However, content creation is not free, even the most well intentioned sites may need ads to keep the lights on. Alternative would be for authors to keep it behind paywall like substack or something
> Great content without ads was normal on the internet for decades
How true is this? I began surfing the web around 1996, and recall seeing ads from day one. And video ads when surfing at the university that same year.
if anything ads and SEO pushed people to produce worse content to make more cash
creating good content costs nothing besides your time, hosting good content costs almost nothing if your website is designed correctly