I’ve spent over 20 years as a publisher in the world of online advertising, watching the rise of digital ads and how they’ve reshaped the internet. During that time, it’s become clear to me: there are simply too many ads online, and it’s bad for everyone. This negative trend really started to accelerate about four or five years ago, when the number of ads began to grow rapidly across every platform. Whether you’re a business trying to promote a product, a regular user browsing the web, a publisher looking to earn money, or even part of an ad network, the overcrowded and poorly regulated ad market is creating serious problems.
Too Many Ads Are Bad for Advertisers
When the internet was new, banners were simple and effective. But now, I see the same ad repeated across sites, chasing me from page to page. It’s not just annoying – it’s inefficient. The cost of running an advertisement has gone up, but performance has gone down.
Advertisers are caught in a system they can’t control. A few giant platforms dominate where and how ads are shown. Their algorithms decide who sees what, and businesses like mine often have little insight into how those decisions are made. When these platforms change their rules, it impacts campaigns overnight.
Too Many Ads Are Bad for Users
As a user, I’ve grown tired of the constant ad overload. Pages take longer to load, banners pop up everywhere, and videos auto-play when I least expect them. The experience is frustrating. I know I’m not alone – more and more people use ad blockers every day.
What’s worse is the invasion of privacy. To make ads “smarter”, advertisers collect too much personal data. It feels like I’m being watched, tracked, and sold. That’s not how browsing should feel. This overreach is pushing users to avoid ads altogether, even the ones that might actually be useful.
Too Many Ads Are Bad for Publishers
As someone who also runs a site, I understand the pressure publishers face. Ads are a main source of income, but more ads don’t always mean more money. Compared to previous years, it now takes significantly more advertisements to reach the same level of revenue. This forces publishers to increase the number and intensity of ads on their pages, which often damages – or even destroys – the user experience. In fact, cluttered pages drive visitors away. When users bounce quickly, traffic drops – and so do revenues.
Ad networks often take a huge cut of the money. Publishers are left with small earnings while dealing with slower sites, complex code, and frustrated users. And if one of the big platforms changes its algorithm or policies, publishers are left to scramble. It’s an unstable, unfair system.
Too Many Ads Are Even Bad for Ad Networks
You’d think ad networks benefit the most from this overcrowded market, but even they suffer. Serving a massive volume of low-efficiency ads is a serious problem. It’s extremely resource-intensive, both technically and financially. The trust in digital ads is falling. Click fraud, bot traffic, and fake impressions are everywhere. I’ve seen companies waste thousands of dollars on campaigns that reach no real people.
Without strong rules and accountability, the whole system becomes unreliable. Brands stop investing, users stop engaging, and the value of an ad drops. Everyone loses.
The Real Problem: Lack of Regulation and Oversight
At the heart of this mess is poor regulation. There are few clear rules about how ads should be displayed, how data should be used, or how performance should be measured. Some major players – especially in search and social media – have gained too much control. Their decisions affect everyone, and not always for the better.
For example, one tweak to an algorithm can kill traffic for thousands of publishers. A new privacy rule can shut down ad campaigns overnight. These decisions are made by a handful of companies with little transparency. That kind of influence distorts the entire ad market.
What Needs to Change
I believe the online advertisement space needs better regulation and fairer standards. We need rules that protect users, support publishers, and bring transparency to ad networks. There should be limits on data collection and clearer pricing for ad placements.
Most of all, we need to reduce the total number of ads. Quantity doesn’t equal quality. If I see fewer, better ads that are respectful and relevant, I’ll actually pay attention. If businesses can reach real people without drowning in noise, they’ll get better results.
A Call for a Better Ad Future
Right now, the online ad market is flooded, messy, and unfair. It doesn’t work well for advertisers, users, publishers, or ad networks. Without reform, trust will continue to fall – and so will effectiveness.
We need a smarter system, one that values honesty, relevance, and balance. I’m ready for fewer ads, more transparency, and a digital space that respects everyone’s time and privacy. That’s how we fix online advertising.