Is your ad placement turning people on or off?
It used to be that the biggest focus in business was Location ! Location! Location! The Internet has basically turned that upside down, and it’s no longer a factor. Today the location of your business doesn’t matter. Now the placement of your ads, and where they are located on your site will leave people feeling either annoyed, aware, or awesome! Your choice.
Annoying “in your face” flashy ads
We will begin with the annoying ads. These ads are the banners that are right in the header of your blog, or website. Usually you find them on the very top and some of them are animated, adding further annoyance and distraction. Do you want me to click on the ad or stay on your website? Pick one! I find these ads to be intrusive and personally I will not click on them for the sheer fact that they are located in a bad place. Yes location matters and in this instance it’s working against you and not helping you at all. Please don’t place ads there, it really annoys users. “I love ads on top of websites ” said no one ever!
Building awareness, I can respect that
Ads that are placed on your site sidebar are okay. They are not as much “in my face” and I can click on them if I want or just ignore them. I admit, I usually click on these ads because I feel like they build awareness. Usually they are sponsor ads, or affiliate links and I may have some curiosity to check it out. The location of ads on the sidebar are okay, as long as they don’t obstruct me from getting to the content I want to get to. Building awareness and asking people for support through affiliate promotions is completely acceptable, hey I understand we all need to make a living.
Awesome! Now I feel like this actually matters
When someone writes about your awesome widget or product or service on their blog that is when you are awesome! A graphic ad takes five seconds, a blog posts though, I can respect and I will be much more likely to buy and take action on a product or service that is presented in this manner. It does need to be a legitimate review, or a heartfelt recommendation for it to be awesome and effective. Double whammy! The fact that you take the time and effort to create a piece of content that educates or entertains your audience makes this product or service more awesome. So there you have it. Are your ads annoying? Do they build awareness? Or are they awesome? Location really does matter and how much time you invest into it also matters. Just like anything in life you get out what you put it. Going the extra mile and taking more than five seconds to put a graphic on your website will bring you higher rewards in the long-run.