How ad blockers work (part 3)

This article is a continuation of

How ad blockers work (part 1)

How ad blockers work (part 2)

How do ad blockers work?

We have already addressed this problem in a simple way, but now let's see how ad blockers work to remove ads from every web page. Ad blocking technology is based on simple lists, called filter lists, which determine what to block and hide or allow to appear on the pages you visit. These lists consist of a list of URLs in the form of a "white list" or "black list".




The ad blocker will watch the web page scripts as they load to see if they can match any of the URLs in the filter list. If there are matches between the webpage and the filter list, the ad blocker will block them and direct what is displayed to the browser.

Instead of the webpage having the final say on what is shown to it, the ad blocker will make the decision. Different ad blockers will have different ways of removing ads. Some will leave an empty space where the ad should be, while others will replace the space with other content.

Looking at the Google Chrome extensions and ad blocker download count, it's clear there are some fan favorites.

  • Eyeo Adblock Plus: over 10 million downloads
  • Adblock, from GetAdBlock.com - Over 10 million downloads
  • uBlock Origin: over 10 million downloads
  • AdGuard: over six million downloads
  • Ultra Adblock: Over three million downloads
  • Ghostery: More than two million downloads

The method above is a simplified explanation of how all these ad blockers would work. Due to the high download volume of each of them, as well as highly rated reviews, we can assume that these ad blockers are excellent at what they do and are effective in removing ads from your webpage.




Some ad blockers for Safari

We did a quick search for ad blocking extensions for Safari and these are the ones we found:

How ad blockers work (part 3)
How ad blockers work (part 3)
How ad blockers work (part 3)
How ad blockers work (part 3)

There are many others, just open the App Store and search for Adblock

If you want to know how to add an extension to Safari, you just have to go to the menu bar, select the Safari menu and select Add extension

How ad blockers work (part 3)

What websites do with ad blockers?

Many websites do nothing to prevent ad blockers, they don't care if you use them or not. However, some worry about ad blockers and block all ads for the user or prevent ad blocker from working to its full potential.

Some websites do all the work for the user and block the ads. They do this to prevent visitors from being distracted by the content. They don't want the ads to take visitors away from them, so they completely eliminate the threat.

This can be beneficial to both the user and the website, as in most cases it will have a positive effect on the visitor. The website that offers the blocking mode probably uses some software supported by a brand that pays the web to have it installed.

On the other hand, some websites may try to block ad blockers. This is due to the income they get from advertisers. This money can help pay for the service provided by the website, so the interest in the ads displayed is legitimate.



For example, without the income generated by ads, you can't justify the time you spend researching or working on in-depth articles, so you'll need to look for other businesses that provide the income you need to be able to live, which it can take to shut down a network. Therefore, allowing ad blocking could be harmful to website activity. This is why some websites will block ad blockers and even if you have it installed, you will still see ads.


Pros and cons of ad blocking

How ad blockers work (part 3)

Most ad blockers will do all the work and won't require you to do anything. This can be both a blessing and a curse, as you will have nothing to say about which ads are shown to you and which are not.

If you're simply using an ad blocker to block age-sensitive content, you won't see it anymore, but you won't see other types of ads either. However, some ad blockers allow you to allow websites if you wish to allow advertising from those sites.

Some websites don't work with an ad blocker installed for various reasons. One could be because the website blocks ad blockers and therefore does not allow the web to be viewed until ad blocking is disabled.

Some banking pages will not load properly if ad blockers are installed, so you will need to authorize those pages before you can use them properly. Some people have also had trouble loading Google Drive if an ad blocker is installed.

We've listed the most common advantages and disadvantages of ad blockers below to help you decide if one is worth downloading for your personal circumstances.



Profits

One of the most obvious benefits of an ad blocker is that removes most of the ads that distracting, making the Internet experience easier and more enjoyable. It can be irritating to try to read a serious article and be constantly interrupted by an advertisement for a colorful game.

Another plus is prevent advertisers from tracking the use of your website. There are many who follow us throughout the day, so the amount of personalized ads we get can be creepy at times.


So ad blockers (theoretically) prevent you from being tracked that way. However, you will still be monitored in a thousand other ways, but it's nice to know that you can check at least one method.

A little known fact about ads is that they can drain your battery, if mobile, much faster than it would if there were no ads on a page. This is due to the additional energy consumed by the videos you are forced to watch.

Additionally, ads can also increase bandwidth consumption, which is the time it takes to get information from the Internet. This will increase the time it takes to load web pages.

We find it unreasonable that ads have the power to reduce battery life while increasing our bandwidth at the same time. Avoiding these two hassles is another reason to install an ad blocker in your browser.

Some ads show fake news that can be confusing and harmful in many ways. Various companies will post fake news to get more clicks on their websites and generate more traction. This lack of ethics is another reason for not wanting to see these types of ads.

Finally, an ad blocker can protect you from downloading malware to your computer. Some ads will display fake contests or surveys to entice users to click on the fake website. Here you can download malware and infect your computer.

disadvantages

For the internet user, ad blockers do not have many drawbacks, as they are generally quite useful. However, there are some cases where ad blocking can be more of a hindrance than a useful tool.

