Now we have all heard the debate over how evil ads are. Some say they are good, others say they are evil things that should be banished off of the Web. I was once in the camp who wanted to banish them, but over the years I have reconsidered how important ads are to Web sites.
Many of the greatest resources Online are supported by ads. They hope a few people click on them, so they can get some revenue to keep themselves up and running. What the public has to realize is that not every Web site is run by an unemployed geek who has an endless supply of money and types out everything he writes in his parent’s basement.
Web sites cost money to keep up. The more popular the Web site, the more money it costs. Every single time somebody goes to that Web site it takes away from the bandwidth. Bandwidth costs money. Every time a new article or new content in general gets posted, it takes away from disc space. Disc space costs money.
There is a reason why most free Web hosting places make you put up with ads on your Web sites. That is how they earn a return on offering you free Web hosting. Over the different Web sites I have worked for and worked with I always see a common complaint.
“Why are there so many ads around here! I’m going to another Web site!”
The reason for the ads, nine times out of ten, is because the Web site has become a success and now must cover it’s proverbial butt when it comes to paying for their bandwidth and disc space. Another thing to take into consideration is that this is how a lot of people Online earn money.
I know several people who do writing Online or other projects and their income comes from ad revenue. Maybe not all of it, but at least some of it that is left over, after paying for Web hosting, they are able to stick in their pocket. You might work a nine to five job in an office. Would you like it if I came to your house and took money from your pocket? I think not.
Now I am not out there to bastardize the society we live in today. I just want to make people think twice before they say that ads are annoying, and ads are evil. Not all ads are created equal.
I dislike pop-up ads. Ads shouldn’t get in the way of enjoying the content on a Web site. A few banner ads, horizonal or vertical though do not bug me at all. If clicking a few banner ads means I don’t have to pay ten or twenty bucks a month for a service, I am all for it. That brings up another topic though, what about paid content?
The idea of having paid for content hardly ever works. The reason is, people say they would love to look at things without any ads, but hardly ever pony up the cash to make it work. Even if they do, that means you now have to publish two versions of your content. One with ads, and one that doesn’t have ads. This brings up your bandwidth, disc space and the amount of time you waste double posting your product. Right now it just does not add up.
So next time you think about moaning about an ad or two on a Web site, think about the folks behind the HTML and what you can do to support them. If you like what you see, and you want to see it keep coming. Click an ad. Donate via PayPal. Support these people before they loose their shirts.
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