Block AdSense in Internet Explorer

In the previous post we show how you could block AdSense using the "Universal Method" that allows Adsense to be blocked across all browsers. However, in certain cirucumstances you may want to block AdSense in a particular browser (like Internet Explorer) and let the AdSense be seen in another browser like Firefox.

Blocking AdSense in Internet Explorer is simple, just follow the 5 easy steps below:

1. In Internet Explorer, go to Tools -> Internet Options and click on the Security tab
   
   
   
   
   



2. Click on Restricted Sites









3. Click on Sites
   


4. Add http://*.googlesyndication.com/ to the list of of Restricted Sites.
   
   
   
   
5. Click Close and OK

Universal AdSense Block Method

The first method, I call the "Universal" method because it blocks adsense at the operating system level (not at the browser level) so it works with any browser you have installed on your computer and works with most popular operating systems (i.e. Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, FreeBSD, etc).

This method works by fooling your local computer into thinking that the Google AdSense servers are hosted on your local machine instead of at Google. Since your local machine cannot respond to requests for the Google Ads, the requests would be blocked and the results is the Google Ads won't be displayed.

To get a little more technical, they way we "fool" your computer into thinking that Google AdSense servers are hosted locally is by adding an entry to a special file called the "hosts" file that is used by your computer to map names to internet addresses. This file is consulted first by your computer, so if we were to add an entry in this file to map the name of the domain that Google uses to serve up AdSense Ads to the address of your local computer, there would be no need to go out on the internet to find out this information.

For more detailed instructions on modifying the "hosts" for your operating system see below:

Windows 2000/XP

1. Go to Start -> Run
2. Type in "C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc"
3. Click OK
4. Go to Start -> Porgrams -> Accessories -> Notepad
5. Drag the "hosts" file to Notepad
6. Add the following entry on a new line "*.googlesyndication.com 127.0.0.1"
7. Save the file in Notepad*

* Note you must have Administrator privilege to save the file.

Reasons to block Google AdSense Ads

1. Many sites have annoying ads that are not relevant to the content of the website.
2. Improve you web surfing experiance and page load times.
3. Avoid clicking links on a website that are really Ads.
4. You don't want someone to make money of a "crappy" website
5. Avoid "click fraud" on your own Adsense website

Welcome to AdSense Blocker

The web is filled with sites that use Google AdSense to generate revenue, while I think AdSense is one of the best way for a publisher to monitize their website to some user it is very annoying. Over the next could of posts I will reveal easy ways to get rid of those Ads for free.