Web Ads. Whoops, They Work After all.
By: Bill Abramovitz
The rebirth of web ads was a hot subject at the Internet Summit we attended in Raleigh. Until fairly recently, eye tracking studies and low click thru rates seemed to show that web ads and banners were largely ignored. New attribution studies that measure how different web advertising elements work together show display ads having a powerful impact, including up to a 60% lift in clickthrough rate on search results followed by a 35% increase in conversions.
Several studies show these click-thru rates improving 30 to 50% based on prior exposure to a web ad. The biggest challenge identified by the Internet Summit attendees is to improve ad creative, which most described as miserable, to engage consumers and drive an even higher lift on click-thru rates. Okay, we can do that!
