of the content provided on sites.
You can also experience limiting yourself and your online experience. Some websites detect ad blockers, and when they do, they restrict access to the content unless you disable the blocker. This means that you can enter half-empty websites and have to either whitelist or temporarily disable an ad blocker to see the full content. Lastly, you should be aware that you might encounter compatibility issues since not all ad blockers work with every browser or website.
Ending on a Positive Note
For you to optimize your experience with ad blockers, you should firstly research your options among the many ad blockers available online. Once you have found the right one and installed it, you should ensure to regularly update the ad blocker, since it relies on updated lists of ad sources and filtering rules to provide the best experience.
You could also spend the time whitelisting trusted sites, so you ensure that intrusive ads are blocked while other relevant ads can show. By doing this, you ensure the best possible experience using ad blockers.
