Carousel Ads
There's a fad happening on website lately. It's a fad that major corporations and advertising firms think is a good idea. But, I'm here to tell you that it's a bad idea. A very, very, bad idea. What am I talking about? They are called “image sliders” or “carousel ads,” and they will hurt your conversion rates. What's a carousel ad? Take a look at the ‘Forever 21' example below.
Carousel Ads: The Devil Defined
I'm sure you've seen these ads on many websites recently. These are the ads that move from frame to frame rapidly or within the span of a few seconds. Often used by clothing companies, the thought behind these ads is that showing more product is a great way to capture user attention. However, this is the opposite of the truth.
Studies have shown that carousel ads actually don't convert to sales. Instead, these ads are entirely distracting. Since the human eye can only view one thing at a time, chances are that your visitors will be looking at that moving ad and not noticing anything else on your site. Yeah, that's not a good thing.
Carousel Ads: Confusing Isn't a Positive State
The other reason why carousel ads aren't a wise idea is that they are simply too confusing. Your readers will be bombarded with so much information that it will be tough to separate all of those details. In a way, you will be blinding your readers with an ad that's too stimulating – not to mention the fact that it's hard to stop these ads in place.
If you are going to put an automatic ad on your site, let site visitors have completely control. How? By adding arrows to the ad, so that visitors can manually switch from slide to slide. I still don't recommend using these ads at all, but manual controls are better than the automatic sort.
Carousel Ads: Think Of An Amusement Park
Let me leave you with this decision maker: think about the way you feel after riding on a carousel for a few minutes. Dizzy, disoriented, confused, and filled with nothing but the sensation of moving, right? Well, these ads aren't called “carousel” ads for nothing.
If you are in advertising and support the use of carousel ads, I'd love to hear from you. Hate them? Let me know why you can't stand these ads too. For those in the process of choosing a cheap hosting provider and setting up a site, I know that the fad of the carousel ad can seem incredibly appealing.
But, these ads will do nothing other than confuse your readers, and that's never a good thing.
