Why People Hate Your PPC Ads

Across all digital ad types, including display and search, the average click-through rate is around one-half of one percent. Let that sink in for a second.

That’s with the best minds in the entire digital marketing industry (highly educated marketers with pointed targeting skills) doing the absolute best they can.

And yet, despite this, ads get so few clicks as a share of the total – and we still pay for this sort of advertising. 

So let’s take a closer look at why this is the case and what it might be that makes consumers hate your ads. 

Banner Blindness: What Is It?

The main problem here is a (surprisingly well-known) phenomenon called “banner blindness.” 

Banner blindness is, well, just what it sounds like. It’s when you actually just don’t see the ads that display on your screen. 

Both heat mapping and digital marketing studies suggest that some consumers simply don’t see the majority of ads that show up on their screen.

And those that do see them; for them it’s not much better. Depending on the source, 60% of more of consumers do not even notice ads. As few as 9% say they don’t actively ignore them. 

Grim figures, both. But why is this happening, and is there anything you can do about it?

Why They’re Ignoring Your PPC Ads 

I can’t realistically cover all of the reasons that consumers are ignoring your ads, but the chances are, if your ad campaign isn’t getting any traction and it is because people are ignoring them, the reason is one that follows. 

They’re Not Relevant

This isn’t so much a problem of the ad copy or visuals as it is of the targeting. 

But imagine wasting all those creative resources to create what is actually effective, eye-catching creative deliverables for a campaign and then have that be entirely wasted simply because your targeting was lacking. 

That happens. An eCommerce PPC company has tools at its disposal to make sure they know who your target audience is, and what they want. 

So really, there’s no good excuse for displaying your ads in the wrong place, at the wrong time, on the wrong device, to the wrong people. 

There are just too many instances of “wrong” in the last sentence. 

And the solution is a greater investment in audience profiling and targeting. That could make a huge difference (probably the biggest) in whether your ads get noticed and generate revenue or not.

The Copy or Visuals (or Both) Are Flat 

The reason your ads are getting ignored – assuming your targeting is on point – could be that the creatives are outright bad. 

There’s something to be sad about eye-catching visuals and copy that’s funny or sarcastic, or just catches your eye in some other way. 

Specifically, that thing to be said is that it’s effective. 

The best-qualified eCommerce PPC management teams will have dedicated writers and visual artists/designers that specialize in creating visuals and copy that is engaging and attractive in some way or other. 

It could funny, informative, daring, scary, or even downright visually vibrant. All of these traits, when applied appropriately, can have a positive effect.

They’re Not Vibrant Enough

It could also be the case that your ads are getting ignored simply because they aren’t bright enough – literally. 

It might seem counterintuitive and almost like bad advice, but it’s becoming increasingly common to use bright colors and sharply contrasting elements within your ad imagery and font choices. 

Even though in some circumstances this might be considered overbearing, if you pay for ads, it’s all wasted if you don’t get a click (and a sale).

And you’re not going to get a click if you don’t get seen. So go bright and go bold. The worst thing that can happen is your ad will get seen and then actively ignored. 

It was likely to get ignored anyway, so you have nothing to lose. 

They’re in the Wrong Place (on the Page, Literally)

One of the things that researchers believe about banner blindness is that it is a condition that we have imposed on ourselves mentally (albeit inadvertently) to protect ourselves against sensory overload. 

Think about it, when you visit a website your senses are literally assaulted from all conceivable angles (and sometimes even through sound) as soon as the page loads. 

So, as a result, we’ve passively grown accustomed to the practice of ignoring whatever it is that we aren’t on the page for.

What this boils down to is this: sidebar ads and banner ads typically don’t even make a conscious impression on most viewers. 

Now, there is a solution to this (at least until it becomes common practice, in which the condition of banner blindness will adapt) and it is to place the ads elsewhere on the page that viewers might still notice. 

As stated, banners and sidebars on the right are out. But, according to Neil Patel, at least, placing ads at the very top or in the middle of the page, between content sections, may get them some more attention. 

This may only be because these placements are not yet common practice, but there may be some merit to the observation.

There’s No CTA

You can’t be surprised if your viewers don’t act if you haven’t made it clear what you expect them to do, right? 

Whether it’s a call for political reform or just a humble plea for them to buy your products, you have to guide them somehow. 

Urgency plays are great for this, as are appeals to emotion. They may be logically untenable, but they can be highly effective when it comes to digital marketing. 

The other thing you should remember is that your CTA buttons or banners, where integrated with your ads, should also be bold and eye-catching, contrasting with the rest of the elements of the ad.

The Ads Seem Disingenuous or Preachy 

For years, companies have been belaboring their missions and visions for the world. For some consumers, this no doubt curries favor, builds appeal, and generates credibility. 

But for others, it has the opposite effect. One term that describes this is “woke-washing,” which refers to the practice of preaching but not delivering on those purported values. 

In other words, if you’re going to spout values, you need to provide substantial proof of a change or contribution you’ve made to that cause, if any. Don’t just change your company’s logo at some point during the year because you think it’s “appropriate.”

Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. You’re a business, and your goal is to sell your products. If you don’t sell, you don’t get paid and everything grinds to a halt.

Your main value proposition should be the value your company actually provides. Everything else comes next. 

Working with an eCommerce PPC Company to Turn It Around 

Sometimes, making a change to the creative components of your ads, your targeting, their display location on a page, or just bidding, can make a substantial impact on overall campaign performance. 

And it all comes down to whether or not your ads fell prey to banner blindness in the first place, at least most of the time. 

For many online businesses, the solution to these problems comes from working with an eCommerce PPC management company that is familiar with the bigger picture of paid search marketing. 

Our specialists, for instance, have been dealing with banner blindness and targeting concerns for years. There is a good reason that we, like other digital marketing professionals, are good at this: we do it for a living. 

For myself, I’m more on the organic marketing side of things, but I also collaborate closely with our PPC specialists and have heard more than an earful about some of the concerns I’ve written about in this article. 

So, if you, like me, know that your ads could be performing better, get in touch with us today and start with a free PPC audit for your online store.