YouTube vs. Ad Blockers : The Battle Begins

Until now, the pop-up politely asks you to allow ads on YouTube, but for how long will they merely ask?

A Truly Annoying Experience

Have you noticed that lately, many websites have been displaying pop-ups asking you to disable ad-blockers before granting access to their content? Not to mention the annoying cookie policy bars or pop-ups that you must accept, reject, or configure when visiting a site. It appears that the battle between ad-blockers and online platforms, as well as content creation sites, is in full swing.

The Flip Side of the Coin

We all seek a fast and reliable experience when searching for content or browsing the internet. However, at times, advertisements, especially extensive ones, can disrupt that experience to the extent that users might abandon a page overwhelmed by ad banners.

Here, we must also consider the perspective of webmasters. Primarily, to monetize content on a website, whether it’s articles, videos, images, or a service, there are three main approaches.

1- Donations :If you offer a free service or product.

2- Payment for the product you offer.

3- Advertisement : So, the content is free, but ads that appear help the creator monetize it.

These are the three fundamental pillars of online content monetization, each with various implementations. It’s important to note that content creators and online platforms are not inherently evil or greedy for seeking to monetize the content or services they provide. On the contrary, the revenue they generate allows them to improve their content and continue offering and innovating in the products and services they create. In the case of YouTube, the content creators we admire earn a portion of the revenue from these displayed ads.

Here is the issue with ads right now

The problem arises when ads become intrusive, interrupting the joy of exploring content, especially when they are forced upon you, example :

Have you ever been immersed in playing a mobile game or enjoying a YouTube gameplay video, only to be abruptly interrupted by an unskippable video advertisement for a certain mobile game that I won’t name, forcing you to watch at least 30 seconds before you can skip?

That is a truly unpleasant advertising experience. Not only does the user lose focus on something they were engrossed in, but also being compelled to wait and endure a half-minute ad, whether it’s a product promotion or a misleading mobile game gameplay, can make them more hesitant to try that product. Personally, I have never and will never download a mobile game based on a random video advertisement that appears all over the place.

And here lies the crux of the matter. For advertisers and publishers, the key is to ensure that advertisements are discreet, highly targeted, and primarily aimed at enticing users to try and purchase their product. The objective should not be to annoy or repel users, nor to merely repeat the name of the app or product endlessly in the hope that it will stick in the user’s mind. While it might stick, it won’t be for the intended reasons; rather, users will associate the product with a negative experience and boredom.

The YouTube Situation

Up until now, YouTube has primarily displayed a popup that can be easily closed and ignored. While the argument for the significance of monetization to both the platform and content creators is valid, users truly value the freedom of choice when it comes to supporting their favorite YouTubers. They prefer not to be compelled to watch a 24-second video promoting an audiobook app that’s already well-known when they simply want to watch a 3-minute movie ending explanation.

Conclusion

In the end, the user experience on a website is what drives them to support a product, service, or vlog. If they enjoy the experience, they’re more likely to make purchases, subscribe, or opt for premium plans. Conversely, if the experience is poor, they may never return to that website.

Oh, and another thing: ad-free premium plans shouldn’t be about merely eliminating annoying ads. Users should pay for something that offers real added value, rather than just the removal of annoying ads from a website.