Many advertisers are putting a lot of money on the placement of "banner" ads that are in the top few centimeters of a Web page. They are lively and often draws attention to attract users in the right eye for them, urging them to follow the ads link to your site. But do we really banner ads to attract crowds that are expected? Not according to a study by the University of rice in 1998 by Jan Panero Benway and David M. Lane.
Benway and the study of Lane was not specified in banner ads, but one of the links being made to walk on a page. The idea is that if you have a link on your page that is particularly important for your visitors to see, for example, the "Buy Now" link on a page sales, which are naturally inclined to do more and catching the eye. In 1996, Detweiler and Omanson argued that "In general, the biggest problem is a more visual perception of the likelihood and importance of attracting attention. Make sure that the issues of greater importance is easy to see, and clearly distinguished from other items. " This assumption seems to make sense, but Benway and Lane wanted to investigate the actual behavior of users.
Evidence of Banner BlindnessWhat found that surprising. He created a test of friendliness in the subjects that are required to navigate from one page to page a little more on the site. The subjects were asked to find information about Internet courses. Directly on the front page was a big announcement, which had shouted "New Courses Internet! Click here for more information!" Yet, surprisingly, the majority of users scroll right past this giant announced a minor link in the main menu the bottom of the page that simply says "progress". But once there, they realized they could not find the information they wanted. Have adopted the right place, obvious link.
In addition, a 1997 study by the tail, Scanlon, Schroeder, Snyder and DeAngelo showed that the subjects expect a flashy, animated banner advertising, and prefers the direct link. This habit of users for these large and colorful, animated ads are called "Banner blindness."
Studies rice wondered how users respond in two different configurations, one in which links to the information hey were invited to have been designed to find big and colorful, and where important information was given without extra links jazz. It is planned to test the so-called banner blindness in terms of control. The website was designed hierarchical, with levels of four pages. The links on the pages of large was the more accurate it was deeper.
Participants were asked to find simple information such as e-mail, browse the site. The site control link basic text navigation menu, while the test site had the red flag which were intended to be shortcut directly to the required information. The content of the red banner was designed to be a strong indication that the necessary information can be found easily through them.
ResultsThe results of the study proves that the 3 men and 3 women aged 20 and 30 showed that the success rate of tasks the slogan is only 58%, while the success rate of the tasks of monitoring was an astonishing 94 %! The banners are often simply ignored by users, whatever flashy. Why was that? Users could have ignored the bright banners because they have become so accustomed to these links ads that took their information is not there. Or simply wait for the past thought they were looking for information found by linking the site navigation, usually small and blue.
Banner Blindness, see another part of the study to test and how users actually recognize the banners. 73 students were invited to a series of tasks without a series of pages, some with banners moving with non-animated banners. After viewing 24 pages, including ads, participants were shown the same 24 banner ads, mixed with 24 new listings that they had not been demonstrated. They were asked to identify those who think they saw, on a scale of 1 to 4 (4 is "I doubt seen"). Ultimately, only 20% of the 73 students to see any form of recalled publicity during the trial.
This study showed that the banner blindness is a real problem for usability and to be recognized by advertisers plan to use banner ads. However, an article in The New York Times noted that sites with banners advertising the more traffic and more brand recognition (Tedeschi, 1998).
This information is not totally in contradiction with the study of rice. However, they suggest a compromise: the data included in prominent, colorful ties should also be included in the regular menu to accommodate those users who are more comfortable in seeking information in this way.
Now, advertisers are coming with new complex, banner ads reflecting that his team is something like "memory exhausted: Click here", a copy of the Microsoft interface to conceal itself as a real message. Users can click on this ad thinking it is his own team when it really takes some corporate website. There are two problems with this type of banner ads: 1) despite the fact that increases in CTR, many times users see once they have been deceived, they leave immediately and 2) users tend to have been misled to get upset and angry, and not assess the case and are therefore not appreciate that seeks to establish a link between advertising.
Jeffery Veen Webmonkey January 2000 article entitled "Click here, idiot" points out that while yes, with ads that appear in dialog boxes or download progress indicators, in fact increase the CTR dramatically, he suggested that click-through rate value. Users get disoriented, to discover that they have been deceived and broken, and immediately click the back button.
