The Internet is full of advertisements for every possible business and product you can think of. Although many complain about the forms of advertising, there is not much difference between Internet advertising and telemarketing phone calls to your home.
However, the interesting thing is that web users prefer to be bothered by internet advertisements rather than unexpected phone calls. This acceptance of the ads has created a breeding ground for millions of pop-ups and banner ads on the Internet. The sites use them individually or together, but some still wonder which one is better for increasing website traffic. Consumers have offered an answer, perhaps not verbally, but with statistics of effectiveness.
Pop-ups are often seen as annoying ads. Those that include flashing lights can even be dangerous for some users with certain medical conditions. They have been considered the most hated form of web advertising available. However, since pop-ups are so annoying, consumers may wonder why they are still used so frequently. The truth is that pop-ups are terribly aggravating, but generally they are effective. For some crazy reason, there are millions of people who actually use them when they appear on their screen. This is partly because many sites use pop-up ads as an excuse and reason to offer free services to site users. They will indicate that they must use these forms of advertisements in order to offer the site for free. Users who do not want to pay, but still want to use the site, will probably accept the excuse without hesitation.
The problem with pop-up ads these days is that there are many programs on a computer that don’t allow pop-up windows. This means that when a pop-up window is intended to appear on your screen, your installed pop-up blocker program does not allow it to happen and instead blocks the ad from reaching you, the user. These programs are very effective most of the time and can cost advertisers a great deal of money if the ad misses the target. Advertisers are now creating newly scheduled pop-ups, however they can bypass these blocking programs and still display the ads on your screen whether you like it or not.
Advertisements began to appear on websites in response to consumer annoyance from pop-ups. Advertisers thought that if banner ads weren’t as annoying, they could perform better than pop-up ads. Many websites started placing online advertisements in all available areas of their site. In doing so, they soon realized that while banner ads are usually not as annoying as pop-ups, they are not as effective either. Advertisers started using banner ads less often. Many of the banner ads were not as noticeable as an aggressive pop-up ad right in the user’s line of sight. Some are off the screen and out of direct eye contact.
Some advertisers prefer to use banner ads when asked, because they seem more attractive to viewers. This may be more user-friendly, but it means something else entirely for the advertiser. An advertiser wants their ad to be noticed, even at the user’s expense. They prefer to annoy the user and make the ads noticeable than the ads simply go unnoticed. In general, advertisers were not seeing great engagement with banner ads, and therefore many sites are no longer using them for advertising purposes.
The answer to whether pop-ups or banner ads are better or not really lies in who you talk to. Consumers like banner ads more than aggravating pop-ups. However, advertisers will tell you the exact opposite. They both have a place on the internet and their own group of fans. Advertisers will continue to replace banner ads with pop-ups because they are more effective. The power of choice is in the hands of advertisers right now and until users want to force them to change their ways, advertisers will continue to support pop-ups instead of banner ads.