5 Effective Strategies for Publishers to Bypass Ad Blockers

There is no doubt that publishers lose billions to ad blockers, as many users install them by default to remove ads. As a result, those with advertising-driven monetization models must be revised to protect revenue. Here are five steps you can follow to save your revenue stream.

Ad blocking remains a major revenue challenge for publishers.

According to Cropink report, nearly 43% of internet users worldwide now block ads, and overall ad blocker users reach 912M. In markets like the US, roughly 32% of users block ads, with a trend toward mobile blocking overtaking desktop. Users cite poor online experience, annoying ads, and privacy concerns as primary reasons.

As a result, publishers may face an estimated $54 billion in lost revenue, roughly 8% of global digital ad spend, if ad blockers remain unaddressed.

In this article, we're going to figure out a workaround to protect your yield and see if bypassing ad blocker detection is possible in 2026.

How Do Ad Blocking Browser Extensions Block Ads?

Ad blockers and modern delivery issues mean that a significant share of ads never reach users.

Industry data shows that around one in four digital ads globally are never seen: either because they fail viewability requirements or are blocked before rendering. For most sites, such placement invisibility is just what causes a loss of potential impressions and value for publishers.

Ad-blocking tools exist to reduce intrusive advertising, limit tracking, and protect site visitors from malware. They appear either as:

• Browser-level filtering, e.g., Chrome blocking ads on sites that violate Better Ads Standards;
• Browser extensions, such as AdBlock or AdBlock Plus.

When a website page loads, an ad blocker scans its code based on predefined filter lists, scripts, and user-defined rules. Using these criteria, it prevents certain resources from loading or hides them after the page renders.

• Blocking Ads: The primary function of an ad blocker is to ensure uninterrupted browsing. Thus, they are meant to shut down flashy banners, primarily pop-ups, autoplay videos, and interstitials.
• Element Blocking: These browser extensions can also disable particular website elements, such as large media assets or third-party typefaces, from appearing on the page.
• Disabling tracking: Blocks tracking scripts, pixels, and cookies to limit behavioral data collection and guarantee better privacy.
• Domain Blocking: Ad blocking software maintains "blocklists" of specific domains and websites that might contain malware.

Certain ad blockers, most notably Adblock Plus, allow “Acceptable Ads” to be shown to users who opt in, sharing a portion of revenue with the adblock provider.

Publishers facing the low viewability issue due to these browser extensions need monetization approaches that adapt to them, reducing reliance on easily blocked formats while recovering value through alternative delivery methods.

Strategy #1: Adopt Server-Side Ad Insertion

Server-side ad insertion (SSAI) is a technology that displays banners alongside video content and combines them into a single continuous stream at the server level, rather than inserting ads in the browser or video player.

For example, different users view different ads on the OTT platforms, even if they’re watching the same content on the same day. Thus, an ad server embeds the ad into the video content and forwards it to the player using the CDN.

Because ads are inserted server-side, ad blockers have limited ability to identify and block ads. This makes SSAI one of the most effective ways to bypass ad blockers, especially those designed to detect client-side ad requests. Simply put, SSAI removes traditional browser-level ad calls, reducing exposure to ad block detection.

SSAI has been around for years, but publisher interest has grown as ad blockers became more widespread across websites and ad platforms. Today, it’s widely used to bypass ad blocker detection in video environments like OTT and connected TV.

By 2026, SSAI has shifted from a niche workaround to a core monetization approach for our video publishers. It remains one of Epom's most reliable features to bypass browser-based ad blockers, which interfere with client-side delivery, while also improving playback stability and user experience.

Anton Ruin

CEO at Epom

Overall, SSAI delivers a smoother viewing experience, reduces ad blocking impact, and helps website owners protect revenue from their video content without relying on heavy ad block detection scripts.

Strategy #2: Acceptable Ads to Recover Blocked Impressions

Acceptable Ads is an industry initiative that allows non-intrusive banners to pass through ad blockers when users opt in. Instead of trying to bypass ad blockers entirely, this approach works within their rules to recover a portion of otherwise lost impressions.

