How to Ruin Your Content with Advertising?

Adsterra, PropellerAds, and Other Ad Networks That Destroy Your Site (In Style) Do you have a blog, YouTube channel, or a website about vegan recipes for cats and wonder how to monetize it? Tempted by those networks promising passive income while you think only about avocados and engagement? Stop right there. You’re about to invite five ad networks to the party that would make even a professional spammer blush. Welcome to the dark side of digital marketing — where pop-ups shine like emergency lights, clicks multiply like magic (or bots), and the promises sound too good to be legal (and often aren’t). 1. Adsterra: The Spotify of Visual Malware Origin: Cyprus, 2013. Because nothing says “ethics” like an offshore company based in a tax haven. Reputation: Adsterra is infamous for its push notifications — they pop up more often than your ex when you’re finally at peace. You'll find it on shady download sites, sketchy forums, and meme pages with more ads than memes. Expect “in-stream” ads disguised as news, automatic redirects to scams, and the classic “You’ve won an iPhone!” spam. Where you’ll see it: India, Russia, the Philippines, Nigeria, and pretty much any website with a .xyz domain — wherever traffic is cheap and antivirus software is optional. What critics say: Their ads show up more than Marvel end credits. Reports on TrustPilot and Reddit mention malware, scams, and deceptive content. Adsterra’s transparency? Like a foggy windshield. 2. PropellerAds: The Midnight Pop-under Ninja Origin: Also Cyprus. At this point, their passport should come with a warning label. Reputation: Specialists in pop-unders — those sneaky tabs that open without you noticing, until 17 windows are offering you remote jobs or “leaked Jennifer Lawrence pics.” Their bot traffic has been flagged by many webmasters, and while they promise “smart targeting,” it feels more like Russian roulette. Where you’ll see it: Torrent sites, online gaming platforms, piracy forums. Popular in countries with ad regulations as strict as a wet napkin. What victims say: Users report inflated CPMs, bot clicks, and NSFW content on family-friendly sites. Their anti-AdBlock tech works great — at destroying user experience. 3. Clickadilla: The Cabaret of Programmatic Marketing Origin: Slovakia, 2016. From Eastern Europe with love (and lots of NSFW content). Reputation: Clickadilla lives and breathes adult content. Their banners look like they were designed by a teenager with Photoshop and too much free time. Their content filtering? Nonexistent. If it sells, it gets in. Where you’ll see it: Porn sites, alt-streaming platforms, “hot” blogs, and dating sites that claim “mature singles in your area” (spoiler: it’s a kidnapper). What survivors report: Webmasters complain about malware, impossible-to-close banners, and suspiciously high CTRs that make no real sense. 4. ExoClick: The Pioneer of Shady Clicks Origin: Spain, 2006. Founded by Benjamin Fonzé, the man who discovered the Holy Grail of cheap traffic. Reputation: One of the oldest networks in the adult space. Their ads promise solutions to “performance problems” — both digital and physical — with redirects to sketchy .ru domains full of consonants. Where you’ll see it: Adult content platforms, free game sites, and pages with more ad space than actual content. What the community says: Some defend it as the “least bad” of its kind, but many accuse it of click fraud, malware, and disguising ads as real UI buttons. 5. PopAds: The King of Pop-ups With Multiple Personality Disorder Origin: Costa Rica, 2010. Perfect for those who believe hell has WiFi. Reputation: If your screen ever exploded into 20 tabs while trying to download a PDF, PopAds was probably the reason. It’s notorious for bot abuse, misleading ads, and UX-hostile formats that would make any developer cry. Where you’ll see it: Flash game sites, pirate download hubs, and any site with more scripts than content. What users say: Bots, malware, and uncloseable ads — PopAds can turn any blog into a digital Pandora’s box. This thing won’t let me write more, so here’s Part 2: 👉 Can I Monetize Without Destroying My Site? https://editma.com/post/?post=143