Google users can now avoid seeing ads when they browse online – but it will cost them. For a monthly fee, users can hide adverts from some sites, with a new Google service called Contributor being designed to appease ad-haters. Ads will be removed from Google’s partner sites when users browse on desktop and mobile devices.
Some of the sites that will have ads removed from them include Mashable, WikiHow, the Urban Dictionary and The Onion, though Google claims that many more are being lined up for inclusion. Contributor users will see a simple message saying “Thank You” where the ads would once have been placed. Those who are interested can ask for an invitation to sign up for it, with the search giant looking for more websites to get involved. It’s worth remembering that ads will only be removed from sites that have agreed to become part of the Contributor scheme. It will cost between $1-3 per month to use the service.
Google says that the money paid by Contributor users will cover lost advertising revenue, with some commentators claiming that the fee being requested will be wholly offset by the largely ad-free experience that awaits them. Others are skeptical about whether the service will attract significant numbers of web users, with some claiming that vast swathes of younger web users won’t pay out for certain online services even if ads irritate them.
Will you be paying for Contributor? Perhaps you’ll wait until more websites are signed up for it? Tell us below.
