From BRASS TACKS DESIGN, September 2004 What should we make of Eyetrack III? Online newspapers still need next-generation strategies for news and advertising By Alan Jacobson Poynter just released a very in-depth and sophisticated research project about use of news sites. Under these circumstances, I’m reluctant to be critical but I just can’t help myself. I’m quite passionate about the presentation of online content – even when it gets me in trouble. So consider this screed as constructive criticism from someone who really cares about newspapers (both in print and online) and has a stake in their success. I think Poynter did a great job in making their mock pages representative of what’s out there – warts and all. But for me, the warts are so glaring that they undermine the real value of what I believe Poynter was trying to do – pursue the noble mission of helping online newspaper sites get better. They tested typical designs, but they did not consider alternatives. I believe fundamentally different designs could produce fundamentally different results that might be more valuable to content producers. For instance: Design: I maintain that almost all online sites are poorly designed. I wonder how eye movement would differ – if at all – in a well designed page, where each piece of content seemed to be in it’s rightful place? Hierarchy: Most online sites run a string of same-sized headlines. Not only is this less appealing visually, but it eliminates the visual cue – size – that editors typically use to signal importance. What would happen if news sites looked more like a newspaper front page, with headline size indicating news value? Photos: Photos continue to be used poorly at news websites. How would eye movement be different if photos were given their due? Advertising: The size, shape and placement of the ads on the mock pages are particularly unpleasing – just like those at most online sites. This “distracter factor” should be accounted for. It seems like banner ads are going away, yet some of the mock pages I saw are dominated by one. On the other hand, I can imagine an advertising strategy where NO ads appeared on the homepage. Now that could really change the way people look at pages! (A more detailed discussion of advertising strategies appears below.) Scrolling: I’m trying to build all my pages with NO scrolling. Believe me – it can be done. Two sites I launched recently eliminated scrolling. We did usability studies and compared scrolling and non-scrolling pages head to head. Preference for non-scrolling was almost unanimous. This is the model followed by major online retailers (Eddie Bauer, JC Penney, Gap, etc.) When are newspapers going to catch on? Content: The tests assume that all content is equal. But that is rarely the case. I’m confident that eye movement and click through varies somewhat based on the content of the story. I don’t know how you measure that, but it should not be ignored. For instance, I suspect the sex story I saw gets more attention than a returning vet blood drive story. Writing: I agree that blurbs should be well written. Headlines should be, too. I wonder if eye movement – particularly to blurbs – would be different if they were better written. If they really wanted to test their finding that blurbs reduce traffic, they’d have to see how much verve can be added to these blurbs before they sentence them to an early grave. The sex offenders headline I saw promises a lot, but the blurb beneath it doesn’t deliver. Could that be the reason folks don’t read blurbs? Cutlines are another form of blubs. Take a look at the cutline under the female athletes I saw – it doesn’t even identify them. Why would someone read that text? News judgment: News judgment is totally subjective, but it can’t help but play a part in the test results. For instance, the scrabble boy story I saw might get wider readership than the troops cannot donate blood story. How many returned troops could there be in any given market? I bet there are more people who play scrabble. Could different news judgment produce different eye movements? Classifieds: Most newspaper web sites make most of their money (30-90%) from classifieds. The classified franchise – both in print and online – is at risk, yet newspapers aren’t doing much to protect themselves. For starters, classifieds must get prominent play on every page. I didn’t see links to classifieds (or at least prominent ones) on the mock homepages, so in that sense, they aren’t realistic. This story ran in E&P recently: TV Stations Gain Ground in Classifieds: TV stations are winning a growing share of the annual $16 billion U.S. daily newspaper classified ad market, according to a new report from Classified Intelligence, a consultancy based in Altamonte Springs, Fla. More on advertising strategies The study was correct to point out that the environment in which the ad is seen may have some impact on whether it is looked at. I believe that visually attractive ads surrounded by a passive sea of text are more likely to be processed. But most online web sites are often chaotic, with the ads just adding to the chaos. The test pages reflect the current “state of the art” which in my opinion does not provide the best environment for advertising or news content. I’d like to see the results of ads tested on next-generation web pages, which I believe will be designed to be less cluttered than the pages of today. All this suggests a completely different strategy for online advertising – get it off the homepage. I believe ads would be more effective if they are placed on interior pages for two reasons: First, ads on text-heavy interior pages will become the visual focus of page. Second, interior pages have fewer graphic elements to compete with the text. I’m sure ad directors will balk at this strategy. They’ve worked for years just to get what little online advertising they’ve been able to sell. Because advertisers have been reluctant to place ads online, ad sales reps have offered up the homepage for advertising. Ironically, this strategy may actually reduce the effectiveness of advertising. If this isn’t reason enough to rethink the online advertising strategy, consider this: No newspaper scatters graphically intense advertising above the fold on the front page. The big color ads run inside. Granted, print isn’t online. But no news source – TV, radio, newspapers or magazines – “leads” with advertising. Ironically, online sites have been slow to embrace one of the mediums inherent advantages – targeting ads based on their relationship to content or user profile. Ads should not be served up willy-nilly. Instead, the content of the ad should reflect some relationship to the adjacent editorial content. This makes advertising better for web users and advertisers. Users are spared advertising messages that are not appropriate for their interest while being offered a higher percentage of ads that are meaningful to them. Advertisers paying by the impression get a lower cost and a greater likelihood of reaching the right people with their message.