LOAWA is the largest dedicated fansite for Lost Ark, a massively popular MMORPG game released by Smile Gate and Amazon. Millions of players globally utilize LOAWA for Lost Ark stats and guides.

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The problem: Operational costs exceed ad revenue

Almost two years ago, the LOAWA team was going through every publisher’s worst nightmare: LOAWA was in the red. Despite their loyal user base, the server costs alone exceeded the revenue generated by ads. The losses were mounting, and LOAWA couldn’t help but think that they may have to shut down.

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At their wit’s end, LOAWA decided to try Ad-Shield after seeing suggestions from users. Empathizing with the seriousness of the situation, we hit the ground running to help LOAWA maintain operations.

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The cause: Adblockers blocking revenue along with ads

Following our typical process, the first thing we did was calculate LOAWA’s adblock ratio. Despite not using adblockers himself, LOAWA founder and CEO Jinil Choi was aware that they could impact LOAWA’s ad revenue.

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💬 “As someone who had never used adblockers, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But seeing our adblock ratio was shocking. 40% of LOAWA users were blocking ads, which was causing a corresponding loss in revenue.”

‍- Jinil Choi, LOAWA Founder & CEO

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The LOAWA team was stunned to discover that their adblock ratio was a whopping 40%. In other words, 40% of LOAWA’s total ad impressions were being lost to adblockers.

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The problems with adblock walls

LOAWA shared that they were aware of adblock walls as a recovery strategy. However, they had some doubts and wanted our expert consultation.

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💬 “To be blunt, technically speaking, I don’t think setting up adblock walls is difficult. But they come with a huge risk. There’s a strong possibility that users would move to a competitor site. Then it’s the same as losing all your potential customers.”

‍- Jinil Choi, LOAWA Founder & CEO

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Our research corroborated LOAWA’s concerns. It’s true that adblock walls can provide a brief boost in ad revenue. However, they often create more harm than good, with long-term consequences such as user turnover and decreasing revenue recovery.

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LOAWA needed a reliable solution that consistently recovered a high percentage of blocked ads without compromising on user experience. Most adblock recovery solutions on the market, including adblock walls, did not meet LOAWA’s needs. Fortunately, Ad-Shield’s browser integrity recovery technology was exactly what they were looking for.

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What is browser integrity recovery?

Browser integrity recovery utilizes a virtual, integrity-guaranteed layer that runs on top of browsers. Instead of recovering individual ads via obfuscation (like traditional adblock circumvention and/or reinsertion), the secure layer enables ads to seamlessly and reliably bypass blockers. By executing advertising scripts on Ad-Shield’s secure layer - which ad blockers cannot interfere with - ads are successfully rendered and displayed to ad blocker users. Our recovered ads are all non-intrusive and compliant with the Better Ads Standards, ensuring adblock users continue to have respectful ad experiences.

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💬 “As long as we’re providing valuable content, I’m not worried about losing LOAWA’s adblock users just because we implement Ad-Shield. We’re also reassured knowing that Ad-Shield only serves Better Ads Standards ads.”

- Jinil Choi, LOAWA Founder & CEO

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Upon reviewing Ad-Shield’s browser integrity recovery technology, LOAWA immediately implemented our solution.

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Results

During our nearly two year partnership, we’ve monetized over 150 million pageviews for LOAWA and maintained a recovery rate between 90 and 95%.

After implementing Ad-Shield, LOAWA’s ad revenue increased by 40%. Thanks to Ad-Shield, LOAWA was able to stay running and continues to be enjoyed by millions of Lost Ark gamers around the world.

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💬 “To LOAWA, Ad-Shield is like a fire department. If a fire suddenly breaks out, the fire department is the first on the scene. Even when there’s no fire, they proactively prevent any from starting.”

- Jinil Choi, LOAWA Founder & CEO

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Want to maximize your ad revenue like LOAWA?
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• To find out how much revenue you’re leaving on the table, try our recovery calculator
• To track your website’s adblock ratio and other key analytics, sign up for our free dashboard
• To learn more about all kinds of adblock recovery solutions, read our ultimate guide
• If you’re ready to jump right in 👉 reach out for a free consultation

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