How We Look at Online Ads

Advertisers, do you want your banner ads to be noticed? Then go above the fold, to the left — and include some pictures of faces.

That’s the advice of a recent eye-tracking study of banner ads. Using a technology called Real CPM, EyeTrackShop aims to increase the efficacy of such display ads, which are known for abysmal click-through rates.

Take a look at the next four slides. Which ad do you think will receive the most eyeballs?

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Right Above Fold

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Left Above Fold

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Right Below Fold

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Industry Average for Different Placements

If you want eyeballs -- and who doesn't -- the best ad placement is on the left side above the fold. The worst is below the fold.

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Ads Without Faces

Now let's take a look at side ads -- seen by 84% of people on the left and 74% of people on the right. Do you notice the two side ads without faces?

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How Your Eyes See Ads Without Faces

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Ads With Faces

What about the two side ads with Faces?

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How Your Eyes See Ads With Faces

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Industry Averages

The most successful ads, noticed by a full 100% of people, have faces. In order to make the most of your ad dollars, include people in your ad campaigns.

“With Real CPM, agencies will finally have the opportunity to take all of the guesswork out of ad placements,” says EyeTrackShop CEO Mathias Plank.

Real CPM provides you with data about where on a page your ads receive the most eyeballs. In general, banner ads receive the most, followed by left then right placements above the fold.

The idea is to give you a sense of where consumers’ eyes go when they see your ad and then adjust variables like page placement, time of day, gender and media outlet focus for maximum benefit.

Real CPM works by recruiting test subjects from websites and global online panels, whose gaze is tracked by their webcams. The product creates reports, showing the percent of people who see the ad, the average time spent looking at it and the amount of time it took to notice the ad.

Your report will also show the number of people who remember the brand and the ad after leaving the page.



Of course, there’s no guarantee that just because people are looking at your ads that they’re going to buy what you’re selling. There’s also a phenomenon known as “visual vampires,” an industry term for distracting visual elements that undermine the purpose of your ad.

Nevertheless, eye-tracking can at least tell you if people are tuning out of your ads.

How We Look at Online Ads