Who clicks on website ads?

[GunRunner]

I don't know if this is the appropriate place to ask this question but I am curious about something. How many of you actually click on ads like AdSense ads when you visit a website? I am talking about legitimate clicks, not talking about clicking on a friends Ads to increase his or her traffic, which is a no-no anyway. I know I never do and I don't know many others that do.

[brandrocker]

Not me really unless the Ad offers something for FREE or something that I really need. I usually prefer to visit advertisers' site by typing the url.

[AlwaysLookin]

I would agree that I do not click on the ad unless it has something for free.

[Dinghus]

Uh huh. You don't click. You don't even look. Uh huh. I believe you. Never. Not once in your entire life have you clicked on an ad. ROFLMBO

What liars we have here.

But let's get down to brass tacks. Why wouldn't you click on an ad? Is it your private little moral outrage at advertising?

Advertising has been around for a VERY long time. If there was no advertising how would you find out about a lot of things? Like probably even this website.

Advertising is NOT a bad thing and I know everyone has at one time or another utilized advertising in making a decision.

Most of us tend to tune out advertising nowdays which is why a good advertisement is one that grabs your attention. If you ever want to learn about the psychology behind advertising you could check out The Psychology of Advertising

Of course if you are that fanatical about NOT having advertisements, then you will never advertise nor allow advertising on your sites I'm sure.

Like that link you have to your blog. Dang those advertisements.

[GunRunner]

I guess I can say that I don't. I can't say that I never have. I am sure that at some time, on some site, some where I may have clicked an ad or 2 in the past but for the most part, I don't click on them.

As far as being a moral outrage against advertising - that might be kind of difficult since I am IN the Ad Game.

Ha ha ha...I was just curious as to how many people click on ads. Maybe I should have put some qualifiers in that question.

[ScottR]

I rarely click ads. Sometimes if they are very interesting and appear on a page that I trust.

However, my wife clicks ads all the time. Not so much on web sites, but in the search results. She doesn't even really look at the results, she just clicks the top "Sponsored Result" 99% of the time.

[Seminole386]

Can't say I never have but the web it an equalizer. When someone pays for a click I think of them as the big boys taking over. If we in the SEO crowd support adsense who needs us?

[tomcatuk]

I click them when they have a real "pull" - an implication that I'm really going to get something (be it information or a product) that's simply irresistable but I'd have to say it's rare an advertiser comes up with something that I find tempting. Too much time spent online and a certain cynicism starts to creep in doesn't it?

My kids, my wife, my parents are all absolute ad clicking nightmares. None of them are able to differentiate between an organic result and a paid for ad. I had a customer call the other day and when I asked where he'd found us, he said we were No1 on Google. I seriously doubted that and went to have a looksie - sure enough, Adwords had us on the page. The customer didn't know the difference - he congratulated me on getting my site to the top of Google.

[jrb@w3f.com]

Who clicks on ads? Thats an easy one.
I do sometimes, as does everyone else.
I believe the reasons are simple.

We click on ads if they seem to go in a direction we want more information about.

We click on ads that are related to the page we are on, when we are bored, or
dissatisfied with the site we are looking at. The alternative is to go back from
whence we came to find a link to persue our path. Clicking on an ad, may be
easier than that, if we feel it is of interest.

Some click for bogus reasons, but they are few. IMHO.

-John

[GunRunner]

Originally Posted by tomcatuk

My kids, my wife, my parents are all absolute ad clicking nightmares. None of them are able to differentiate between an organic result and a paid for ad. I had a customer call the other day and when I asked where he'd found us, he said we were No1 on Google. I seriously doubted that and went to have a looksie - sure enough, Adwords had us on the page. The customer didn't know the difference - he congratulated me on getting my site to the top of Google.

You know, I completely forgot about that segement. Most of the time I just assume that everyone knows the difference between organic and sponsored search results. I always look at the organic before going to the paid ads. I DO click on those ads when I can't find what I am looking for in the normal SER. I guess when I formed this thread, I was interested in the ads as they appear on websites. This brings up a whold new question.

[GunRunner]

By the way, great website John. Products made in the USA. Is that yours?

[Peter (IMC)]

Like the average user who doesn't care (or even realize) whether or not a link is an ad or not, I click only if the link seems to have what I'm looking for. Most of the time I'm working in sites or doing research so that hardly calls for any ad clicking.

[tomcatuk]

Another thought just struck (my mind moves like an iceberg sometimes....). I'm sometimes guilty of clicking ads on Google pages, or at least typing the URL from the ads as I want to see who wants to be top for certain keywords. New sites with fresh ideas don't often get page one right away, so sponsored results give you an early look at the competition as it's how they get on that first page of results right away.

[Orion]

sometimes, though mostly it's a slip of the mouse lol..

every now and then there's something that catches my eye and I'll click on it though it's pretty rare. Given the time I spend online, and the number of page views I make I'd say it's probably somewhere down to about 1 ad click per 100,000 views. (something rediculous like that anyway).