The program is operated by ad-blocking vendors and applies clear standards around advertisement sizes, placement, labeling, and behavior. Banners that comply are allowed to display to users who have enabled Acceptable Ads in their blocker or browser.

In practice, this means:

• Lighter, clearly labeled images are shown instead of disruptive formats
• User experience is preserved, reducing the incentive to block ads entirely
• Publishers recover part of the blocked inventory without changing site behavior

As of recent industry report, Acceptable Ads reaches hundreds of millions of people globally, with opt-in rates above 90% among supported browsers and blockers. This makes it one of the few scalable ways to monetize users who would otherwise see no ad content at all.

What Publishers Should Know in 2026 About Acceptable Ads

Acceptable Ads is not a full monetization replacement. CPMs are typically lower than standard web programmatic demand.

Large domain publishers may be required to pay service or licensing fees, which changes the revenue math. So this way only partially protects your revenue, not as a primary monetization channel.

Formats and standards evolve over time, but the core principles remain: non-intrusive, script-free, transparent, and user-first.

Strategy #3: Use More Reader-Friendly Native Ads

As ad blockers keep cutting into standard banners, more publishers lean on native placements — ads that blend inside regular website content.

Native budgets are still rising. In the US, native display ad spend is forecast to reach $147.98B in 2026 (+13.1% YoY), according to Emarketer's December 2025 forecast.

Native ads are paid placements designed to match the look, feel, and function of the surrounding content. Many websites usually label them as Sponsored or Promoted instead of advertisements.

Some reliable native formats publishers use:

• In-feed sponsored cards: homepages, category pages, content feeds
• Sponsored content: links to articles that look editorial
• Recommendations: content-style placements
• Short advertorial videos: stories or reels format on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok.

Why native helps when ad blockers are a problem:

• Native units are often less likely to be removed than obvious banners, because they’re integrated into page structure. This is not guaranteed, yet in practice, it tends to be more resilient than standard display.
• Native usually drives higher engagement than ignored banner inventory, which supports better pricing over time.

Native is not “immune” to ad blockers. But it's a strategy to increase your chances of bypassing ad blockers with better placement design and more control over user behavior.

Also, native ads can be served via server-side integration, meaning no ad tags have to be inserted into the web page. It provides a seamless user experience, better visuals, and fast website load times, while ensuring security against malware attacks.

Strategy #4: Detect Ad Blocking and Make Delivery More Stable

An ad block bypassing strategy here is not only about serving ads differently, but about detecting ad blockers, understanding user behavior, and protecting site stability when ad elements are restrained.

Many websites detect ad blockers to understand when banners fail to load. This is done through ad blocker detection, usually with lightweight detection scripts running in the browser.

How Ad Block Detection Works in Practice

First, detection scripts check if ad loads. A common method is to create simple “bait” elements (e.g., files named like ads.js). If these elements are hidden, the site assumes an ad blocker is active.

When blocking is detected, publishers can track those visits as a separate data group instead of mixing them with normal traffic. This improves data collection accuracy and prevents these impressions from distorting performance metrics.

Then, you can analyze user behavior. Instead of forcing hard walls or opt-in pop-ups, many publishers simply observe how users interact with content for accurate attribution: time on page, scroll depth, and return visits. This helps determine whether to offer alternatives, such as lighter formats.

Because client-side scripts may be blocked, some publishers rely on server-side tracking to maintain basic analytics and revenue visibility.

Large publishers sometimes use third-party ad blocker detection services, while smaller sites rely on simple scripts. Both approaches aim to answer the same question: which revenue loss is due to standard demand, and which to blocked delivery?

This strategy doesn’t magically bypass ad blockers. Instead, ad blocker detection improves reporting accuracy and campaign performance, and keeps sites usable even when ads are removed.

Adblock vs. Incognito Mode vs. Reader Mode Difference

Not all missing banners are caused by ad blockers. Incognito mode and reader mode also affect how tracking behaves, and they need to be understood separately.

Incognito (Private Browsing)

Creatives usually load normally, but data about that load is limited. Cookies and local storage are cleared at the end of each session, which affects frequency capping, user recognition, and long-term targeting.

