Youtube & Adblockers: 12 Things To Know (For Beginners)

YouTube has opened a whole different world of push advertisements through its in-video ads.

These ads have been successful as a whole, with a big share of YouTube’s revenues coming from its ads.

While these in-video ads can be annoying, adblockers have become available to try and put a stop to the influx of advertisements.

However, downloading adblockers isn’t always the right move.

In this article, we will explore adblockers and YouTube.

Why Soes YouTube Allow Adblockers?

YouTube has pushed for a collaborative effort between app developers to address data privacy issues for consumers.

This is why in late 2019, Google, YouTube’s mother company, said they would not block ad blockers that are user-installed in Chrome.

The thing is, even if YouTube could block these plugins, there are still other options for blocking ads, including Virtual Private Networks (VPN), which YouTube may not detect and using incognito mode on your browser, making your demographic classification agnostic.

Can YouTube Disable Ad Blockers on Their Platform?

As mentioned, YouTube has kept itself open to these developers in hopes of collaborating with them in protecting data privacy.

But some plugin developers have expressed doubts over this thrust of Google and YouTube, as they see it as a lopsided initiative.

This is why, despite the pronouncements of Google, many ad blocker developers have not reached out to them.

Does YouTube Make Money Despite Ad Blockers?

No.

YouTube only charges advertisers when a consumer views an ad based on the conditions that YouTube sets.

Do YouTubers Make Money When Viewers Use Ad Blockers?

No.

Ad blockers deny or hide ads from you.

Since the ad did not play, YouTubers do not get to count your visit to the video as revenue.

How Do Ad Blockers Work on YouTube?

Ad blockers are software that’s installed in your browser to filter out different forms of ads in domains and subdomains of websites.

It scans websites you visit and stops ads from loading when opened, and while it can block off ads from loading, it still has limitations.

Features of Ad Blockers:

Ad blockers cannot block ads that appear in mobile apps such as YouTube.

For the most part, ad blockers only act upon advertisements that it scans and detects on websites.

While you may be able to block YouTube ads on your desktop browser, you may encounter the ad later if you view a video through your Smartphone’s app.

There are also ad blockers that let you choose which sites can push advertisements to your screens.

This means you can still support your favorite channel or website through the content advertisers push for on different websites.

Why Should I Install an Adblocker?

For one, built-in adblockers of web browsers only block pop-up windows from webpages and do not cover those on YouTube.

Ads on YouTube can be annoying, like pop-up ads that open while browsing the web.

Another reason to consider having an ad blocker is that it helps you save your Internet data usage. Unfortunately, the default ad blockers of web browsers do not cover in-video ads on YouTube.

For those who rely on metered Internet connections, ad blockers can help you consume fewer data.

While skipping may not consume a lot, this will accumulate with most of the YouTube videos you watch, especially on mobile.

Why Should I Not Install an Adblocker?

Like any other application, adblockers may contain malware, which can affect your computer.

While there may be scanning software to detect malicious files in your computer, tablet, or Smartphone, this does not guarantee an ad blocker is safe.

Remember that each day, new malware is detected and released by untrusted developers. Malware can bog down your system or even steal your information stored on your device.

Because an ad blocker does what it does, there is still that risk involving the security of your phone.

Installing ad blockers should be done with proper research and feedback from trustworthy sources.

YouTuber Monetization

Another reason not to use an ad blocker focuses on the ethical side of things.

Chances are, the YouTube video you are watching is being monetized by the creator. By blocking the ad, you are depriving a YouTuber of their revenue of ads.

YouTubers rely on monetization from ads to help them sustain their channels.

With the media platform considered as the second largest search engine on the web, other viewers stand to lose reliable sources of information if YouTubers could not meet the required upkeep of their videos.

When is a YouTube Advertisement Counted as a View?

YouTube sets the following conditions for an ad to be counted as a view in favor of the YouTuber:

1. The viewer of the ad did not skip the video, non-skippable ads and ads that are less than 30 seconds
2. The viewer spends at least 30 seconds for ads that are longer than 30 seconds

How Do Adblockers Affect Advertisers?

Ad blockers affect Advertisers in two ways.

One, advertisers are only charged when an ad they set appears on your browser. Because ad blockers blacklist ads, advertisers are not charged for any impression not rendered in websites, since the ad never appeared.

Also, ad blockers disrupt advertising campaigns. Should an advertiser’s placements get blocked, he/she may not be able to gauge the impact of the advertising campaign versus the target outcomes.

While ad blockers are a total disruption, advertisers are encouraged to work around these hindrances and think of other innovative ideas to bring brands closer to the target audience.

While almost one-third of Internet users use ad blockers, advertisers should embrace other methods of advertising, as ad blocking is not limited to browser plugins, and also covers skipping or closing of ads that may appear.

Advertisers can consider providing more affiliate links to circumvent ad blockers. These links found in the description or body of text on a page is treated as ordinary text, which cannot be blacklisted by ad blockers.

Also, advertisers can consider expanding their influencers network and use in-product advertising, as this form of advertising can only be blocked when a viewer decides to leave the page.

In the long run, the use of ad blockers by Internet users should make advertisers more creative in reaching their target audience.

What is the Best Adblockers for YouTube for Desktop?

Adblock Plus remains a popular choice for adblocking on the web.

AdBlock also allows you to specify when ads will appear so that you can continue supporting your favorite sites and YouTube channels using allowing ads.

It will block ads that you don’t want to see on your screen.