However, exponentially, when the clickthrough rate increases if the number of its customers, simply because you get more traffic. However, advertisers must decide, it is worth angering many customers to get a few more people to use their services? It should also be noted that users use a different interface, such as Mac or Linux, immediately recognize that advertising is not really a message to his team, and probably ignore it. However, users are tired of using Microsoft advertisers using such methods to obtain a high percentage of clicks.
Veen believes in integrity in advertising, no deception. A bargain, he suggests, is based on respect for its customers, not to deceive. These types of ads are running as a merchant to a person in the street and tell them that there is a kind of urgency to get into the store to discover that it was a ruse. Would you stay and who tend to shop? The eyes have ItJohn S. WebWord.com of Rhodes is firmly convinced that the banners, deceit or not is a waste of money. He said that simply do not work. In his 1999 article, "Perspectives on the usability of banner ads," admits that it might be good for the brand recognition campaigns, but not really to get customers to visit your site and employment of advertising.
Rhodes says that people who regularly use the Internet tend to know where to look. His eyes naturally go to certain parts of the page: center, and the left side navigation, where it tends to be, sometimes the body. Eye-tracking tests have proved. People now know to ignore the few inch top, because that is where the banners are. They simply do not look beyond.
Some people have even programs that block banner ads in total. Like the hated pop-up, so that at present, many Internet access receive guests "blocker" sites offer downloads like AdSubtract.com software that will change the settings of your browser to block banner ads on the pages you visit, so do not even ignore them, simply do not appear in the first place. Mozilla Firefox now offers a free service code to add to your usercontent.css.
BAYLESS Arizona wanted to conduct a study to answer specific questions about banner ads that previous studies have inspired. She wanted to know how to remind visitors that see the banner ads, then how can recognize an advertisement they have seen, if they are again, and if the movie or does not affect recognition and memory .
35 participants will display pages that have made banners in the middle of the provision. The ads were placed there by Amazon.com and Ebay.com, with some animation and some static. Ebay's announcement was bright, with contrasting colors, and the announcement of the Amazon, at the same time, vivid color was a little more moderate. Participants were not informed that it would be necessary to remember everything you've seen in the four pages for them, which is only given simple tasks to make information on these pages.
Only after completing the tasks they are given paper and asked the reconstruction of the layout of the pages they had seen. It was test to see if he had noticed the banners and what they are. They were told to remember all this, images, links, graphics, nothing. They have ten minutes to complete their designs.
Then, participants showed a series of 12 banners and were asked to recognize and indicate exactly where they had seen. 43% of participants have recalled add a banner at the heart of the page. From shows that the announcement of Ebay, 14% recalled seeing something but he did not know what has been announced, and 32% recalled the announcement and see it as a ad on eBay. Those listed announcement of the Amazon, 23% recalled see an ad, and 17% of the ad and remember the name of the company.
Among those who saw animated ads, 57% of the participants recalled that the ad was lively. Curiously, in which ads appear static, once again, 57% remembered that they were static.
The ResultsIn the end, only 9% of participants were reminded of an ad, remember what it was for the company, whether or not static or animated, and determine the type of animation shown . But in conclusion base 7 of 9 times, the flag that was recognized correctly was conducted, suggesting that animation has positive effects of recognition and memory.
The results of this study show that banner advertising has a positive influence on brand recognition. However, it should be noted that both companies used in this study were already very famous, recognizable brands.
BAYLESS Arizona study showed that perhaps users are not so blind to banner ads, as we believe, but his appreciation of them is special. Banner ads are most effective for brand recognition that to generate clicks through rates and traffic to your site. The brighter, more varied the announcement, the best is Seared in the brain, if the user finds that consciously or not.
ConclusionPeople find annoying advertising, and note that more and more ways to get rid of annoying ads that interrupt your Internet experience. Banners may work for some time, but as we have seen, some people become blind to see, even, and free tips. Studier advertisers and usability should be aware of this development focuses on the use of banner ads on their influence to the brand recognition, and perhaps put less emphasis on generating clicks through higher at rates. Sites that respect for their customers and keep them happy sites are usable.
