Ad Blockers: How They Disrupt Digital Marketing and What You Can Do About It

In the last few years, data privacy has become a mainstream topic among consumers, businesses, and government agencies. This popularity has led to the development of sweeping consumer privacy reform bills, like the California Consumer Privacy Act. 

However, governments are not the only ones taking action to protect the privacy of consumers.

Individual users have begun to use tools such as secure search engines, virtual private networks (VPNs), and ad blockers in order to protect their data while browsing the world wide web. Of these privacy solutions, ad blockers create the biggest headache for marketers.

How Does an Ad Blocker Work?

There is no simple answer here as there are many different types of ad blockers, each of which has unique characteristics and features. However, virtually all ad blockers come in the form of browser extensions or plugins, which users must manually download in order to guard against advertisements.

Some websites have started combatting ad blockers by preventing users from viewing their content unless they disable their plugin. This approach is effective for big-name organizations but is not nearly as practical for smaller entities as users will simply go to another web page. 

Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to work around ad blockers, but more on that in the final section.

How Ad Blockers Impact Digital Marketing Efforts

According to Statista, just over one in four U.S. consumers (27%) were using ad blockers as of 2021. This statistic means that your ads are not being shown to a quarter of prospective consumers. 

While you will not be charged for ads that are blocked, you are still reaching less of your target audience. To make matters worse, many ad blockers make it difficult to track marketing performance because they negatively affect the metadata tied to pixels that are embedded in advertising content.

How to Work Around Ad Blockers

While ad blockers can certainly hinder your ability to connect with prospective consumers, refreshing your digital strategy can help overcome this frustrating type of technology. Specifically, we recommend that you:

Focus on Generating Organic Traffic

While paid search options have evolved tremendously in just the last few years, organic traffic is still the top dog in the digital marketplace. If your business can drive organic traffic by leveraging a great SEO strategy, then you will have a definite advantage over the competition.

Organic traffic has a high likelihood of leading to conversion because users who find your site naturally are already interested in the services you provide. Plus, some users scroll past any sponsored results and go straight for the top organic options on their search engine results page (SERP).  

Leverage Paid Search

Ad blockers that are used on social platforms and YouTube are incredibly sophisticated and effective. Fortunately, the ad blockers used on search platforms like Google are not nearly as efficient at screening and blocking marketing content. 

Therefore, investing in PPC search campaigns can help you work around ad blockers and reach prospective consumers on a consistent basis.

Partner with a Digital Marketing Strategy Agency

If ad blockers have been crushing your virtual advertising efforts, partnering with a digital marketing strategy agency like Insights ABM is a great way to rebound. Our professionals pull out all of the stops in order to craft custom campaigns that shatter growth barriers, reach consumers, and produce measurable results.

Whether you need digital strategy development services, paid search campaign management, or comprehensive brand-building solutions, Insights ABM is up to the task. Connect with our team for a free consultation, and let’s discuss how to make your brand stand out above the rest.