For publishers, this means:

• Banners still render
• Targeting is weaker
• CPMs may be lower due to reduced data
• Performance metrics can look worse if this traffic is not separated

Reader Mode

When a browser’s reader mode is activated, the site is stripped down to text and essential images.

In practice:

• Banners do not render at all
• Ad block detection scripts usually don’t run
• The page layout is controlled by the browser, not the website

Reader mode traffic is effectively non-monetizable. It behaves similarly to AdBlock, but without reliable detection signals.

From an optimization and tracking standpoint, publishers typically see three types of traffic:

• Normal traffic where ads load and data is available
• Low-signal traffic (incognito), where banners load but targeting is limited
• No-render traffic (ad blockers or reader mode) where banners don’t appear

Ad-block detection identifies only the last group.

Strategy #5: Bypass Common Delivery Paths with Direct Serving

Most ad blockers don’t just remove banners. They interfere with known delivery patterns. These popular serving domains, long third-party request chains, and standard banner containers.

That’s why inventory delivered through large networks and widely used tools (including Google tags) is more likely to be filtered, regardless of whether the campaign is direct or programmatic.

A practical strategy for publishers is to shift delivery to first-party, publisher-controlled infrastructure and reduce reliance on delivery tools that are widely listed on blocklists.

Using a direct ad server like Epom lets publishers control the whole delivery process.

First-party tags instead of network tags

Epom uses its own tags, generated inside the interface. This helps avoid third-party tag libraries that are already on ad blockers, shortens the path between the website and the creative, and reduces dependence on mass-market networks.

This doesn’t make monetization immune to blockers, but it prevents overuse of filtered scripts and domains.

Ownership over website layout and ad elements

Owning delivery also means knowing where ad elements live in the website structure and detecting how pages behave when banners don’t load. This reduces layout shifts and user frustration, which are key drivers of ad blocker adoption.

To sum up, this strategy means reduced reliance on commonly listed infrastructure, more stable delivery, and cleaner reporting. However, it's not a guarantee to bypass ad blockers once and for all or force impressions despite the user's decision to use them.

FAQ

• What is an ad blocker, and how does it work?

  An ad blocker is a browser extension that prevents ads from loading or hides them after a website renders. It works by checking code, scripts, and network requests against filter lists. If a request matches a known pattern, it is removed.

• Can publishers disable ad blockers completely in 2026?

  No. There is no reliable or ethical way to do that completely. Modern strategies focus on reducing exposure to blocklists, improving delivery stability, and recovering part of the lost value through alternative formats and a cleaner setup.

• Does ad blocker detection help increase revenue?

  Ad blocker detection alone does not increase revenue. Its value lies in separating blocked traffic from normal traffic, improving reporting accuracy, and keeping websites stable when banners don’t load. This helps publishers make better monetization decisions.

• Are native banners affected by ad blockers?

  Native formats can still be blocked, but they are generally more resilient than standard display banners because they are integrated into the layout and are less disruptive. They also tend to generate higher engagement, which supports better long-term pricing.

• What is SSAI, and why is it effective?

  SSAI inserts ads into video streams on the server before they reach the browser. Because ads and content are delivered as a single stream, ad blockers have limited ability to detect them. SSAI is widely used in OTT, CTV, and video monetization.

• Why do ads disappear in incognito or reader mode?

  In incognito mode, banners usually load, but tracking and targeting are limited, which can lower CPMs. Reader mode strips websites down to text and images, removing scripts entirely. Reader mode traffic is effectively not monetizable.

• Why are Google tags and large networks removed more often?

  Large networks and widely used tag libraries appear frequently in filter lists because they are shared across multiple websites. This makes them easier targets for ad blockers compared to first-party or custom delivery setups.

• How does using a direct ad server help publishers?

  Using a direct ad server allows publishers to generate tags and define page structure themselves. This reduces their reliance on blocklisted third-party infrastructure and improves site stability.

• What is the best overall strategy for publishers in 2026?

  The most effective approach is a mix: lighter formats, preference for native and video, ad blocker detection, clean reporting, and simplified delivery. Keep your focus on UX, stability, and flexibility.