Online ad blockers concern many in the digital marketing industry, but how will the technology impact small businesses? Data estimates that one-third of internet users browse with an ad blocker enabled, and a new research report from Visual Objects sheds some light on who those users are.
Visual Objects surveyed 500 people who use ad blockers to learn where, how, and why people use these popular browser extensions. Adam Thompson, a web developer here at Fahrenheit Marketing, offered his insights on what businesses can do to mitigate the negative effects of ad blockers on small businesses.
Web developers and designers have a role to play in businesses combatting the negative effects of ad blockers. Adam past experience working with businesses to confront ad blockers made him a great fit for the survey.
Adam’s Key Points
Even though ad blockers have been around since 2003, 35% of people only started using an ad blocker in the past year. Adam offered a simple explanation.
“[Ad blockers] are installed by default on most browsers,” he said.
The survey shows that ad blockers are more popular on desktops and laptops than on mobile, with 64% of people using ad blockers on mobile exclusively. Adam said this is because of the widespread availability of ad blocking extensions on desktop browsers.
When asked about why ad blockers are more popular on desktop than mobile, he said, “the software is easier to install on a desktop computer than on a mobile device.”
Even though Google Chrome may disrupt ad blockers on their browsers, the technology will remain in demand as users grow weary of ads online.
Businesses Should Be Aware of Ad Blockers’ Effects
Ad blockers sometimes catch businesses by surprise – disabling key website functions or preventing images from loading if ad blockers misread the website’s code.
That’s where web developers come in. Adam was able to draw on his experiences designing for clients who were unaware of ad blockers’ potential disruptions. [KM1]
“[Businesses] need to be aware of ad blockers and code their websites so things that need to display don’t trigger the ad blocker,” Adam said.
If you think you might be triggering ad blockers accidentally, we at Fahrenheit can help. As a top-ranked web design firm in Austin, Texas, we’re proud to ensure clients’ websites are uninterrupted by ad blockers.
We’re thankful for the chance to contribute to this new report from Visual Objects, a sister website of Clutch and The Manifest. We hope this research drives awareness of ad blockers among the small business community.
What Do Ad Blockers Mean for Businesses?
