We tell how it is impossible to place advertisements, how best not to place advertisements, and which advertising formats should be avoided on the site to increase user satisfaction and loyalty ”

Advertising worsens the user experience - this is an indisputable fact. Users hate being interrupted by ads on the site or in the app. A recent NNGroup study involving 300 users has identified criteria that can improve user perception of advertising and increase its effectiveness.

3 criteria for successful advertising for users

The most annoying factor for the user is uncontrolled or difficult to control advertising - these are banners and videos, which disconnect require additional efforts from the user. So, banners can hide the coveted “close” button in the design, they can chase the user around the screen (the user needs to catch the banner and drag it to a specific area of the screen). Promotional videos typically offer a close button after a certain viewing time.

The ability to control advertising is one of the basic requirements of users. Aggressive types of advertising, interrupting the user experience, distracting from the primary task and forcing the user to perform an action against his will, were considered the most annoying.

Comments of the study participants:

The best advertisement is one that you can close and no longer see while you are studying the page of the site.

I like ads that don't overlap content. I can look at the banner and decide if I want to click or not. Annoying when I have no choice.

I really do not like the advertisement that obliges me to watch ...

Users are annoyed by ads that block the main content. This is an advertisement at the beginning of the video that cannot be missed, full-screen modal windows that cannot be closed before the specified time has elapsed, an advertisement displayed over the main content and slowing down the loading of the site.

User comments:

I'm annoyed by any ad that slows down the site.

I have a normal attitude to advertising before the video, if it is short, and it is possible to turn it off after a certain number of seconds.

I’m annoyed by ads that cannot be turned off before the set time has elapsed. 

Advertising in the main content is distracting, contributes to random clicks (especially from mobile devices), drops content below the page. On the other hand, advertising placed outside the main content, even above the fold line, does not impair the user experience and does not interfere with direct interaction with the content. Traditionally placed advertising causes users more trust than advertising running in the content.

User comments:

I hate aggressive ads. The advertising banner should be the same as in the print edition. It should not blink, force the user to action and should not be located in the article itself. On the side or under the main content - optimal placement.

I am more impressed with the sponsored links located in the side blocks and at the end of the article. I can’t explain why, but the likelihood that I will click on such a link is much higher than when the advertisement is located anywhere on the page.

If advertising is destined to be, then so be it. I am calm about static advertising in the right block. Advertising posts in the Facebook news feed also do not interfere if they are not repeated too often.