Banner Blindness — How to Create Advertising That Doesn't Irritate

The internet is overflowing with advertisements. Banners flash on every website, filling up all available space. But how often do you actually notice them, let alone click on them? For many users, the answer is 'almost never'.

Banner blindness is a phenomenon where people stop perceiving advertising banners and ignore them as visual noise. It's a protective mechanism of our brain that helps it filter out unnecessary information. When we see too much advertising, the brain simply stops processing it, focusing on the main content instead.

But then why don't businesses abandon this format, and are there ways to hack this brain trick and break through this blind spot? Let's delve into examples to understand.

What is Banner Blindness?

Banner blindness occurs when users of online resources consciously or subconsciously disregard anything that resembles advertising. This phenomenon, also known as ad blindness, was defined back in 1998, but today it remains as relevant as ever.

In the initial study, it was found that internet users often ignore flashy advertising banners, preferring plain text when searching for specific information. The Nielsen Norman Group confirmed these findings through eye-tracking tests. It turns out that users disregard anything that looks like an ad or is located in zones traditionally reserved for advertising materials.

Here's just a little bit of statistics:

• The average banner CTR is only 0.06%.
• 60% of banner clicks are accidental.
• 63% of millennials use ad blockers.
• On average, users see 1700–2000 banners per month.
• 54% of users never click on banners because they don't trust them.
• 85% of clicks come from 8% of users.
• 86% of users have "learned" banner blindness.

So, banner blindness arises because people have learned to filter out anything that isn't relevant to their goal. This helps website visitors stay focused and not get distracted by secondary content.

Reasons of Banner Blindness

Try going to any news website right now. It's immediately noticeable that many advertising banners don't match users' needs. As a result, they are completely ignored. Here are a few reasons for such a reaction.

1. Low creative quality - advertising fails to attract attention and generate interest.

There are numerous ways to create an advertising banner, but most of them don't yield effective results. Rectangular shape, bright background, expressive text. All of this has been tried and tested, and it's not very effective.

The thing is, all banners that meet these standards often go unnoticed. Moreover, attempts to highlight the ad among the content can only make things worse, making it even more recognizable as an advertisement. People ignore it without any qualms or fears of missing out on something important or useful.

2. Advertisements are targeted incorrectly and do not match the user's interests.

Advertising should be relevant to your audience. Study your target audience, offer solutions to their problems, make your advertising clear and concise. After all, almost every other website bombards users with tiresome ads for weight loss products, pots, pills, or watches that they don't need. Don't repeat this mistake: tailor your advertising to the specific interests of the user.

3. Intrusiveness and aggressiveness. 

Advertising employs irritating methods such as pop-ups and autoplaying sounds. Users encounter a barrage of banners as soon as they visit a site: static, animated, interactive. Particularly annoying are those that cannot be closed and require waiting. Moreover, the modern generation of users won't spend seconds waiting for a site or its elements to load, so they often just close the tab.

4. Negative experience with advertising.

Do you know the feeling when you click on a link, and instead of the desired information, you end up on a questionable website? Such negative experiences have ingrained in many people the stereotype that ads are always on the right side and therefore don't deserve attention. Users (just in case) simply ignore this area.

How to Overcome Banner Blindness: 8 Simple Tips

But how can advertisers break through this barrier and make their ads noticeable?

1. Reduce the amount of advertising. This advice primarily applies to digital publishers. The more banner ads on a webpage, the more likely they are to be ignored. Use platforms that allow for manual ad placement and avoid sites with overloaded ad blocks.

2. Offer relevant content. Show people what truly interests them. Study your target audience and create ads that match their needs and desires. Place ads on websites that are thematically related to your business. For example, if your business offers wholesale food products, it's best to place ads on culinary blogs. And selling travel gear would be more optimal on travel-themed websites.

3. Use unconventional formats: Say no to boring rectangles! Try Interscroller, Flip, Carousel, Cube Rotation, or High Impact formats that can transform almost any ad space into an interactive ad format — visually appealing and yet unobtrusive to the user experience.

4. Experiment with style. Bright images, funny illustrations, unusual fonts, and trendy colors can all help attract attention. But remember, it's usually best to avoid bright and aggressive colors, as well as flashing images in banner designs. Typically, users automatically perceive such creativity as advertising and may immediately close the page.

The choice of color palette for a banner should either contrast with or harmonize with the design of the platform where it will be placed. It's also important to consider people's color associations: for example, red attracts attention, but for some, it may cause irritation and signal an intrusive desire to sell something unnecessary.

5. Utilize video advertising. Movement and sound are powerful tools that won't go unnoticed. Create short but engaging videos that tell your story. In this regard, Native Video becomes the ideal tool, seamlessly woven into the news stories of informational portals, gently conveying information about the brand's products, services, or values

6. Don't forget about calls to action. Clearly and concisely explain what you want from the user. Use verbs and describe the benefits of your offer. An effective CTA should clearly explain what is being offered and how the user can act to achieve the desired result.

A simple phrase like 'Click here' is unlikely to prompt anyone to react. The call to action should be informative. For example, 'Buy now to get a discount within 48 hours,' or 'Explore our collection '— all of these are much more effective in motivating users to click on the banner.

7. Incorporate native advertising. These are ads that seamlessly blend into web content without irritating users. They look like regular articles or news pieces, so people willingly read and click on them. Such advertising seamlessly integrates into the user experience and is often perceived as valuable content.

8. Utilize contextual targeting. It's a great way to deliver banner ads specifically to those interested in your products. Contextual targeting significantly increases the chances that your ads will be shown in the right place and at the right time. However, it's important to do some groundwork. Get to know your target audience better. What are they expecting from your brand, where do they spend their time online? It's also helpful to analyze keywords to understand what terms your customers use to search for similar products.

‍Remember: every case is unique. What works for one may not work for another. Experiment, analyze, and your banner advertising will definitely be noticed!