Trying to Read a Blog in 2025 Feels Like Playing Whack-a-Mole With Ads

This is UnMarketable. The digital marketing blog that doesn’t pretend pop-ups are a personality.

Today we need to talk about something that should be illegal but somehow isn’t: trying to read a single damn blog post in 2025.

Gone are the days when blogs were clean, simple, content-forward, and maybe even a little inspiring.

Now? Opening most blogs feels like walking into a Black Friday sale hosted by a carnival barker with 42 sponsors.

Let’s unpack the chaos.

Step 1: Click With Caution

It all starts with a Google search. Something innocent.

“Easy weeknight dinner ideas.”

“How to write better sales copy.”

“Is my dog depressed or just dramatic?”

You click on a seemingly helpful link and immediately regret every decision you’ve ever made.

Before the page even fully loads, the Whack-a-Mole begins:

Ad #1: A full-screen takeover that appears before the headline even renders. “Subscribe to our newsletter!” No.

Ad #2: A delayed pop-up promising a free PDF if you give your email address to a brand you don’t remember clicking on.

Ad #3: A banner ad slides in at the top and pushes the content down like it just paid rent.

Ad #4: The social share buttons float into view and cover the first paragraph.

Ad #5: A chatbot in the bottom corner opens and asks if you have any questions about the article you still haven’t read.

Meanwhile, you’re just trying to see if the pasta goes in before or after the sauce.

Step 2: Scroll, Close, Repeat

You try to scroll, but wait — not so fast. A new ad loads at the bottom, pushing everything upward and making you lose your place. As you try to recalibrate, another window pops up to tell you about a limited time flash sale that has absolutely nothing to do with the content you’re reading.

Click X. Scroll.Click X. Scroll.Click X. Scream.

Just when you think it’s over, a video auto-plays. Not on the side. Not below. Right in the middle of the paragraph. With sound. Loud sound. From nowhere.

You fumble for the mute button like you’re disarming a bomb.

And God help you if you’re on mobile. The entire screen is now a pop-up jigsaw puzzle and your thumb is playing Tetris trying to find the “X.”

Step 3: Find the Actual Content (If It Still Exists)

If you’re still here by paragraph four, congratulations. You’re braver than most.

But wait. Now you get to experience everyone’s favorite monetization tactic:

The floating, uncloseable bottom ad bar.

Major news sites love this one. It’s the move where half your screen real estate is taken hostage by an ad that locks itself to the bottom of the page. You can scroll, sure. But now you’re reading in a tiny strip of daylight between two suffocating ad zones. And if you accidentally tap the ad? You’re launched into a new browser tab like a trapdoor just opened.

Hope your concentration was optional.

But Why Though?

Why is this the norm? Why are people still building sites like this?

The answer is simple: ad revenue.

But the strategy? Flawed.

Because here’s what marketers aren’t talking about: if your content is unreadable, no one will stick around long enough to see your offer, your CTA, or your very expensive banner ad.

Bounce rates are through the roof. Scroll depth is laughable. And credibility? Obliterated.

The irony? The more desperate a site is to monetize every inch of its digital real estate, the less profitable it actually becomes. Because if your content experience feels like a game of dodgeball on speed, your audience will ‘nope out’ in under six seconds.

The UX That Time Forgot

Some of these blogs were clearly built with no regard for the human brain. Or the human patience threshold.

Pop-ups on top of pop-ups.

Ad blockers being blocked (which is… bold).

Broken scroll due to glitchy ad embeds.

Overlapping widgets that make mobile navigation feel like deciphering ancient code.

There’s so much happening visually that the brain can’t even focus. It’s like trying to read a magazine during a strobe light show while someone whispers random affiliate links in your ear.

Here’s What a Reader Actually Wants

Shocking idea: readers want to read.

They want:

The content they came for, quickly and clearly.

A site that loads fast, without being hijacked by seven trackers and a YouTube player from 2012.

A layout that doesn’t feel like a cluttered infomercial.

The ability to scroll without fear of surprise music, flashing banners, or an accidental email signup.

They want a blog that behaves like a blog. Not a Vegas slot machine.

What to Do Instead (aka: Don’t Be That Site)

If you’re running a blog and you’re tempted to max out every monetization plugin you can find, pause. Just… pause.

Here’s what to focus on instead:

Prioritize clarity over clutter. Your content should be the star, not the circus around it.

Limit yourself to ONE pop-up. And make sure it doesn’t show up in the first 5 seconds.

Ditch the autoplay video. It’s not edgy. It’s rude.

Test your site like you’re a stranger. Try reading your latest post on a cheap Android phone with slow internet. Then see how you feel.

Value the reader’s time. If your monetization model depends on people getting annoyed but staying anyway, it’s time to rethink the model.

Because yes, content can be monetized. But it shouldn’t feel like a punishment.

Here’s the Gist: Stop Building Blogs That Feel Like Spammy Obstacle Courses

Blogging isn’t dead. But the user experience on most blogs? It’s in critical condition.

You can sell, promote, recommend, and still respect the person on the other side of the screen. You can build trust and still make money. You can run a blog without making every scroll feel like you’re dodging ads with a machete.

The bar is low, but if you clear it? You win.

Build a blog that behaves like a blog. Write content that respects your reader. Monetize with intention, not desperation.

Because if reading your post feels like playing Whack-a-Mole with ads, no one’s finishing it.

And no one’s coming back.

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This Has Been UnMarketable.