We also hate GRANDPRIX247 banners! Improving the reading experience
If Günther Steiner had been reading our website up until last week, he might have been speaking in his unique, refreshingly politically incorrect 1960s management style:
“I hate fucking banners and pop-ups on GrandPrix247, dammit vanker with all of them Google ads and cr@p! Gen. It can’t fucking go on like this…”
Actually, that’s exactly what I said yeah last week! And Steiner would not be alone. Real verified readers emailed us, emphasizing that the ads served by Google were making the reader experience on our site increasingly unbearable.
We agreed and agree that starting today, while knowing that this will have a major impact on our income, we have removed banners and pop-ups to improve the reader experience. We strive to keep GrandPrix247 alive proudly independent Formula 1 news website 24/7
We have particularly focused on optimizing the mobile experience for our community, updating the backend with the latest bells and whistles to make everything faster, while also optimizing the look and feel of the website. It would be interesting to hear what the regulars think of the improvements in the comments below.
It’s also a good time to apologize if the reader experience on our site has deteriorated over time, but – in our defense – those annoying ads we all hate, the pop-through between posts, and other intrusive banners all belong to the best of Google Adsense practices methods practices.
If you actually follow Google Adsense’s maximum recommendations for serving the banner inventory (which is triggered by a code displayed in the ).
section of every page that the site delivers) they fill the space with everything in their arsenal, including the inter vignettes, in-page body ads, and a bunch of potentially annoying ad styles. We have opted for the traditional, less obtrusive units.
Blame Google and here’s the fix
We at GrandPrix247 with ours Monetization partner Snack Media We’re taking more control over what Google Adsense sends to our site, blocking ad insertion in our posts, stopping pop-ups and pop-throughs, and working together to ensure the best reader experience. Whilst we are of course constantly looking for acceptable, non-intrusive, alternative monetization opportunities including advertorial content which you will occasionally come across but are not obliged to read.
Which brings us to the elephant in the room: money! GrandPrix247 doesn’t make a profit, rarely or never, but has done well enough to keep two of us running, with a modest stipend going to our writers and the rest gobbled up by fees to keep the site running, inclusive Agency content, photos and of course hosting for our growing reader base.
The new look will hopefully have an impact on income, but experience shows that alternative sources of income will emerge along this path. It is currently impossible for us to completely eliminate Google Adsense so that we can continue to write and edit while managing GrandPrix247 without having to do shifts at McDonald’s or Burger King!
Make no mistake, if that’s what it takes, I’d do it the way it was done when this project started back in 2009, as a serious pastime to keep alive after hours. It remains a labor of love whether it makes money or not, I’ll keep typing even if it costs me something. But I also wouldn’t expect our amazing crew to do what they do for this site for free. Thankfully, however, we’re still a long way from the “fast-food joint-job hunt.”
If this is the next chapter of our cool F1 journey, then we call it: The reader experience comes first at GrandPrix247… and let’s see where that goes.
In conclusion, as you all know, your opinion counts. It hurts that you’ve been uncomfortable with the banners for too long. Please let us know what you think about the website experience now and anytime E-mail or in the comments below as we put you first where you belong.
Enjoy! You too Gunther!
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