Ad blocking it should go through a list of scripts to see which ones should be blocked and which ones can be kept. This should be done in a timely manner, but if you're running multiple web pages at the same time or using an older computer, it could stretch the time it takes to load the page.

As we mentioned earlier, ad blockers can sometimes prevent the correct loading of a website, which can prevent its use. This could prevent access to important information, such as the bank.

Another possible downside is that ad blocking it may not work as effectively as you would like. Some ad blockers are much better than others at what they do, which means you may have to try several to find the one that does what you want.

Using a low-quality ad blocker can be more annoying than the ads themselves because you will be disappointed with the ads that keep popping up. The good news is that this problem can be fixed by doing a little research to find the best ad blocker for your computer.

Ad blockers can affect stats

Ad blockers can be useful for users, but they can also have harmful consequences for web pages. This is because analytics beyond your control come into play. For many years, we didn't even know this was happening until Jason Packer conducted an experiment:

Packer of Quantable, a consulting and optimization firm, published the results of a simple experiment in 2016. He was trying to confirm his suspicions that many online users are blocking Google Analytics. With the help of seven different ad blockers, he concluded that 11% of site visitors were blocking Google Analytics thanks to an ad blocker.

With this disclosure, more people have investigated and found that not only Google Analytics is being blocked, but many other analytics platforms as well. Blocking analytics can affect how visitors view your site, as well as reduce its functionality.

If visitors cannot easily use a website, this could prevent them from completing a sale. While blocking analytics does not directly affect sales, it may prevent new visitors from returning in the future.

A customer may find a product they want and want to buy on a website. Complete the sale and the admin earns a commission. However, if the images don't load correctly, a new customer may not have a good experience or may not be able to find what they need.

Another problem is that the analyzes are not reliable. For example, if 11 percent of your traffic isn't logged, it won't show up in the analytics, and so you may find that a website's traffic is higher than can be demonstrated.

About 41% of consumers between 18 and 29 use ad blockers, so the possibility that they also block web analytics scripts poses a threat to the business. This is another reason why some business owners choose to block ad blockers from running on their web pages.

Possible dangers of ad blockers

How ad blockers work (part 3)

There have been some problems on the part of developers masquerading as malicious malware as ad blockers and releasing them on the market. People download the extension believing they are getting an ad blocker, while in fact they are allowing the program to infect their computer.

In 2020, the original developer of Nano Adblocker and Nano Defender sold the rights to these extensions to other developers. In 13 days, the new developers added malicious code to infect users' browsers.

People have reported that their Instagram accounts have been tampered with, as well as other strange events. It has been estimated that more than 300.000 people have this ad blocker extension in their browser, which could put your information at risk.

This isn't the only time ad blockers have caused problems with browsers, but it's still relatively unknown that ad blockers can contain malware. It can be difficult to know if your ad blocker has malware until it's too late, so it's worth taking the time to do your research before downloading an ad blocker.

Most of us want a free and easy-to-download ad blocker, although these are the most commonly used to access users' computers. More reputable ad blockers may require a monthly subscription, but they will be safer.

If you find something suspicious about an ad blocker you're using, or if your computer is doing weird things, it's important to communicate it so others don't fall into the same trap. You should also remove the extension as quickly as possible to prevent it from continuing to get information about your online habits.

Curriculum vitae

Ad blockers are useful for those who don't want to deal with distracting pop-up ads and banner ads. They are effective browser extensions that can completely remove the ad or alter the way it appears on the screen.

Ad blockers work by running a list of scripts before loading the webpage to make sure you don't find any in your ad blocker list. While they are incredibly popular with netizens for making their internet searches more enjoyable, they can sometimes turn something simple into a hassle.

This is because some ad blockers affect how web pages load, preventing pages from opening or images from being displayed. Therefore, ad blocking may disrupt your online experience more than you expected.

Some websites use ad blockers to remove ads so customers can focus on the content rather than the ads. This adds more credibility to the website and makes customers more likely to come back again, as they aren't greeted by annoying pop-ups.

However, others disable the use of ad blockers on their website because they want their customers to see the ads. Ads are beneficial to website owners because of the additional revenue they generate.

There are various advantages and disadvantages of blocking ads, but ads offer benefits to the web by showing them for the revenue they generate. Ad blockers can also affect website analytics, which is why they are often blocked on many websites.

With three main types of ads displayed on websites, there are several ways to make money from advertising. Direct ads are often more susceptible to ad blockers and can discourage customers from returning to a webpage because they are intrusive and annoying.

Click-through rate and cost-per-click ads are less intrusive than direct ads because they are embedded on the web page rather than covering the information the visitor wants to see.

These can be very profitable for a web page if its visitors interact with the ad in any way. The more your visitors click on your ads, the higher your ad placement cost will be.

A particularly important issue is that when an ad generated to be displayed alongside the content is inappropriate for the audience. This can be related to sex or religion and can prevent customers from returning to the web and damage your reputation.

Other problems can arise if customers are unaware that a website allows advertising agencies to track their data and behavior and displays exaggerated advertisements. These two things can also damage a website's reputation and traffic.

We hope you've found some useful information in our guide on how ad blockers work on the internet.

We would like you to leave a comment.

(translated with permission)

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