Users tune out the stuff they get repeatedly exposed to.

<aside> ℹ️ Users have learned to ignore content that resembles ads, is close to ads, or appears in locations traditionally dedicated to ads.

</aside>

People tend to ignore website parts they think are ads - even if they're not. This "banner blindness" still happens despite changes in how ads look. It's like how we only notice things related to what we want. Our brains can't handle all the info, so we focus on what helps us. On websites, we pay attention to useful stuff like menus and headlines, but we ignore things that seem like ads. Even if something isn't an ad, if it looks like one or is placed like one, we might ignore it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghtog0yAXE0

Ads are a survival mechanism on the web: many businesses won’t last without ad revenue or advertising themselves. And ads can sometimes benefit users. So, getting rid of them is not my recommendation at all. But designers should be smart about how they present site content. In particular, follow these guidelines:

  1. Do not make content look like ads. Choose colors, type, background, and overall content style carefully. You may think that making it look different from the rest of the site will increase its salience, but it often has the opposite effect.
  2. Run usability tests to make sure that users actually see important content placed in the top banner or right rail.
  3. Do not mix content and ads in the same visual section.

Resources

Banner Blindness Revisited: Users Dodge Ads on Mobile and Desktop

Banner Blindness: Ad-Like Elements Divert Attention

What is Banner Blindness? + 11 Clever Methods to Avoid It


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