[Research]: AdBlock Detection Plugins

Adblockers are costing publishers billions of dollars every year, and the worst part is that this trend shows no signs of slowing down. In the US alone, adblockers are already used by more than 30% of people on their connected devices.

This is one of the main reasons publishers are scrambling to find alternatives that help them overcome adblockers. Sure, some choose to do nothing and wait for a change, but this isn’t a feasible solution in the long run.

At PropellerAds, we’ve developed ANTI-Adblock to help publishers on our network combat blockers. That said, this isn’t the only thing you can do to avoid losing money to blocked ads.

In this article, we’ll discuss the adblock detection plugins and how they can help recover some of your lost revenue.

ANTI-Adblock is Not the Only Solution
A while back, we developed and launched ANTI-Adblock to help publishers overcome blocking software. Our proprietary technology detects when an adblocker is active and ensures that the ads are still displayed to the visitor, and the publishers get their money.

Read more: The Hottest Digital Publishing Trends 2019

There is also an alternative solution (or an addition to your monetization strategy) you can rely on: adblock detection plugins.



How Do Adblock Detection Plugins Work?
Like the name suggest, adblock detection plugins identify users that are using blockers on your site. When a blocker is detected, these plugins can either prevent users from seeing your content until the adblocker is turned off or simply suggest that the visitors disable their blocker in a friendly manner.

Block Content
Adblock detection plugins allow you to completely block your content if the visitor is using an adblocker. When they try to access your site, users see a page asking them to remove their blocking tool and provide instructions on how to do so. Once the adblock is lifted, the user can access your website as per usual.



Suggest Users Remove Adblock
Instead of gating your content, some plugins allow you to kindly ask the customer to remove their adblocker. Users will also see a different page when they access your site, but they will be able to click out of it and view your content without turning off their blocking tool.

In this case, you’d be appealing directly to the users, so you want to include a message that encourages them to remove the adblock if they enjoy your content. You can also mention that ads are an important stream of revenue and that you take precautions to show high-quality, secure ads to help build trust as well.



Adblock Detection Plugins Suggestions
Just like adblockers, there are dozens of detection plugins out there. All of these have the same basic functionality, although their features may differ. Here are some of the most popular adblock detection plugins out there:

• AdBlock X
• Ad Blocking Detector
• Simple Adblock Notice
• Block AdBlock
• Adblocker Notify

These have different features and may serve different verticals, so make sure you analyze your plugin of choice before committing to it long-term.

Examples of Successful Websites that Use Adblock Detection


Plugins that detect adblock are not a new concept. They are a popular choice for well-known publishers that rely heavily on ads revenue. Some of the most notable names that have tried or are still employing adblock detection plugins include:

• Bild
• WIRED Magazine
• City AM
• Bind
• BBC
• The Business Insider

It’s worth noting that detection plugins work best when you deliver top-notch content, so ensure you offer readers compelling content to improve your chances of beating adblockers.

Learn More About Adblock Detection
Adblockers are definitely becoming a huge problem for publishers. The good news is that you have plenty of options available. Yet, we recommend using our ANTI-Adblocker feature to help avoid losing revenue. Plugins that detect adblockers are a great addition to your monetization strategy that can help mitigate the loss of income due to blocked ads.

Have you tried adblock detection plugins? What’s your experience?

 

What's probably pushed people towards using Adblockers is the way many sites take the piss with the amount of ads they have, and behaviour of some ad scripts. If it wasn't for that they probably wouldn't have found so many people turning to Adblockers

 

I publish ads, but I also realize that ads cost people tons of money in bandwidth usage. It's almost as bad as youtubers having ridiculous intros on their videos before you get to the content. NO!

If you come up with a way to use very little resources and serve a little text ad, then kudos to you. You'll make it to the "safe list. Otherwise, there will always be a script writer out there to fight against your ads.

You need to consider the internet users who have limited connections. They might be able to show interest in a product, but what about the times when their connection is throttled? They can't get to the content, but they do see an annoying ad. That's going to cause some pain!