[kevan]

All,
I was on sourceforge.net, and surprisingly clicked on one of their adsense links, and got a really good deal. I occasionally look at the links on my own site, as some are quite useful, not to benefit from the 'pay per click' which I find absolutely appalling, anyway.
Some of the affiliate programs appear to perform better, if you get the right mix. Adsense does not work for me, although it certainly covers site costs. I also like the google local search engine, which is more a convenience tool, than a revenue earner. I also use Freefind as a local search facility, but find the google results generally better. Just as an aside.
Best
Kevan

[jomariet]

My time on the internet is usually pretty focused so I don't often click on banner type ads. Everyonce in a while I'll see one placed just right with just the right appeal and give myself a couple minutes to follow where it leads.

I will use the adSense ads if they seem more relevent to my search than the organic listings.

I do however enjoy, once in a while, going to the paypal shops pages and looking around for fun. It's not exactly clicking on an ad but pretty close in concept.

JM

[craigmn3]

The only time I click on ads is when the natural results are filled with sites that are nothing but adsense pirahanna's you know...the sites that are optimized for keywords but offers nothing for someone who is looking for real information. The rats who live off of adsense click offs ...really click me off. I refuse to click on their ads, I'll back off and click on a google ad, in that case. Because if they are paying to be listed hopefully they will have genuine content.

[tomcatuk]

Craig, I totally agree - when I see an MFA site the absolute last thing I do is click on their Adsense and therefore justify their worthless website.

[stevenl]

I can say for sure Maybe one time. I have a site and I would not pay for adds for that reason.

[xoandre]

I can sincerely and honestly state that I have not seen very many ads since I started using the AdBlock Plus ADD-ON to Firefox. It is the most critical add on that anyone and everyone should have because you can set up your own filters for images, flashes, ads, and urls.

Of course, IE seems not to have this addon yet or anything that comes even remotely close to it....

Ialmost never click on ads, if I happen to see them, unless it is a right-click to Adblock an image or scripted Ad.

Speaking of scripts, I also have the Add-on NoScript, which works well with AdBlock Plus in killing all the garbage out there that bogs down my browsing. And with the way I browse (average of fifteen TABS open almost all the time) that makes my DSL look like a T1...

No, Iam not a developer or employee of either company/group that makes either of these Add-ons.... Just a very pleased user of both...

--xoandre

www.xoandre.com

[dgm2006]

I personally don't click on ad words, but that's just me. In the scheme of things we on this forum respectfully represent just a tiny portion of opinion considering the scale of the web users around the world. Also, many of us strive to get web sites to the top of the organic search results through meticulous optimisation thus some here may not favour PPC ads.
Some of my clients use PPC campaigns and have increased traffic to their web sites which is a good thing in terms of the search engines. How much of those clicks convert to business I don't know. PPC has its place within the holistic approach to optimisation and marketing IMHO - its value is in the eye of the subscriber.

Best wishes.

David Mears

[tomcatuk]

Originally Posted by xoandre

I can sincerely and honestly state that I have not seen very many ads since I started using the AdBlock Plus ADD-ON to Firefox.[/url]

Er, your site has ADs on it - isn't that a little of pot calling kettle black? I used to use an ad blocker, but with it switched on pages don't appear the way the designer intended them to look and I'm quite often interested to see the way the designer has implemented his ADs.

[bobchrist]

Most of the time I clicked by mistake. -)

[apibayly]

Hi,

I generally find ads annoying but webmasters have to monetize sites. Sometimes, I have the feeling that only major search engines really benefit from ads. Of course, a certain level of publicity is a good thing, but current levels of advertizing are counter productive.

I click on ads when I need specific things such as hosting companies - I only do this every six months on average.

Have a good day!

[ctabuk]

Originally Posted by GunRunner

I guess I can say that I don't. I can't say that I never have. I am sure that at some time, on some site, some where I may have clicked an ad or 2 in the past but for the most part, I don't click on them.

As far as being a moral outrage against advertising - that might be kind of difficult since I am IN the Ad Game.

Ha ha ha...I was just curious as to how many people click on ads. Maybe I should have put some qualifiers in that question.

Using a forum for market research is an extremely bright idea

Clicking on ads - I think that we have all done it at one time or other. Back in the days when I did advertise - I know my competitors clicked on my ads -so I clicked on theirs - All's fair in love and war.

[apibayly]

Hi,

I seem to remember that someone might have said "Thou shalt not live on ads alone..." Of course I dislike being spammed on my blogs but then again I love people clicking on my own ads.

I fell that all webmasters are in the ad game because they want people to visit their sites...

If you want people to click on ads then you must have good content...there is the rub!

[qh4dotcom]

Those ads have to really grab my attention for me to click on them. Most of the time if I see that a webpage has Adsense ads I leave very quickly.

