Google Trials an Ad-free Web with Contributor Launch
- Friday, November 21st, 2014
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Google is testing Contributor, a program which makes it possible to pay a monthly fee in exchange for a more ad-free web experience.
Contributor is currently being run as an, each of whom can choose an amount between $1-3 to pay each month. When they visit selected partner sites, Googles AdSense units will be replaced with a thank you message and pixel pattern, and a proportion of their chosen amount will go directly to the site.
The partnered sites include Urban Dictionary, Mashable, The Onion and WikiHow. 
Its a fascinating experiment for Google, which relies on advertising for the vast majority of its revenues – as much as 91 per cent for 2013 – and one which could fundamentally alter the way websites think about monetisation. For now, though, it is strictly an experiment, being run as an invite-only service with a limited number of users.
