Banner Blindness

Banner Blindness describes a phenomenon where internet users advertisement banners and ads on websites deliberately or unconsciously ignore them. Despite the presence of advertising, many users do not notice these or consciously avoid clicking on them – especially when the ads are perceived as annoying, irrelevant, or overly prominent.

This behavior poses a challenge for online marketers, as even well-designed banners often receive little attention and thus fail to achieve their impact. Over time, users have learned to recognize banners as advertising and automatically filter them out to better focus on the actual content.

An example: A user visits a news site and quickly scrolls past several advertising banners without paying attention to them. Instead, they concentrate on the article text and consciously or unconsciously ignore the advertising spaces.

To counteract banner blindness, advertisers increasingly use native ads, interactive formats, or personalized content that better fits the context and is more relevant to the user. Placement of the ads, appealing design, and targeted targeting can also increase attention.

Understanding banner blindness is essential to increase the effectiveness of online advertising. Companies should therefore choose ad formats that are not only visible but also provide real added value and respect the user experience.