In the world of advanced web design and online advertising, eye tracking is the method used to discover which areas of a web page its visitors gravitate toward. This research is conducted by placing a specialized device on a subject’s head that tracks eye movement when she's viewing a website, magazine, etc. The results provide us with very important information for developing a site in order to achieve our client’s goals for optimum ROI. Of course this information is also important for calculating potential ROI when purchasing or selling online advertising space. It tells us which ads people actually see on a page and how they might interact with paid advertising.

Most online advertising is sold by “impressions,” which is the number of times a web page is visited. For example, if one person visits the home page of a website five times, that would count as five impressions. But how many times has this person actually seen your ad? That’s what you want to know.

One study found that an ad placed above the fold is visible to 100% of site visitors, but only 60% of them actually see it. (Above the fold is the area of the page you see without having to scroll down.) Another eye-tracking study found that even though almost 70% of visitors might visit a page “below the fold” only about 25% of visitors actually see the ads down there.

It’s important to understand that this particular information does not take into account the website's design, or any particular web designs or ad designs for that matter, which could greatly influence results. Testing your specific web site(s) would be necessary in order to provide detailed information in this regard. However what's provided here is good, general food for thought when purchasing your online advertising.

Contact us if you are interested in having Avenue 25 perform eye tracking research on your website. Although this type of research might be cost prohibitive for some, it is considered a necessity when developing sites for larger organizations.

Avenue 25 is considered one of the top three Phoenix web designers and internet marketing firms in Arizona. We provide full advertising, graphic design, video and web development services all in one place.