|
|
Should I Use Pop-Up Ads?
Web advertising has taken many forms, including those that appear within the Web page as an in-line graphic, as well as those that "pop up" (over) or "pop under" a browsing window. If you are considering the use of pop ups on your website as an advertising method, this article provides some points you should consider.
Some studies have reported that consumers despise these intrusive and annoying advertisements and even feel "violated" and "molested" by their presence. Online consumers are goal-oriented and perceive online advertisements to be even more intrusive than those in other media. Further, online consumers develop negative attitudes towards the advertisements which then lead them to develop intentions to not return to the site.
An important goal of website designers is that users will retain the content to promote subsequent visits and/or referrals to other potential visitors. Ads compete for attention and raise cognitive effort, whether reading or avoiding them, interfering with use of the site and reducing the likelihood of retaining the site's content. The more mental energy extended to non-website material, the less retention of website content can be expected.
Research has shown that interruptions have a negative impact on emotion and well-being, and lead to increases in effort expenditures. Although any advertisement can be classified as an interruption, one that requires a user action to remove it, like a pop-up ad, will cause an increased expenditure of effort, reducing retention of website content. Because an in-line ad requires less interruption and mental energy than a pop-up ad, we expect higher website retention levels in those subjects receiving in-line ads as compared to pop-up ads.
What about retention of ad content? Common sense tells us that ads that are most visible will be remembered. However, deeper consideration of web advertising reveals that while pop-up ads are more interruptive than in-line ads, requiring a user to act to remove them, they appear on the screen for a shorter time period because users tend to close them immediately. In-line ads remain visible for a much longer period, and users are thus more likely to see them in their peripheral vision. It is expected that this longer time will increase user retention of the ad content.
Some Internet service providers and highly trafficked Web sites have decided to discontinue the use of intrusive advertising. Both AOL Time Warner and Microsoft announced in October 2002 that they would eliminate the majority of pop-up ads on their Internet services in response to rising complaints from users. In their eyes, the loss of advertising dollars is worth the boost in public image as a result of the policy change.
Also you should consider that online consumers have the option to eliminate pop-up ads using a number of methods, such as free, third-party pop-up killing (PUK) software and toolbars that stop unwanted browser windows.
If you still want to use pop up ads on your website here are some recommendations:
1) Never use more than one pop-up per visitor.
2) Use a pop-up when your visitor is leaving your website, not when he has just entered and is trying to see what you have to offer.
3) Use pop-ups only for special purposes such as to remind your visitors to subscribe to your ezine, offer a free download or a free course by autoresponder.
The author of this article is Ronald Vyhmeister, visit his website at
Internet Marketing Tool Reviews (please link to http://www.tenbytes.com/internetmarketing.html)
You can join his newsletter at http://www.tenbytes.com
Feel free to use this article in your website or newsletter, but keep this author box with live links.
Can Your Visitors Contact You From Your Website
Argh, where's the contact button?! Believe it or not, some websites just DON'T WANT any visitors (even customers) to CONTACT them. There's no email address, no contact form, no NOTHING!
Do You Make These Common (But Deadly) Website Design Mistakes?
Building a website can be overwhelming, here are some design tips to help keep you on the right path (or is that web?)
Mini Site or Content-based Web Site?
Are you in a dilemma whether to create a mini site or a content-based web site for your new product or service? The purpose of creating a web site should be to attract visitors and convert them to paying customers. Is a mini site with a few pages enough to do this or should you spend more time and create a content-based web site which contains many pages?
Through The Looking Glass
My mother used to take me along when she visited an old lady down a cobbled lane who had a crystal ball on her dining room table and a pack of playing cards. My mother was superstitious and really believed a lot of what she was told by the old lady. She wanted to know what the future held not only for herself but for me, her only little boy. I was about five or six years old at the time, and used to gaze at the reflected images upon the crystal ball of the sunlit window behind me and the lace curtains, although the old lady would place her hands at either side of the crystal ball and say that she could see the future and told of what she saw, I could only see the reflection of that window with the lace curtains. The old lady was either a genuine medium or was just guessing what my mother wanted to hear to keep her coming back for more of the same, and make herself a small income to supplement her pension.
