How many people here actually take the time to look at the ads after the first post? I'll be the first to be admit I don't. The only few I've ever clicked on were because I accidently did so as I scrolled the page. The only time I had ever clicked on an ad here was the bidvertiser 728px image ad. And that was only because I was banned from Google earlier that week. So my thoughts are that most people probably click on the ads by mistake. Your thoughts?
You do, because you're a webmaster. People with little knowledge of the internet (i.e. Children, Old People, First Time Users) will click on ads, thinking that they are links to more content. Some people will click on ads because they are interesting. It depends on the person browsing your site. I personally never click on ads.
likewise. when you know about Adsense, there is really no point on clicking those ads. i only need them for making money. i think people like us that knows more about adsense never really clicked ads. But to your point, i think most serve ads that choke up the screen. I hate to see it when half of the screen is all about ads, that would really annoy any user, hence, giving them the impression of ad blindness.
more and more people are getting familiar with adsense ads and know those are advertised links. so they don't click on the ads anymore unless something real interesting to them. i myself sometimes click on one or 2 ads that interests me and bought one or 2 products by clicking ads on DP
On forums/blogs you will find that not many ppl click on google adsense ads because most are webmasters or internet-savvy people who knows that advertisers pay for them and publishers get paid for displaying them... If you run ads on your own site, then you know not to click on your own ads... and you know that clicking on other ppl's ads for no reason will waste advertiser money... people who dont know much about the internet will click anything...
I use Adblock and so never see any Adsense ads. I agree with that. People may mistake ads for content once, twice, thrice, but not for always. Someone who surfs the net 2-3 times a week must have come across Adsense many many times. A big portion of internet users are already familiar with "Google Ads" and rarely click them. Google must find a way to vary the appearance of the ads - at least the fonts. This can substantially overcome the problem of ad blindness.
Good post. Ok sometime ago I was talking with an old friend of mine and i told him. Man clickbank looks SOOO scam and all these stuff why people waste time putting it up when nobody will buy it. He said to me "dude its because we are always online we webmasters know all these make money online stuff and that is the reason we are blind to all these stuff, but these salespages actually convert and normal people who just surf then net for an hour a day or so they actually buy and click" this is the same story with Adsense, we are paranoid and know it all, normal surfer doesnt know anything, I do agree that banners dont appeal to them but text links gets clicked, it all depends on your audience who they are and what is your website all about. But ya we webmaster think so, not everything. Try to be in someone else shoe, try to forget that you know what is adsense what is adwords and all the other money making stuff and you will find yourself in a whole new place. People do click ads if they find it relevant.
I personally never click on ads, because I'm a Webmaster obviously. Webmaster is a bad, bad niche then.
I'm a webmaster but I click adsense and amazon ads sometimes. I think my personal CTR is about 0.10%.
It appears that you only try to deceive your visitors? I'm a webmaster and I surely click on an advertisement. But that is only because I am genuinely interested in it. The reason why webmaster and tech-savy niches don't do so well with adsense is because a) in general these people know how to get many of the products or information that is being sold, for free b) they know that a high percentage of this advertisements are bullshit c) lack of quality and relevant prodcuts/information/services d) they know how to do it themselves
I never click on ads. As soon as i learnt to recognise ads in whichever form i avoid them like plague.. lol I have clicked on ads intentionally if the advertisement caught my interest. Buts thats only happened a couple of times.
I would think trying to make a MMO (Make Money Online) is not a good niche. Not only are there so many other MMO sites, but all these websites contribute to the growing awareness about Adsense and the more "ordinary" people know about this, the more Ad savvy your general surfer is going to get. Whether they want to get involved with "make money online" or not. So its one of the major reasons why you see Adsense CTR falling worldwide. And then you get all these click fraudsters and hordes of people applying for Adsense. Too many publishers and too few advertisers can hurt Adsense...and lots of other reasons...Adblock....declining economy.... Now to the OPs point, I also only clicked once in all my time here on DP. (On second thought that wasnt even Adsense ad) Most of the ads look scammy....those "make money fast" ads. Don't look in the least interesting to me. That's why I'm really not sure how much DP makes from Adsense, I figure not much...since we all webmasters. So, Ad-blindness or Ad-uninterest = Both
I avoided all ads for years. Still do. Just like TV, I haven't seen an ad there for 30-40 years or more. I'm aware that TV has 5 minute interruptions every 8-10 minutes. That's when I post or just read a few pages in my book. Or work on puzzles. I'm not a webmaster either. Personally, I think watching commercials or clicking ANY ad is stupid. If there was anything worthwhile being offered, it would be on the news, not a commercial.
wow, good response ppl. my person CTR is 0.5% for a videos site (see signature), but i heard for forums it's even lower
tinner - yup me too. I have my laptop on my laptop when on sofa constantly searching online or doing something constructive on my laptop. I can't stand watching tv without doing something. Whenever ad's come on tv i reply to threads just like right now! (lol there are ads on tv right now..) After i learnt about advertising in an english class back in yr 11..i've purposely avoided all kinds of ads. Knowing how manipulative they are..i choose not to be fooled into buying products i don't need. And now that i've been studying retail for 2 years professionally(eg,towards a diploma not as a hobby)..I've learnt how to sell to others..so now i'm even more acutely adverse to ads.
Ads could really turn bad on your site. This is true on visitors not coming back due to loads of ads embedded. But if you optimize the blending of both ads and content, then you have a better scheme to lessen this dilemma.
I haven't clicked on any ads for a long time. I actually don't remember when was the last time I clicked on any ad. May be when I didn't knew what adsense is
i agrre with you there jimmychen, but it does provide the webmaster was some sort or revenue to keep the site up and running
Ad blindness is only prevailent among the internet elite. Most of the normal user, most who are 40 + or <16 click on ads. I never click ads.. Maybe becauseI have been on the internet since I was 10 years old