[GunRunner]

Originally Posted by ctabuk

Using a forum for market research is an extremely bright idea

Darn - discovered. I guess that is going to contaminate my next set of demographic questions.

[ireneherz]

it's not whether I click on ads, it's whether others do. I have several web design clilents who think it's worth spending hundreds or thousands a month for Google ads. I have a website that brings in a small amount of $. It used to be more, but I've taken the google ads off the home page.

[chrisJumbo]

I rarely click on ads. I think you will find that those in the SEO/SEM realm are less likely to because they know how much effort it takes to obtain good natural rankings.

Usually, if there is an ad that interests me, I just type in the web address. We tried PPC and can appreciate the amount of click fraud that goes on, and giving some of these people a break gives me a warm fuzzy.

Our site was ad free for the longest time, but found that many people finding our site didn't want our service, they just wanted free information. We placed Adsense on the site and many of those people appreciate the ads and click them.

[dann]

Originally Posted by xoandre

I can sincerely and honestly state that I have not seen very many ads since I started using the AdBlock Plus ADD-ON to Firefox.

Ditto, it has made a world of difference in my satisfaction with many websites that otherwise would have flash ads that took forever to load. Yahoo! users know what I mean. A couple important ones to include in your filters in no particular order are.

http://*.googlesyndication.com/* For obvious reasons, all that white space is so comforting.

These last ones showed up in my firewall log fetching my now blocked Google cookie. I don't mind someone having google analytics on their website, but this I found quite disturbing.
http://www.google.com/url?
http://www.google-analytics.com/*

I still have a throw away browser(Opera) to access my Gmail account though.

[xoandre]

Originally Posted by tomcatuk

Er, your site has ADs on it - isn't that a little of pot calling kettle black? I used to use an ad blocker, but with it switched on pages don't appear the way the designer intended them to look and I'm quite often interested to see the way the designer has implemented his ADs.

Yes,my site has ads... that's because of my host: Yahoo Geocities...

Iam currently working on a new version ofmy homepage that will be hosted on an ad-free server/host...

[TrafficProducer]

Some argue that every single link on any website is an advert.

Even non-PPC, affiliated links.

After all it's mainly about click on this link, I want you to read what I'm saying.... I want you to accept my message.

Maybe even hopefully I want you to beleive what I'm saying.

The arguement says why have a website if you don't want people to click on links, and what I'll tring to sell is my message or idea.

If this is the case then we all click on adverts all the time.

In this post I guess I means paid ads' and this makes this post GREAT, because it gives us some stats:-

About Two Thirds click on Paid ads and One Third don't.

I think this is quite high,

[GunRunner]

Originally Posted by TrafficProducer

Some argue that every single link on any website is an advert.

Even non-PPC, affiliated links.

After all it's mainly about click on this link, I want you to read what I'm saying.... I want you to accept my message.

I guess I had never thought about it in that way but your exactly right. The fact that my blog's address is in my signature is an advertisement.

Wow, very insightful post TrafficProducer!

[ctabuk]

I don't wish to sound 'aloof' that really is not my scene -I'm into SEM (Search Engine Marketing) but I do not advertise. My sites bring in vast amounts of lending - which in turn generate lots of cash. But I have been doing this for years. And because my sites are 'old fashioned' they appeal to the UK searcher. And on Mortgages I have over 800 search terms that find me on page one or two on every single SE.
That's not because I'm smart or clever, I simply joined WPW years ago and read threads - contributed and 'Learnt'.

When I did do PPC I made my ads stand out -things like
'What my Competitors Do NOT want you to read!!'

The whole idea of marketing a website relates finally to what is 'On the Site'

How many clicks it gets that bring in a few pennies - is frankly - bugger all to do with the intended End Result.

If your site is cluttered with pop up ads and flash ads -you will drive away more sales.

The site has to be 'user fiendly' - It's no good spending money on advertising a site if ultimately all it does is generate 'pocket money'.

You have to be two things 'Market Savvy' and 'Competitive'.

Think Searcher - it's called a 'web' because it is designed to trap searchers. Then you the spider devour the prey - you make money from the searcher.

THINK SEARCHER

[teksty32]

fast answer:
if it's FREE or something that I really need

[mjtaylor]

I click on the ads when they seem to offer what I am looking for - though I tend to ignore them until I have exhausted the free results on the first page of results. In the early days of PPC I tended to be very considerate and type in the URL, but laziness has overtaken that inclination!

Cheers, MJ

[computergenius]

I click on ads as a way of saying thank you to the person who created the site...

[Traffic Master]

I click on Ads sometimes, especially if it's something I'm interested in or if it's a free stuff on offer.

[Martinscholes]

I do. For the same reason I might visit a shop that has an advert in a newspaper.

If the retailer (online or on the street) has something for sale that I am interested in.

[Ren]

Interesting thread I must say.

I do click an ad if it contains relevant information to my current or future wants & needs.

Thats what advertising is all about; being able to send a clear and concise message without being too overwhelming.