How does great content get funded? For a majority of online publishers, the answer is ads they run on their website.
But those ads have gotten clunky and a little bit scary. Animations slow down our website speeds and data tracking makes us worry about our privacy. Many people have turned to online ad blockers to get back to browsing peacefully – but that hurts publishers.
When Will Richardson moved to Gainesville in 2011, he had just gotten a job at Grooveshark and was looking forward to growing with the company. Grooveshark was facing revenue issues from ad blockers on its in-browser music streaming. Paired with a huge lawsuit, the company ended up going under in 2015.
Will was one of many talented web developers without a job in the Gainesville market. They put their heads together to find a way to continue working together. The answer they eventually stumbled upon was recovering revenue lost from ad blockers.
Initially, the team at Admiral was looking for a way to get around popular ad blockers. But then they stumbled upon something interesting – users would often choose to disable their ad blocker when asked. With a simple message about how ads support the content they love, many users would choose to see ads – no difficult, technical solution needed.
Admiral now sees a new future for the internet. One built on visitor relationship management. Being honest with users and giving them options to support businesses they care about is key.
The Gainesville-based company already provides subscription services, privacy considerations, email acquisition, and more for online publishers. They’re creating an internet that’s both profitable and browsable for all.
Listen to the 158th episode of the WHOA GNV podcast to hear all Will had to say about Gainesville, remote work, and the future of the internet!
