Ad Blocker Analytics: Know Your Enemy

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Ad Blocker Analytics: Know Your Enemy
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Ad blocker removes or alters advertising content. It’s a piece of software, which blocks or changes the ads on the user’s device. An ad blocker is an application, plugin, or extension with a blacklist of sites and scripts. Once anything is added there, the user of the ad blocker will stop seeing some content, most commonly ads.

Ad filtering tampers your marketing data. Besides hiding your ads, ad blockers can invalidate your tracking settings. Any ad-blocking user is simply not registered by the analytical tools. Besides skewing your campaign reports, it can force you to turn off a profitable campaign.

Ad blocking diminishes UX. This software doesn’t always block ads in full, which may look as if your website is from the '90s with broken links and missing content everywhere. Needless to say, the user will be quick to blame your website design and never come back.

Marketer’s Remedies Against Ad Blockers

More than 37% of users worldwide utilize ad blockers. Marketing is already a highly-competitive field and losing a third of traffic will only stiffen the rivalry. Luckily, there are a couple of remedies how to fight back the ad blockers.

Know your audience. Not all people are tech-savvy, so if you target Gen Z primarily with nutra products, then ad block might be not your problem at all. On the other hand, people of 25–34 y.o. use ad blockers the most. If that’s the case, just keep on reading.

Settle for server-side ads. HilltopAds makes sure your ads are always delivered and encourages publishers to implement ad block-proof solutions. Refrain from client-side ad insertion (CSAI) and choose server-side ad insertion (SSAI). A setback in terms of personalized ads, but better penetration of ad blockers and lower ad buffering, which is good for UX.

Diversify your marketing strategy. Those who block ad banners might be OK with video ads. Remember that ad blockers emerged for a reason — users got tired of irrelevant and irritating ads. It would be wise to take the road less traveled toward the hearts and minds of the audience.

Learn where ad blocker popularity peaks. This way you will know in advance which GEOs and browsers are infested with ad blockers and redirect your campaigns elsewhere. We have already done all the work for you and prepared a report regarding ad blocker popularity.

Ad Blocker Popularity by Country

On average, ad blocker is used by 6% of people. However, an average value can lead to wrong expectations about campaign performance, especially when every dime counts. That’s why we invite you to examine ad blocker-infested and ad blocker-free GEOs.

Regions with the highest share of ad blockers (not good for marketing 👎):

  • Southeast Asia (India 🇮🇳, China 🇨🇳, Bangladesh 🇧🇩, Nepal 🇳🇵, Pakistan 🇵🇰): 12–20%
  • East Africa (Somalia 🇸🇴, Kenya 🇰🇪, Djibouti 🇩🇯, Tanzania 🇹🇿, Mozambique 🇲🇿): 11–15%
  • West Africa (Nigeria 🇳🇬, Niger 🇳🇪): 11–13%
  • Western Europe (The Netherlands 🇳🇱, Luxembourg 🇱🇺, Germany 🇩🇪, Austria 🇦🇹) + Iceland 🇮🇸: 10–14%

Regions with a low share of ad blockers (good for marketing 👍):

  • Central Asia (Kazakhstan 🇰🇿, Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬, Uzbekistan 🇺🇿, Tajikistan 🇹🇯) + Mongolia 🇲🇳
  • Southwest Asia (Azerbaijan 🇦🇿, Armenia 🇦🇲, Iraq 🇮🇶, Syria 🇸🇾, Lebanon 🇱🇧, Palestine 🇵🇸, Jordan 🇯🇴)
  • Southeast Asia (Vietnam 🇻🇳, Thailand 🇹🇭, Laos 🇱🇦)
  • North Africa (Algeria 🇩🇿, Egypt 🇪🇬)
  • West Africa (Senegal 🇸🇳, Guinea-Bissau 🇬🇼, Mali 🇲🇱, Mauritania 🇲🇷)
  • Central Africa (Chad 🇹🇩)Central America (Guatemala 🇬🇹, Belize 🇧🇿, Honduras 🇭🇳, Nicaragua 🇳🇮, El Salvador 🇸🇻) + Cuba 🇨🇺

Ad Blocker Popularity by Browser

At least 33 browsers have an ad blocker rate of 20% or more. It’s not that you should refrain from launching your campaigns there — no. But you should understand that these browsers do handicap your traffic volume. Below are some of the least friendly browsers for your ad campaigns.

UC Browser

  • Android (AdBlock traffic share = 60%): Indonesia 🇮🇩 (29%), India 🇮🇳 (22%)
  • iPhone (AdBlock traffic share = 56%): Vietnam 🇻🇳 (14%), India 🇮🇳 (13%), Russia 🇷🇺 (8%), Indonesia 🇮🇩 (8%), Singapore 🇸🇬 (5%), Malaysia 🇲🇾 (5%)
  • Mobile in desktop mode (Windows) (AdBlock traffic share = 46%): Indonesia 🇮🇩 (33%), India 🇮🇳 (14%), China 🇨🇳 (10%)

Opera

Android:

