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Clutter is killing digital media

Consumers spend twice as long with ads on clean, uncluttered web pages which feature ads from just one brand, according to new research from Say Media and IPG Media.

The research found that clean websites also deliver higher ad recall, improved brand metrics and created a more positive impact on advertiser perception compared with cluttered, multi-ad environments. Sites with an uncluttered ad layout are perceived as more useful and trusted.

According to Comscore, the average time spent on a web page is steadily decreasing, with users spending an average 40 seconds on a single page.

Based on eye-tracking data, the study found that 100% of respondents viewed the ads on clean pages versus 76% on cluttered, multi-advertiser pages. Eighty-nine percent viewed ads on sites with multiple ads from the same advertisers.

Consumers spent 6.4 seconds viewing ads in a clean environment and 3.2 seconds on cluttered pages. Those who believed the site was uncluttered spent more than 13 seconds viewing the ad, four times more than time spent in a cluttered environment.

“Clutter is killing digital media,” says Say Media president Troy Young. “Publishers keep adding more and more ads, because yield is becoming so low, and ads aren’t in view long enough to really drive results.  This leads to incredibly cluttered web pages. Our research shows that eliminating clutter with clean layouts and premium ad environments creates sites that work better for brands and offer a better experience for the consumer.”

Jenni Baker, London