1. Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI)

Server-Side Insertion (also referred to as dynamic ad insertion or ad stitching) is an Adblock recovery technique that allows publishers to stitch their ad content at the CMS level instead of within the browser. This recovery technique has emerged as a key solution for companies to streamline and monetize their advertisements while removing Adblocks on mobiles, desktops, OTTs, and tablets. SSAI allows publishers to place their ads on their users’ screens in the most non-intrusive way possible.

SSAI stitches the ad before the ad and website content reaches the browser. That means the ad and the content reach the client from the same server in a single stream. The browser cannot differentiate between the ad and the website content and hence cannot block it. SSAI focuses on user experience by delivering extremely personalized ads. Overall, SSAI delivers a better user experience and enables both parties to avoid ad blocking. SSAI has been around for years, but publishers and advertisers are becoming more interested after losing revenue due to ad blocking. 

2. Native Advertising 

Native advertising is a kind of Adblock recovery technique in which the ads match the format, feel and look of the website content. They natively and seamlessly integrate within the webpage. Unlike other kinds of advertisements, native ads do not feel like ads and do not affect users’ interaction with the webpage. Native ads typically aim to feel as natural as possible without disrupting the user experience. Native ads should feel and function as part of the website or app’s content. Many publishers and advertisers are dropping display ads in favor of native ads due to their effectiveness. Due to their non-intrusive nature, native ads are one of the most popular forms of Adblock recovery.

3. Acceptable Ads

Adblockers do not block all ads. Some advertisements called “Acceptable Ads” are exempted due to their non-intrusive nature. The Acceptable Ads Standard Committee allows publishers to display ads to Adblock users if the advertisement adheres to certain standards. However, users who have opted to block all kinds of ads will not view any of your advertisements even if they are approved by the committee. Research suggests that 82% of users prefer a lighter ad viewing experience in which the ads are non-intrusive. Publishers can capitalize on this statistic and strive to get their ads whitelisted by the Acceptable Ads Standard Committee. This is becoming a more feasible option for publishers to compensate for the lost revenue without making any changes to their sites. 

4. Programmatic Audio Ads 

These are typically used in podcasts; however, since ad blockers are designed to catch visual ads, programmatic audio ads can go unnoticed on your website. Furthermore, programmatic ad solutions allow for automated buying and selling of digital advertising and also the ability to target one specific ad to one single consumer in real-time (very effective for increasing ROI). 

5. Connect with a Reliable Ad Tech Provider

If you have time constraints or other limitations, connecting with the right ad tech provider can be very beneficial to you. Your ad tech partner should be able to provide a good viewing experience of advertisements and provide solid ad reinsertion technology. Often, customer-centric ad servers offer customer-friendly ad formats that improve the user experience instead of frustrating them. The right Ad tech provider will invest in getting the right keywords, SEO content, and social media marketing to make your content more popular. 

At Publir, we understand the importance of advertising for your revenue growth. With more than 10+ years of experience in the publishing space, we have monetized 100 billion+ impressions and generated nearly $100 million for clients since inception. We’re experts in the content monetization space, offering a one-of-a-kind unified platform for a diversified strategy. Our offerings focus on Ad Optimization, AdBlock Recovery, Subscriptions, Fundraising, and Merchandising.

The post Adblock Recovery Techniques for 2023 first appeared on Publir.

Understanding AdBlock

Adblock is a software solution that improves user experience by preventing advertisements from displaying on the users’ web pages. Adblockers can come in the form of browser extensions and stand-alone applications or may be built into the browser. Generally, when a web page is opened, ad exchanges and networks communicate with the ad server using ad tags to display the ad. However, Adblockers detect the ad tags and prevent them from calling the ad server that loads the advertisement.

The boundary between ad blockers and content blockers is becoming increasingly blurred. As some Adblockers work on various filters that can be configured to a variety of content (besides ads), the broader term content blocker is often deployed. The most common Adblockers in the US include Adblock (50%), Adblock Plus (25%), AdGuard (19%), and uBlock Origin (16%). Adblockers work on most types of advertisement formats.

How Many People Use Adblock Around the World?

AdBlockers have become increasingly popular in the US and worldwide. Last year, there were 586 million AdBlock users enabled on mobile and 257 million Adblock users. A GlobalWebIndex survey revealed that 48% of Adblock users felt that there were too many ads online, 33% of them felt that ads lowered their loading speeds, and 47% said that the ads were irrelevant and annoying. Other users believed that ads compromised their online privacy and security, intruded into their online browsing experience, used a lot of battery life and data, and took substantial screen space. 

How do Adblockers Work?

AdBlocker software is usually made of two pieces of code: filter lists and blockers. A filter list is a group of rules that define which elements have to be blocked. Like Adblockers, there are different kinds of filter lists, including those built-into browsers and stand-alone applications. Blockers are designed to block content that is configured in the filter list or Adblocker user settings. When the web page is loaded, the Adblocker compares the filter lists (including the specific elements the user has opted to block) it was supposed to block and the page code. Based on specific blocking rules, the blocker obstructs the ads from appearing on the user’s screen. 

Every Adblocking solution is different and unique, but most work by stopping calls to the ad-related servers that load the advertisement on the user’s webpage. When a webpage is being loaded, the Adblocker reads the elements of the page, identifies any calls to ad-related servers and sources, and then compares them with elements in the filter lists to block. In case of a match, those elements are blocked from being displayed on the user’s webpage. Adblockers can be configured to block specific elements from displaying on the page. 

Adblock Recovery Explained

Adblock recovery refers to the variety of solutions that publishers use to recover the revenue losses due to Adblock use. Adblock recovery solutions detect if the user is utilizing an Adblock solution, and they apply different methods to measure and report the revenue loss, whitelist the website, block access to the Adblocker based on site use terms and conditions, reinsert the ad, offer an alternative value exchange between the visitor and content publisher. Most publishers use a combination of these techniques to curate an effective Adblock recovery solution. 

