Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising has long been a staple in many companies’ marketing strategies. From Google results pages to YouTube videos, these ads allow marketers to promote their product directly to those most likely interested in it. With the growing popularity of ad blockers, however, this is quickly changing. Consumers can now get rid of most ads, which now means new marketing plans need to be developed. However, before you make any rash decisions and start pulling from you ad budget, read this article.
The Rise of Ad Blocking
Ad blocking technologies are relatively new to the Internet. Much of the content available online is paid for directly through ad revenue. In fact, 90 percent of Google’s revenue comes directly from online advertising. The second most popular website in the world, Facebook, derives 73 percent of its ad revenue from mobile ads.
In a world where everyone wants information for free, however, people ignore the need for ads. There’s no denying that having ads pop up, flash in the sidebar or interrupt online videos is an annoyance, but the desire to avoid this annoyance is now hitting many companies right in the wallet.
In April of 2009, there were only 20 million people worldwide utilizing ad blockers. By June 2015, this number had jumped to nearly 200 million. There’s no denying it: ad blocking technology is here to stay.
How Ad Blocking Will Affect Advertising
Marketers who utilize ads may have recently seen their click-through rate (CTR) drop. While there are any number of reasons this is happening, ad blocking technology is definitely one of them. A recent study found that, out of 39 tested websites, 21 displayed no ads whatsoever when an ad blocker was installed.
The statistics for standard ads were even more disheartening. Out of all websites examined, not a single one managed to display an ad when consumers were running ad blocking technology. Desktop ad blockers are far more common than mobile blockers, but if mobile ad blocking reaches that seen on desktops, America digital media companies might lose $9.7 billion.
Of course, it’s not just digital media companies that will be affected. Everyone from local restaurant owners to national tax preparers will see their ads disappear from countless mediums. Even more disheartening is the fact that Apple has made it easier for mobile users to install ad blockers.
Although Android is still the most popular mobile operating system in America, Apple’s changes will likely open the eyes of mobile users to ad blocking software.
Surviving an Ad Blocking Marketing World
While pulling funds from PPC advertising may seem like the best option in an ad blocking world, it’s important not to make huge decisions just yet. Remember that the largest increase in ad blockers will take place in the mobile market. Marketers who are running successful desktop campaigns should continue what they’re doing unless their analytics start dropping.
It’s also worth noting that most people still don’t use ad blocking technology, and this is especially the case on their mobile devices. Again, it’s best to pay attention to analytics before making substantial changes. Do focus on making ads more targeted, though, so they’re seen by the right people. Additionally, keep ads simple and they could land on the “white list” of acceptable ads for ad blockers.
Finally, it pays off to invest in remarketing strategies. These campaigns target people who have actually visited a business’s website before. This means that the individuals seeing the ads will be those who have already shown interest. Along with fine tuning other marketing strategies, this can help companies easily transition into an ad blocking reality.
Ad blocking technologies will definitely make it more difficult for marketers to reach their target audience. Fortunately, they won’t make it impossible. By tweaking ads to ensure they’re seen (and seen by the right people), along with ramping up other marketing endeavors, ad blockers don’t have to be a death knell for any company’s marketing.