Do you remember back in the old days where the websites had no advertisements? Then at some point something happened and everything was gifs and pop ups and blinky things going on, then things calmed down a bit, and now we are back into the blinky things, kind of, again? And well the pop ups they never stopped have they?
Ok, I’m sorry in advance, but what I’m about to say will probably not help me make any new friends but I want to be honest with you guys.
I have this blog which I would like to grow. If at some point I manage to make some income from it, then that’s cool. But it’s not my immediate goal, or even realistic at this point, it’s more like a dream, for the looong looong future ahead. However, if that day comes, to be monetized I mean, please slap me in the face if I make this website into an ad bomber. What I mean by ad bomber? Keep reading.
The reason why I decided to write this post, is because I do enjoy reading blogs in 2022, and since I want to blog more, I do search for blogging tips, advice and any resources I can find that can inspire me or motivate me. But I can’t, for the love of whatever you want, stand websites that have an ad banner between every paragraph, and on the sidebar, and on top, and on the footer, and something that pops ups as well. Please stop. You are not offering any good user experience. You are not making anyone happy. Sure if someone really, really wants to read your blog, they might do it, but I doubt they will come back or bookmark it, unless… unless they use adblock.
There I said it. And seriously, I have installed one in my browser, and you know I feel guilty but also happy.
I will elaborate.
I feel guilty because I want to help bloggers. I understand there are people who have invested time and money and time again, into their website and I have nothing against ads, or affiliate links. As long as they are integrated smoothly into a webpage. If it blinks, if it pops up, if it’s on every 4 lines as I’m scrolling down, then it’s intrusive and spammy.
I didn’t install an adblock up to this day, because not only do I want to support the bloggers or website owners, with my view, but also because I understand how it works. I build websites for a living and I get it. Ads are important.
So please do it responsibly.
On the other side, I feel happy because now I can read the content of blogs that I seriously find interesting, without the annoying ads, but I can’t stop feeling that it’s cheating.
Please you guys, rethink your design, your marketing strategy, your ads, and make your website a pleasant experience for your visitors.
That in itself, is worth more in the long run than any ad banner.
