The short answer to the question should you be using an ad blocker is yes!
Ad blockers have been around for over a decade and can be used across every type of device from desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. We’ve all been annoyed or even creeped out by the ads we see online. When we see ads on other mediums like a commercial on television, we change the channel. Using an ad blocker will deny access to online ad networks from placing an ad in front of you.
While ad blockers are great for making sure you only see the content you are looking for, they are capable of doing a lot more
In this article, we will go over 5 reasons why you should be using an ad blocker and the benefits that come with using ad blockers.
Ad Blockers Offer Much Safer Online Navigation
Some ad placements can be malicious and can cause some damage to your computer’s hardware and software. By using an ad blocker, you can filter out ads from appearing on your screen and reduce the risk you have of clicking on a malicious ad, sometimes called Malvertising.
For some cases of hackers using ads to infect your computer, you don’t even need to click the ad for malware to be injected into your system. An ad blocker will stop these ads from appearing and make your online experience safer.
Some companies pay ad blocker developers to white list their ads. While some ads will go through, most hackers are not willing to pay developers for their ads to be whitelisted.
Using An Ad Blocker Will Speed Up Your Internet Browsing
Online ad placement takes up a lot of bandwidth and on many websites, half the data that is loaded in front of you is purely from ads. An ad blocker will stop these ads from eating up your bandwidth, and make page loading times much faster.
Loading less data on a page will increase page loading times, allowing you to see content much quicker. Some studies have shown that adblockers can speed up your page loading times by up to 400%.
Seeing only what you want to see is great for both you and your internet. If you have a limited amount of data from your internet service provider each month or have a pay as you go plan, then using an ad blocker will save you money.
Ad Blockers Can Save You Money
If your internet provider does not offer unlimited internet, or you have opted for a plan with a maximum internet usage, using an ad blocker will cut down the amount of data used every time you open a page.
This holds especially true for mobile devices. Phone service providers usually have expensive unlimited data plans, and it is much more affordable to go with a plan with a maximum data limit or a pay-as-you-go plan.
Ad blockers on average will cut down your data usage by up to 40%
Ad Blockers Make Your Pages Less Cluttered
Less ad clutter, noise, is another benefit of using an ad blocker. Because websites will be loading less to no ad content, they will look ‘cleaner’ and have much better readability.
You won’t be bombarded with ads and popups while using an ad blocker.
For some people, this is more than enough reason to be using an ad blocker.
Ad Blockers Keep Your Personal Data Private
Ad networks can do much more than show you ads. They also track your personal data and cookies. Cookies are text files that can be used to identify your computer and track your online habits. It is because of cookies that the ads you see can be tailored specifically for you.
Without the use of an ad blocker, ad networks can track the thing you do on a website and collect information about you.
This data can then be sold for more targeted ads to be shown to you.
The Cons of Using An Ad Blocker
While we heavily advocate for the use of an ad blocker, there are a few things you should know about them.
Blocking ads is great for your user experience, it can also make finding new content to satisfy your boredom or searching for the perfect item more difficult. Ads are given to you based on your past online behavior so they can be tailored to your interests. By blocking ads you aren’t allowing websites to collect user data on you which can be used to improve their service offerings for you. Companies that are actively looking to improve their websites rely on user data to make changes and some even use A/B testing to determine a more favorable option among its users.
If you currently, or previously used an ad blocker, you may have come across several websites that don’t allow you to view their content while you have an ad blocker enabled. This can be very frustrating, and it is because these websites rely on ads to pay for the cost of hosting and pay their writers. If you aren’t sure how to bypass this and keep your ad blocker enabled, you might find yourself pressing that back button very quickly.
The Future of Ad Blockers
While ad blockers are working great for speeding up website loading times, improving the user experience, and getting rid of clutter, advertisers are coming up with ways to get around ad blockers. They have turned to influencer marketing, micropayments, sponsored content, and paying ad blocking companies to white list them.
The Bottom Line of Ad Blockers
The benefits you’d receive from using an ad blocker far outweigh any of their cons. Having a better online experience just by using an ad blocker is something that we can’t ignore, and you shouldn’t either. For these reasons, no matter what you’re doing online, we recommend that you should be using an ad blocker.