Online Readers Don't Notice Ads ‘Below the Fold’
The percentage of readers who notice online ads drops dramatically when the ad is placed “below the fold” where readers have to scroll down on the page, according to a recent study by MarketingSherpa .
Ads placed on the first visible screen are seen by 100 percent of viewers, but about 60 percent of those viewers notice the ads.
However, ads that appear below the online fold are visible to roughly 70 percent of viewers, since many viewers do not scroll down on the page, and only about 25 percent of viewers actually notice the ads. The ratios continue to fall as the ad units move from center placements to columns and spots on the far left side of the page.
Think carefully when placing ads you want your site visitors to click on.