  • Opera Mobile (AdBlock traffic share = 71%): India 🇮🇳 (32%), Russia 🇷🇺 (9%), Indonesia 🇮🇩 (8%), the United States 🇺🇸 (7%)
  • Opera Mini (AdBlock traffic share = 50%): India 🇮🇳 (37%), Indonesia 🇮🇩 (15%), Nigeria 🇳🇬 (9%), Bangladesh 🇧🇩 (5%)

Windows:

  • Opera One (AdBlock traffic share = 60%): Russia 🇷🇺 (25%), Germany 🇩🇪 (7%), the United States 🇺🇸 (7%), Indonesia 🇮🇩 (5%)
  • Opera Desktop (AdBlock traffic share = 36%): Russia 🇷🇺 (39%), Ukraine 🇺🇦 (5%)
  • Opera GX (AdBlock traffic share = 48%): Russia 🇷🇺 (26%), Ukraine 🇺🇦 (15%), Egypt 🇪🇬 (11%), France 🇫🇷 (8%), the United States 🇺🇸 (7%), Uruguay 🇺🇾 (5%)

HeyTapBrowser

  • Android (AdBlock traffic share = 59%): India 🇮🇳 (35%), Indonesia 🇮🇩 (30%), Thailand 🇹🇭 (13%), China 🇨🇳 (8%)
  • Mobile in desktop mode (Linux) (AdBlock traffic share = 60%): Indonesia 🇮🇩 (68%), India 🇮🇳 (9%), Thailand 🇹🇭 (8%), China 🇨🇳 (6%)

Edge

  • Android (AdBlock traffic share = 22%): China 🇨🇳 (25%), the United States 🇺🇸 (10%), India 🇮🇳 (8%), Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (6%), Japan 🇯🇵 (5%)
  • Linux (AdBlock traffic share = 22%): China 🇨🇳 (13%), the United States 🇺🇸 (11%), Japan 🇯🇵 (10%), Norway 🇳🇴 (7%)

Quark Browser

  • Android (AdBlock traffic share = 69%): China 🇨🇳 (77%)
  • iOS (AdBlock traffic share = 52%): China 🇨🇳 (81%)
  • Windows (AdBlock traffic share = 67%): China 🇨🇳 (57%), the United States 🇺🇸 (16%), Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (14%)

DuckDuckGo

  • iOS (AdBlock traffic share = 31%): the United States 🇺🇸 (49%), the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 (6%), Germany 🇩🇪 (6%), India 🇮🇳 (5%)
  • Mobile in desktop mode (AdBlock traffic share = 31%): the United States 🇺🇸 (48%), Germany 🇩🇪 (11%), the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 (7%)

Aloha Browser

  • Android (AdBlock traffic share = 76%): India 🇮🇳 (28%), the United States 🇺🇸 (22%), France 🇫🇷 (6%), Germany 🇩🇪 (6%)

Venus Browser

  • Android (AdBlock traffic share = 84%): India 🇮🇳 (85%)

MIUI Browser

  • Mobile in desktop mode (Linux) (AdBlock traffic share = 31%): Indonesia 🇮🇩 (37%), China 🇨🇳 (21%), Russia 🇷🇺 (8%)

Ecosia

  • Android (AdBlock traffic share = 85%): Germany 🇩🇪 (25%), France 🇫🇷 (12%), Mexico 🇲🇽 (7%), Philippines 🇵🇭 (7%), Spain 🇪🇸 (5%)

Yandex.Browser

  • Linux (AdBlock traffic share = 21%): Russia 🇷🇺 (89%)

Pale Moon

  • Windows (AdBlock traffic share = 36%): the United States 🇺🇸 (15%), Spain 🇪🇸 (14%), France 🇫🇷 (8%), Russia 🇷🇺 (6%), Thailand 🇹🇭 (6%)

Cake Browser

  • Android (AdBlock traffic share = 46%): the United States 🇺🇸 (49%), India 🇮🇳 (36%)

Nokia Browser

  • MeeGo (Android) (AdBlock traffic share = 89%): India 🇮🇳 (85%), Pakistan 🇵🇰 (8%).

Summary

Based on our analysis of JavaScript traffic, we figured out the highest rate of ad blocking per country and browser.

  • Countries with a high share of AdBlock traffic (13–20%):

India 🇮🇳, China 🇨🇳, Bangladesh 🇧🇩, Nepal 🇳🇵, Pakistan 🇵🇰, Qatar 🇶🇦, Somalia 🇸🇴, Kenya 🇰🇪, Djibouti 🇩🇯, Niger 🇳🇪, Netherlands 🇳🇱, Luxembourg 🇱🇺, Iceland 🇮🇸

  • Browsers with a high share of AdBlock traffic (20–90%):

UC Browser, Opera, HeyTapBrowser, Aloha Browser, Edge, Quark Browser, Venus Browser, MIUI Browser, Ecosia, DuckDuckGo, Yandex.Browser, Pale Moon, Cake, Nokia Browser for MeeGo

Whether to advertise there or not — it’s up to you. Our job is to provide you with all the relevant info and make your campaigns convert. At HilltopAds, we know how to bypass ad blockers, thanks to our in-house anti-ad blocking solutions. Contact us if you need any help, as we are ready to walk the extra mile to improve the performance of your campaigns.