Taking a Detour: What Ad Blocking Prevalence Means for Your Marketing Strategy
Sometimes advertisements are too invasive during internet users’ online experience. As a result, many users turn to ad-blockers to stop the madness. This kind of phenomenon intrigued former Googler Pierre Far. He became fascinated by the degree of ad- and analytics-blocking that occurred during his last couple of years at Google.
Therefore, he created Blockmetry, a company devoted to tracking the percentage of page views blocked rather than the number of users blocking ads. This method draws more accurate results about the impact of ad-blocking on websites. A ‘weather report’ done by Blockmetry is developed periodically to capture the state of ad-blocking globally. Data is collected about blocked content on multiple devices but doesn’t include smartphone or tablet apps.
What Blockmetry’s Weather Report Revealed
The latest ‘weather report’ revealed that 32.4 percent of global ads are blocked. Analytics are blocked at a percentage of 5.2. The reduced visibility of display advertising among internet users has increased since May – when it was 28.5 percent. There hasn’t been much growth in analytics-blocking since May; it was only 5.1 percent then.
So, what does blocked display advertising look like around the world? Well, European countries experience a substantial amount of it. For example, Poland and Norway encounter ad-blocking at an average rate of 50 percent. Approximately 45 percent of Poland’s page views were affected by blocked ads during May.
The U.K., France, and Germany are averaging about 33 percent of blocked ads on web pages. The U.S. wasn’t far behind with 31.5 percent, which is up from 27.8 percent in May. Its percentage of analytics-blocking was 5 percent, up from 4.6. And the award for the highest percentage of ad-blocked page views goes to the region South Asia at 44.2 percent – up from 39.1 percent in May.
The Impact on Your Marketing Efforts
We’re sure you’re wondering how this data impacts your marketing strategy. Well, it is a cause for concern regarding your display advertising efforts. The data indicates there will likely be an increase in ad- and analytics-blocking among internet users in the future. So, you should take the time to prepare your strategy to deal with this setback.
Consider optimizing your marketing strategy by putting more emphasis on things other than display advertising. This may mean improving your SEO or SEM tactics to rank your content higher on search engines. Maybe this means expanding your target audience to have a larger reach, leading to greater ad views. What kind of people have you been missing? Focusing on social media more often could help make up for lost ad views. Develop new, exciting ways to appeal to your target audience through this avenue: better updates, more special offers, etc.
Evaluate your display advertising techniques to determine if you’re contributing to users’ desire to block ads. People hate pop-up ads the most, followed by ads on mobile phones. Do your display advertising regimes focus a lot on these areas? Cut back on them! Also, make sure your ad and analytics content includes things your target audience are interested in. This isn’t just about the products or services you sell; it’s about your word and design choices.
We are skilled in performance display techniques that balance the re-targeting and prospecting needed to grow your business efficiently. Looking for more interesting content to read? See How to Convert: Top 10 CRO Tips.
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