Tools and Technology for Adblock Recovery

Some Adblocking solutions include:

1. Adblock Detection and Analytics – Adblock recovery solutions begin by detecting the presence of Adblockers on the user’s webpage. Publishers need to review their recovery solutions as Adblockers constantly make improvements to undermine recovery measures. Additionally, there are solutions that measure the impact of Adblockers on your website revenue. This gives you an estimate of the money you are losing. 

2. Website Whitelisting – Website allow listing or whitelisting refers to the process in which users allow certain websites to be exempt from their Adblocking functions. Without disabling their Adblockers, users can choose the websites they want to allow. Often users allow or whitelist websites with more sensible or responsible content with limited ads. 

3. Ad Reinsertion and Replacement – Ad reinsertion is a technique in which the original advertisement is reinserted by bypassing the Adblocker, leveraging certain loopholes. This method is often criticized for not taking into account the user’s consent. On the other hand, ad replacement identifies the blocked ad and replaces it with an alternative ad. The ad is replaced with the consent of the user who has allowed “Standard Ads” to be displayed on their screen.

4. Alternative Value Exchange – This means the variety of offers the publisher can make to the Adblocker to allow their content on the webpage. For instance, the publisher can offer the readers access to their paid recurring subscriptions in exchange for allowing their content. 

The above discussion underpins the need for Adblocking solutions in the ever-changing market. As Adblockers have evolved with time, so have Adblock recovery solutions. None of the Adblock recovery solutions discussed above are mutually exclusive. As noted earlier, the most successful publishers use a combination of these to get the most effective return. 

At Publir, we’re experts in the content monetization space, offering a one-of-a-kind unified platform for a diversified strategy. Our offerings focus on Ad Optimization, Adblock Recovery, Subscriptions, Fundraising, and Merchandising.

The post Adblock Recovery: A Guide to Recover Ad Revenue first appeared on Publir.

Adblock Circumvention

AdBlock circumvention is one of the oldest industry techniques to navigate Adblockers. Adblock circumvention refers to injecting ads into web pages by exploiting technical loopholes. This means readers who have used Adblockers will still see those ads. For instance, obfuscating HTML/CSS and IDs prevents Adblockers from detecting those elements in the ad. 

While this technique might sound good on the surface, it has one huge problem. It is inherently anti-user. It completely overlooks the user’s decision to install and use an Adblocker and perpetuates the archaic advertising experiences that created the need for Adblockers in the first place. To counter circumvention attempts, Adblock vendors actively update their ad-blocking rules, which means circumvention is not effective at all times. And as such, it is not a reliable method for publishers. As a result of these shortcomings and issues, Adblock has fallen out of favor with the majority of publishers. 

Recovery Through Messaging

Recovery through messaging means using direct messages or pop-ups to convince Adblock users to allow certain ads on their web pages. This pop-up can be a request to whitelist a particular website or get an “ad removal” pass (through a dismissable soft pop-up). Sometimes, publishers take a more aggressive approach by blocking the user from accessing any content before they whitelist the website or disable their Adblocker. 

Recovery through messaging is better than ad circumvention as it takes into account the user’s consent. However, this approach is not free of issues. Firstly, most users find pop-ups quite frustrating. In fact, pop-ups are exactly the kind of things that users want to avoid while using their Adblockers. For instance, a report suggested that 68% of users would simply exit the website if prompted by an Adblock wall. Secondly, recovering through messaging has a low conversion rate (10-15%), and publishers are able to monetize only a small subset of the audience. Thus, they experience diminishing returns over time. 

Hard and soft walls have unintended consequences for websites, like sudden increases in bounce rates and a corresponding effect on traffic and search rankings. These consequences can be extremely difficult and time consuming to reverse. If you have decided to choose recovery through messaging, consider the cost of losing some of your audience vis-a-vis the revenue generated through Adblock monetization. Sometimes, you might lose a substantial portion of your audience using message-based ad block recovery.

Acceptable Ads Committee

Acceptable Ads-Based Recovery works by showing non-intrusive, light advertisements to Adblock users who have opted for them. The Acceptable Ads Committee is an independent body that aims to create The Standard, a framework that defines what kinds and formats of advertisements are allowed and those that are excluded. Formats that interrupt seamless user experiences, like pop-ups, overlay ads, autoplay videos, interstitial ads, animated ads, pre-roll video ads, etc., are not included.

In the past couple of years, acceptable ads-based recovery has become a popular way amongst publishers to navigate Adblockers. Up to the end of 2020, over 200 million Adblock users signed up to receive Acceptable Ads. This number grew by 54% between 2014 (Q1) and 2020 (Q4). This demonstrates that readers are less hostile to acceptable ad-based recovery than other programs. 

Unlike Adblock circumvention and recovery through messaging, acceptable ads-based recovery takes the user’s agency into consideration. This means users who have consented to receive ads will see those ads. Compliant ads are shown to users who are interested in seeing them. Acceptable Ads do not obstruct the user from viewing the content, and users can opt-out at any time.
Adblock recovery has become a crucial part of publishers’ marketing strategies. However, publishers should consider their user’s consent while choosing their strategy. Acceptable Ads Recovery offers the best balance between the user’s agency and content monetization. At Publir, we’re experts in the content monetization space, offering a one-of-a-kind unified platform for a diversified strategy. Our offerings focus on Ad Optimization, Adblock Recovery, Subscriptions, Fundraising, and Merchandising

The post Adblock Recovery Strategies and Best Practices first appeared on Publir.