YourWeb.Info does not use any pop-ups on this site except for one area and than that will change down the road. Since we at YourWeb.Info do not like pop-ups, we do not use them. If your browser for any reason displays pop-ups on your end it might be that your computer has without your knowledge downloaded some type of spyware and you might want to get your system checked out. There are many different types of spyware software that will help you get rid of those pop-ups you might be getting. Try a search for spyware.
Advertising is an integral part of the Web user experience: people repeatedly encounter ads as they surf the Web, whether they are visiting the biggest portals or tiny personal sites. Most online advertising studies have focused on how successful ads are at driving traffic to the advertiser, using simple metrics such as clickthrough rates.
Unfortunately, most studies sorely neglect the user experience of online ads. As a result, sites that accept ads know little about how the ads affect their users and the degree to which problematic advertising tricks can undermine a site's credibility. Likewise, advertisers do not know if their reputations are degraded among the vast majority of users who do not click their ads, but might well be annoyed by them.
There is data that will try to start addressing these questions. Listed below is some data that might help explain what percentage a viewer has to say on those dog gone pop-ups that seem to be everywhere.
Bad Design
When users were asked how various aspects of online ads affected their Web experience, they rated the following attributes most negatively.
- Pops-up in front of your window 97%
- Loads slowly 96%
- Tries to trick you into clicking on it 95%
- Does not have a "Close" button 95%
- Covers what you are trying to see 94%
- Does not say what it is for 90%
- Moves content around 90%
- Occupies most of the page 89%
- Blinks on and off 88%
- Floats across the screen 86%
- Automatically plays sound 85%
These numbers are based on respondents to questions that were ask what a user disliked about sites. Similar numbers were found in past years. So these numbers are not that far off.
People often have strong negative emotional reactions to ads that commit the errors listed. One user, referring to an ad that automatically started playing audio, wrote: "I HATE THIS AD. NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE DARN THING, BUT YOU HAVE TO ALSO LISTEN TO IT."
Another user entered the following comment on a major website: "You people should be ashamed of yourself! I did not ask to have pop-ups come across my screen when I visited you. As a matter of fact, I don't use any of the services that pop up on my screen. I think it is disgusting. I am boycotting you and I am telling EVERYONE I know to do the same thing."
Although it clearly illustrates user frustration with pop-ups, the second comment is unfair because the site does not host or advocate the offending ads. The ads were delivered by "spyware" that the user had unwittingly installed. In addition to showing the strong feelings engendered by intrusive or irrelevant ads, the comment also illustrates the extent to which pop-ups have become associated with unsavory content.
Users have started to defend themselves against pop-ups. The percentage of users who report using pop-up or ad-blocking software increased from 26% in 2003 to 69% in 2004.
Users not only dislike pop-ups, they transfer their dislike to the advertisers behind the ad and to the website that exposed them to it. In a survey of over 20,000 users, more than 50% reported that a pop-up ad affected their opinion of the advertiser negatively and nearly 40% reported that it affected their opinion of the website very negatively. People are getting ever more annoyed by pop-ups.
Good Design
Not many ads are actively loved by users, but some advertising techniques do have a positive impact on the user experience. Users were particularly pleased with ads that clearly:
- Indicate what will happen if people click on them
- Relate to what people are doing online
- Identify themselves as advertisements
- Present information about what they are advertising
- Provide additional information without having to leave the page
These elements are tightly connected to traditional Web usability guidelines: make the users' options clear, speak plainly and provide the information users want.
Lessons for Websites
Sites that accept advertising should think twice before accepting ads that 80-90% of users strongly dislike. The resulting drop in customer satisfaction will damage your long-term prospects. Advertisers themselves might be tempted to continue with these nasty design techniques as long as they can find sites that will run them. After all, they typically yield higher clickthrough rates. But clickthrough is not the only goal. Users who are deceived into clicking on a misleading ad might drive up your CTR, but they are unlikely to convert into paying customers. And your brand suffers a distinct negative impact when you make your customers angry and use techniques that are associated with the worst scum on the net. Corporate websites can also learn from these studies, even if they do not run ads. Many elements that users dislike in ad design are also common in mainstream Web design, with equally bad affects. A few things to avoid:
- Pop-ups
- Slow load times
- Teasing links, misleading categories and other elements that trick users into clicking
- content that does not clearly state the site's purpose or what a particular page covers
- content that moves around the page
- Sound that plays automatically
All of these techniques have caused problems in traditional usability studies of non-advertising sites. The fact that they are associated with the most hated ads is one more reason that respectable sites should avoid them at all costs.
Summary: Web designers need to be aware of the design of their sites and what their users are saying about it. YourWeb.Info keeps one thing in mind when we add pages to our site: KISS it (KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID) If we can not find it, what do you think our costumers will think?
