What if you could eliminate browser pop-ups, increase your Internet security and speed up your browsing all at once? What if you could do it for free? These are just a few of the benefits of using Adblock Plus, a free add on for Mozilla Firefox. Let’s take a look at why using this great ad blocker software might be beneficial to you.

Adblock Plus stops ads from being downloaded to your computer and from being shown to you. Before you start blocking ads though, remember that advertisements allow websites to provide their content to you for free. The money a website makes from advertising pays their developers, their content creators and their bandwidth bills. If you block ads on your favorite websites they may need to start charging for content.

That said, Adblock Plus can improve your Internet security and your browsing experience in several ways.

Three Ways Adblock Plus Can Help You

1) Adblock Plus Blocks Pop-Ups, Pop-Overs and Annoying Ads

Since Adblock Plus stops ads from being downloaded they are never given the chance to pop up or be displayed. If you have ever tried to close your browser only to discover that there are several windows full of advertising waiting for you underneath, you can understand how happy this feature makes me feel. On the down side, you will never have another chance to punch the monkey and win.

2) Adblock Plus Protects You From Dangerous Unknown Code

Most websites don’t create or host the advertisements they show you themselves. Instead they work with a third party advertising company which gives them a piece of code to add to their websites. Last year there were several cases where advertising companies’ servers were hacked and made to serve ads with dangerous viruses and trojans. One of the more famous cases involved a hacked ad on MySpace which infected more than a million users!

Adblock Plus has a list of potentially dangerous servers and stops your browser from downloading from them. Since your browser can’t access the dangerous code, it is impossible for them to infect your computer. Please note that Adblock Plus is not anti-virus software and that you could still get a virus, for example, through your email or some other means.

3) Adblock Plus Speeds Up Your Internet Browsing

Every time you download an advertisement, you are using bandwidth you could have used to download your e-mail more quickly, load your photos sooner or to get started watching that video earlier. Many advertisements also use JavaScript code which when used in excess can make your browser less responsive.

Blocking ads prevents both of these issues making your browsing experience more quick and enjoyable.

Installing Adblock Plus

If you would like to install Adblock Plus, you will need to be running the Mozilla Firefox browser. If you already have Mozilla Firefox, visit https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865 and click the green “Add to Firefox” button in the middle of the page. It will ask if you would like to install the Adblock Plus plug-in. Say ‘Yes’, and then when it is done installing restart Firefox.

When Firefox restarts Adblock Plus will ask you where it should get its updates from. These updates are what tells Adblock Plus which ads and servers to block, and you should select a download location in your country if possible.

Enjoy your newfound speed and security!

Links

• Firefox With the Google Toolbar
• Adblock Plus’s Homepage
• The Adblock Plus Page at Mozilla.org