Also, Adblock has a stringent data privacy policy and does not send your data.

What is the Best Adblockers for YouTube Mobile?

Adblocking software or browser plugins cannot be used on the native YouTube app on mobile.

Yet, they are effective when used in conjunction with YouTube in mobile browsers.

This means, should you click on a video on a website you visit, the ad blocker installed in your Smartphone or Tablet will block ads that may appear on the embedded video in the webpage.

That being said, Adblock Plus is a popular choice should you still need an ad blocker for your Smartphone.

Adblock Plus runs discreetly in the background. Just set it up, and the app will do the rest.

The app allows you to choose which ads can be pushed to your browser, disable social media profiling, disable tracking, and malware domains that bog down your browsing.

For Android users, it works for both rooted and non-rooted phones, as compared to other ad blockers. Non-rooted phones with Adblock Plus may need a few extra steps to set up, however.

Why is My Ad Blocker Not Working on YouTube?

Some YouTube viewers had noticed how ad blocking isn’t working with YouTube anymore.

It’s been speculated that the media platform is slowly putting an end to ad blockers, as this affects YouTube’s revenue.

If you are on YouTube through the mobile app of your Smartphone, ad blockers do not work with the app, unfortunately. If you want an ad-free experience, you will have to shift to the browser.

If you are using the browser, and YouTube ads are still appearing, then you may want to consider the following fixes:

Log out of YouTube

Ads are usually connected to your Google account when browsing YouTube.

Being the mother company of YouTube, Google can integrate your search history with ads related to your recent activity on the search engine.

You can consider logging out, as many YouTube users have reported that their ad blockers functioned again after logout.

Then log in again and check if the ads still appear.

Disable and Enable the Adblocker

Sometimes, a little refresh of your plugin may reboot its functions.

Consider disabling, then enabling the ad blocker of your browser again.

Just check your settings and look into your plugin lists. Go to the ad blocker and deactivate it.

Then reactivate and refresh the YouTube page to check if the ad still appears.

Update the Ad Blocker

In the event YouTube is flagging your ad blocking activities, consider checking your ad blocker for updates.

Chances are the developers of the ad blocker you’re using may have updated its system to adapt to the latest advertising system of YouTube.

You can check your ad blocker version by clicking its icon in the browser window, and look for the settings menu.

Check and Update Filters of Your Ad Blocker

You may need to check the filter list of your ad blocker and check the status of your black and white list.

Open the adblocker icon, which flashes the options of your ad blocker, such as the whitelist and settings.

Look at the list of sites that it allows or denies ads and add YouTube once again if needed.

Restart your computer and check if ads still appear.

What Are the Best Practices for Avoiding Advertisements on YouTube?

Use an Adblocker

Adblockers are the most popular option to avoid ads in general.

You just have to download the browser plugin, set which sites have permission to push ads on pages you regularly view, and you’re good to go.

This may cause problems later, as Adblockers may be subject to purging from the YouTube eco-system.

This would mean regular upkeep of checking on your plugin version, updating it, and the whitelist you have granted ads to.

There is also that security risk if you are not familiar with the developer. Your data could have been mined without you knowing it, or the Ad Blocker in itself unleashes harmful malware that may cause your computer to crash.

While some ad blockers have paid premium features, this is still not a guarantee that you are safe.

Use Incognito Browsing

It’s most likely that YouTube has obtained your search history from Google, which makes you prone to being bombarded by different advertisements that are based on your search history.

After all, your history is logged into your account.

But even if you delete your search history from your account, chances are YouTube already has the data you’ve deleted.

This is why you should consider using YouTube while in incognito mode.

Benefits of Incognito Mode:

The point of this exercise is to separate your Google search history from your viewing.

By switching to incognito mode on your browser or YouTube app on your phone, you are given a clean slate that’s free from search histories.

This means YouTube will not have any basis to send you ads, as your demographic remains unknown to it.

Also, when you close your incognito session, your browser will clear all items in your incognito history.

Thus, when you open another incognito browser, later on, YouTube will still not have any search history to base ads or content from.

The downside to this is that you cannot save nor subscribe to channels unless you log in, which defeats the purpose of going incognito.

Use a VPN

Using a VPN will throw off Google and YouTube’s algorithm in detecting your behavior or activities.

Since you are seen as from somewhere else, and not your current location, there’s a good chance you will not see ads assigned to a video you are watching.

Because YouTube sees you as someone in a different location, there’s a good chance that there may be no ads targeted at you, as the ad setting for your location doesn’t match the demographic you belong to.

Subscribe to YouTube Premium

If you want to access your subscriptions, give a thumbs up to a video, but don’t want the hassles of being bombarded by unnecessary ads, you can consider getting signing up for a YouTube premium account.

The advantage of having a premium account on YouTube is the ad-free experience it gives users. Also, YouTubers are still paid for the ads on their videos, even if you don’t get to view their ads.

The downside of this service is it’s not free. It costs 11.99 US Dollars monthly, wherein YouTubers get a share of the subscription fee you pay monthly for.

If you intend to pay for an ad blocker or upgrade to a premium blocking service just to avoid ads on YouTube, consider this option instead.

References:

Google Says It Isn’t Killing AdBlockers. Ad Blockers Disagree

Why Is YouTube Not Letting Me Skip Ads? (Solved)

Fix: Adblock no Longer Working on YouTube.

How to sign out of your YouTube account on desktop or mobile, and protect your account

Global Ad Blocking Behavior 2019