Business Website Advice

Online writers, whether newsletters blogs or websites, take heed of the recent Sherpa eyetracking research.  The image shows online readers tire quickly of ads, called banner blindness. By the third viewing of a newsletter, readers ignore the familiar ad spaces and go straight to content.  What does this mean to us blog and newsletter writers?  Attention can be regained.  

Content is king (I sound like a broken record) and here’s the proof.  View the larger printable Eyetracking Image from Sherpa’s research.

Readers eyes just don’t go there on the third viewing.  They go straight to the content.  Sherpa research tells us:

• 1st issue 80% readers at least scan the left ads
• 2nd issue their scan drops to 40%
• 3rd issue readers scan only a miserable 20%

All ad space succumbs to banner blindness. Sherpa’s report says there’s only one possible exception. The jury is out on video.  

Attention can be regained.  Three suggestions are given in their report: 

1. Change the template to be familiar but not identical to previous layouts to encourage the eye to scan more of the page.
2. Change the look and feel of ads - size, colour, text to graphic and vice versa.
3. Increase ad rotation.  I suggest to client to have a half-dozen photos that fit a particular location and rotate them. Rotating is a no-brainer. They are all optimised, ready to go and just get switched. Keeps things fresh and your site looks updated.

I hear you Sherpa. I’ve got some work to do to my lower right sidebar. It’s been on my things to do list for 60 days.  I better get on it.  Will one of my readers nag me if it’s not done by the end of the month.

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