How To Design Your Web Site With CSS
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) allows you to create fast loading pages, increase your search engine rankings, and modify your whole site with one style sheet. So why don't more people use them? This is because they got so used to html design and are afraid or too lazy to upgrade their skills. Some will also use ready made templates that contain flashy graphics, bloated code and sometimes even contains hidden code embedded in the page.
Speed Up Or Lose Out! How To Improve Your Websites Download Speed
So your web site's online and you've got high rankings in the search engines attracting lots of visitors. But the statistics tell you most of them are leaving after viewing just one page, what's gone wrong?
Dont Lose The Sale In The Internets Last Three Feet
In retailing there is a saying that sales are made in the last three feet. What this means is that no matter what you have done with your marketing, the final purchase decision is made when a customer is in-store, with the product in front of them.
Choosing Form Over Function Kills Your Site
Never put form over function. Why? Because it's crucial that visitors actually be able to USE your site. Everything you do must be designed to be as easy for the visitor to understand as possible. Everything should be functional first.
Double Ad-Trackers Its Not as Crazy as It Sounds Here Are 7 Reasons Why?
A Double Ad Tracker is an Ad-Tracker that points to an AD-Tracker. It may sound a bit like overkill to have an Ad-Tracker Pointing at another Ad-Tracker but it's not crazy.
Breathe New Life Into Your Half-dead Website By Using Words That Sell
This article may come as a surprise to you.
Is Your Site Too Slow? Why Image Optimization Is Critical
Graphics are fun, but if you put in too many bells and whistles when you create your web site, you may lose a potential audience whose Internet connection can't handle lots of graphics, and that means you'll be losing potential customers.
Developing Your Winning Web Site Strategy
Your web site is the key to your success on the Internet. You can use your web site to build your brand, increase sales, generate more leads, slash costs, and much more. In fact, you probably have very specific goals that your web site is helping you to achieve for your company.
Testament To Testimonials
We have all seen websites showcasing their testimonials either spread strategically throughout the site or all together on their own glorious page. They're there with the intent of leading us toward that high dollar purchase or convincing us of something's legitimacy. Sometimes we read them and sometimes we won't. Sometimes we believe them and sometimes we don't. Well, are they really worth all the time and effort?
Maximising Web Site Viewability - Browsers
With so many different configurations internet users have their computers set up with, it can be difficult to decide how web sites should be configured so that it is viewable in as many configurations as possible.
How To Write An Effective FAQ Page
Websites that have multiple pages usually have a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. There are several good reasons why you should have one.
Congratulations! You?ve Gotten Visitors To Your Site! Now, Can They Find What Theyre Looking For?
As search engine marketers, we spend an enormous amount of time trying to get targeted traffic to our site. But, once those visitors get to our site, can they find what they're looking for? If not, guess what? We've lost a customer.
Website Sales: Discover 10 Mesmerizing Insider?s Tricks To Ignite Your Sales
Marketing is not an easy skill to acquire.
Website Polls For You And Your Visitors
Setting up a survey on your site is extremely simple and many times just as beneficial, for two main reasons. One, they let you create a more interactive website for your visitor. Choose interesting topics, poll opinions on recent events related to your site, and people will participate to find out what other people on your site think. Second, if you write your surveys in a way that keeps them interesting and useful to yourself you can gather important information about your visitors in order to build a site better tailored to their interests.
Creating a Favicon
Once, I attempted to create a favicon (the little graphic in the URL address box) for this Web site, but never did finish the work until now. I used a free program that allowed me to copy and paste an image to create an icon, but I believe it has spyware so I won't share its name. There are many icon creators out there.
Secrets to Using Color on Your Website and Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Colors have long been known to have psychological affects on mood and interpretation. So, when you are designing your website, you should keep in mind the influence color might have on your visitors. Do some research to find out which colors promote your product and services best as well as which colors make visitors interested in buying your products. You should take all of this into account in order to create the best atmosphere for buying that you can.