On Mobile, Bold Graphic Blocks Can Look Like Ads
Eye-tracking research on mobile found two things that seem to conflict. Large inline ads did catch people’s gaze as they swiped through a page. But large, contrasting images or graphics that were real content could be mistaken for ads and scrolled past (Nielsen Norman Group, 2018). On a phone, a bold graphic block can lose attention because it looks like advertising.
What the research observed
Banner blindness is the habit of ignoring anything that looks like an ad. Nielsen Norman Group documented it in 1997, 2007, and 2018. Users skip content based on ad-like position, ad-like styling such as boxes, colored backgrounds, fancy formatting, or text inside images, and closeness to actual ads (Nielsen Norman Group, 2018).
On mobile, the page is one narrow column and people move through it fast. A large block with strong contrast that breaks from the surrounding text can register as an interruption, the way an inline ad would. Users have learned to swipe past interruptions.
What it means for a business website
Small business sites often call out their most important content with the most visual weight: a full-width colored panel for a special offer, a graphic with your service list baked into the image, a boxed promo for a free consultation. On a desktop screen these may get noticed. On a phone they can read as ads and get skipped, which is the opposite of what you intended.
The content you most want people to see is the content you should least disguise as advertising.
What to do
- Review your site on a phone and flag any large boxed, high-contrast block that carries real content.
- Move offers and key information into regular headings and paragraphs in the main column.
- Take text out of images and set it as real text on the page.
- Keep any actual ads or partner promotions visually separate from your own content.
Sources
- Pernice. Banner Blindness Revisited: Users Dodge Ads on Mobile and Desktop. Nielsen Norman Group, 2018.