Banner blindness is a phenomenon in which internet users stop noticing or paying attention to online ads. First coined in 1998, banner blindness has become a serious concern for digital marketers. Related to the similar phenomenon of \u2018ad fatigue\u2019, banner blindness is one of the reasons for the increased use of ad blockers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Banner blindness is a term for the psychological phenomenon in which readers no longer \u2018see\u2019 ads on a webpage. It is called banner blindness because it refers to the banner ads that typically feature at the top or sides of the page. Banner blindness happens when users are over-exposed to ads, so they tend to subconsciously ignore them so as not to disrupt their browsing experience. For advertisers, banner blindness is a big problem, as it means that much of their ad spend is simply wasted on audiences who pay no attention to their ads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to a 2013 study by Infolinks, 86% of web users experience banner blindness. A decade later, it\u2019s safe to assume that the percentage is the same or even higher. Other studies conducted around the same time found that the average CTR (click-through rate) for banner ads was just 1%! Nowadays, banner ads have an average CTR of 0.05% across all platforms and formats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Banner blindness tends to be more prevalent in millennials and younger generations who have spent the majority of their lives online. People who don\u2019t spend as much time online are less likely to instinctively skip over banner ads. Banner blindness affects people on mobile and desktop websites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are a few possible reasons why so many consumers experience banner blindness. Banner blindness is a specific trait of the psychological theory known as \u201cselective attentiveness\u201d. According to this theory, while humans absorb lots of stimuli in their environment, they only focus on a small subset of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of the factors below likely come into play to produce this phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While ad fatigue and banner blindness are similar issues, they are not exactly the same. Banner blindness refers to a user\u2019s unconscious decision to mentally skip over ads on a webpage, ignoring them in favor of the page\u2019s target content. On the other hand, ad fatigue is when a company\u2019s ads become so frequent that consumers become bored or even annoyed with the ads, and the click-through rate declines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both phenomena have similar results: users aren\u2019t engaging with your ads. No matter how many ad spaces you pay for, your rate of return isn\u2019t high enough to justify the campaign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ad fatigue can even lead to brand boycotting or resentment if users get too annoyed by ads. If this happens, companies may choose to scale back their campaigns as they rethink their advertising strategy to overcome ad fatigue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Considering the hundreds of millions of dollars spent each year on advertising, it\u2019s no wonder that companies worry about banner blindness. Banner blindness is a big spoke in the wheel for ROAS (Return on ad spend), and that\u2019s why brands should work to prevent banner blindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some businesses overcompensate to attract attention to their ads, by blitzing online users with lots of ad impressions. While that strategy may work in the short term to draw attention, it generally leads to ad fatigue and resentment of your brand, which can do lasting damage to your public image. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The banner space at the top of a webpage isn\u2019t just for advertisements. It could also contain critical messages about scheduled website maintenance, store hours, sales or promotions, requests for donations, etc. When consumers learn to ignore anything in the \u2018banner ad\u2019 space, they could miss out on key information, and that can hurt a business as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, there are several possible solutions to overcoming banner blindness and helping potential customers see your ads. It\u2019s always recommended to test a few different options to find the right niche for your advertisements. Many marketers utilize A\/B testing to check the differences between two versions of the same content. You can try making two versions of your ad and using a metric like CTR to determine which one performs better in a climate of banner blindness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are several ways to prevent banner blindness. You may focus on one particular strategy or implement a few at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n