Online Ads, Adsense, Ad Blocking and Window Shopping

Online ads from Adsense and other providers, to me, are sort of like window shopping. In a way, they provide you with a teaser of what is inside a store. While passing by, you get a glimpse of what the advertiser sells.

All of us don’t stop inside stores just to find out a little more about what they offer. We don’t always have the time. However sometimes you will be surprised at the wide variety of products a physical store offers when you step inside. They may have one of your favorite products for less, or even offer something that you’ve been searching for.

Google Adwords logo-via Wikimedia, PD by Google Inc

Online advertisers are just the same. Their ads give you a chance to see what they offer. They know you won’t always buy what they have but you learn more about them and may remember them when you have a need that they can fill.

Awhile ago I clicked on an ad that was unique to my country and location. It addressed something that I was specifically interested in. I won’t get too specific but customer representatives of that particular organization had been after me for months to get a particular thing done.

Of course, having more pressing matters to attend to, I kept putting it off, even though I would also benefit from taking action. Lo and behold, while visiting one of FullofKnowledge.com’s sister sites, I saw an ad related to the same thing. I clicked on it and started reading.

Turns out, I leaned enough from the ad for it to finally sink in that the task I’d been putting off was easier than I thought. I was able to take a few minutes and complete the task online and this will allow me to benefit in the future.

How about you? How often do you see ads related directly to your needs online? Do you have your ad blocker on all the time? Why? I think that personally, I‘ve benefitted more from ads than lost, in terms of pop ups etc.

Sometimes even the pop ups are helpful. Ads sometimes come up with information that I never even thought was out there. I get offers for discounts related to things I buy regularly because they appear alongside content. I would never have bothered to search for those discounts otherwise- I don’t have the time.
I get ideas for clothing, I see teasers related to the latest innovations in health. I don’t go out of my way to seek out this information but because I’m looking at a related product, it appears alongside whatever I’m reading. This is helpful to me.

The next time you see an ad, look at it with a fresh eye. Don’t automatically filter them out. The information they provide may help you become better in your profession or allow you to streamline your work in some way.

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