PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Instart Logic, the company helping hundreds of leading brands around the world deliver a faster, safer and more profitable online experience, today announced the results of its 2018 State of Online Advertising Study of more than 1,000 American adults.
As ad technology has improved, many sites have gone overboard with the number of ads they are showing to site visitors: half of Americans (51 percent) believe websites should cut down on ads and more than half of Americans (57 percent) are fed up with pop-up ads that obstruct the content they are trying to view.
Another pet peeve of website visitors are ads that take over the whole screen—50 percent of Americans find these types of ads very annoying.
Social media sites may have some of the best ad-targeting technology available, but that doesn’t mean users appreciate the ads they see when scrolling their news feeds: 45 percent of Americans say social media sites have the most annoying ad experiences, followed closely by retail sites (36 percent) and news sites (34 percent).
Retailers may actually be hurting their sales because of an excess of ads on their sites. Americans say that one of the most disappointing things about online shopping are ads that constantly pop up when they are trying to shop (42 percent). Slow retail sites are another headache for shoppers (42 percent).
News sites are not doing themselves any favors either when it comes to their ad experiences for visitors. The two biggest offenders with the most annoying ads: CNN (23 percent) and Fox News (21 percent). Americans are least annoyed by ads on Vanity Fair (12 percent).
“While many websites count on advertising revenue to sustain their business models, it’s important to create advertising that enhances the visitor’s experience of the site,” said Manav Mital, CEO of Instart Logic. “The results of our 2018 study confirm that we’ve reached a tipping point where website visitors understand the importance of online ads but are also savvy enough to understand that sites must do a better job of creating an amazing ad experience.”
Websites that take too long to load—or, even worse, crash—because of excessive ads can lead to negative consequences for online organizations: nearly half of Americans (48 percent) will abandon a site or mobile app if it crashes; more than a third (36 percent) say they will never visit that mobile app or website again; and 1 in 4 (25 percent) will go to a competitor website or mobile app instead.
So, what would be the ideal number of ads that Americans would be happy to see on a page of a website? Forty-four percent of Americans say they would be OK seeing two ads on a page.
About Instart Logic
Instart Logic helps hundreds of leading brands around the world deliver a faster, safer and more profitable online experience through its revolutionary digital experience management platform. Instart Logic’s platform combines machine learning, application and device awareness, and open APIs with a broad suite of integrated and automated capabilities including cloud, web and mobile application performance optimization, image optimization, digital advertising and marketing analytics recovery, web application firewall, DDOS protection, bot management, and a next-generation content delivery network. Using Instart Logic, enterprises can provide ultra-fast, visually immersive and secure experiences on any device to maximize revenue, deliver superior customer experiences, and gain competitive advantage. Learn more at https://www.instartlogic.com or follow us on Twitter at @InstartLogic.
