Ads that promote app installs

[nomis5]

The following (snip) is appearing in my Adsense notifications:

"Your advertiser URL block list is currently very restrictive of advertiser demand, specifically ads that promote app installs."

Anyone any idea what it means? Pros and cons of ads that promote app installs on my websites?

[JorgeV]

Hello,

Anyone any idea what it means?

May be your blocking the root URL of [play.google.com...] or other App store, instead of blocking a particular advertiser's URL ?

I do block, by hand, only ads which are promoting browsers toolbars.

[NickMNS]

The message seems clear to me. You are blocking app installs ads and Adsense would like you to not block these ads.

Here is my regular spiel on blocking:
Blocking ads comes at a cost. It limits demand while keeping supply the same. This results in a drop in revenue. By how much is difficult to determine.

But, what also comes at a costs is showing users spammy ads for nefarious apps, think "green download button" ads. Users will likely see your website, see those ads and think this website can't be trusted and then move on never to be seen again. In my mind the cost of that is far greater than the fraction of pennies one could hope to earn from ads that no rational user would ever click on.

I frequently get these messages as "optimization" recommendations and they are promptly deleted and ignored, only to return in next installment of "optimizations".

I have an optimization idea, Adsense should do more to filter out the spammy ads and then we the publishers wouldn't need to block entire categories, then legitimate advertisers could get better reach, and we publishers could increase our revenues, which in turn results in more revenue for Adsense. Win, win, win.

[not2easy]

My only regret is that I have but one like to give. You would think that with so many publishers blocking a given category or a certain "type" of domains that someone interested in fostering a healthy system would discourage accepting ads that no one wants. There is a reason.

I am certain that if I unblock all categories of ads that I will earn more money, but that would be to the detriment of my visitors whom I value more than $ .12 each. :(

[nomis5]

Thanks for the advice.

Checking my blocked ads, 41 out of 49 are green / red button type, ads the remainder are recipe downloads.

I can't remember blocking them but possibly I was so irritated by them that I blocked the lot. Well worth any potential loss of revenue.