There is always this push to make the surfbar timer faster and faster. But then there is also always the comment that results will deminish if it's lower. I've often thought about both, but without hard facts it's difficult to know. So, I tested it.
I tracked the page that I'm advertising in Tezak Traffic Power. I sent 1000 hits to it, and tracked the results. Above you can see the amount of time it took before the viewer took action. The majority were in the 30 to 60 second range, despite the 8 second timer. This proves that users will stay on your page longer, and take action, if you get their attention.
I also did some more heatmap testing, to see where people are clicking on the page. As you can see above *no* clicks were made on the video that auto plays. This means nobody tried to turn it off. In the past there was a small amount, but this test there wasn't even one.
I'm not sure if this means people are getting used to video, or if they are surfing with videos disabled, or what. But in the end it doesn't matter too much as you can see people are still subscribing to my blog. The key here is to put text in addition to the video, so if it is disabled they'll still know what you are advertising.
{ 22 comments }
I find autoplay sound or video very annoying. As to timer length, I think 10 seconds is about right. Lower timers tend to encourage click addicts, that is, those who sit and merely watch the timer for the next click, never viewing the page. I know this can happen with any timer length, but a lower one makes it a lot easier.
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ’0 which is not a hashcash value.
There are some sites that have a 6 second or 8 second timer, but what does that do? Isn’t the whole point of putting a website on a traffic exchange is to try and get exposure? I have caught myself just trying to zoom right along to build up points only to think, my website is on here and are people really looking or just moving right along to the next one for more points. But, like you said, if it is getting their attention then the timer just might be irrelevant.
Hey Tim,
I don’t think the timer really matters. If people are interested in what your website offers they will stay on no matter what.
What is the point of someone (who doesn’t care about your site) staying on for 30 second or 10 seconds. If they like it they will stay for as long as it will hold their attention.
Also that heat tracking thing is nice. I’d like to do that test on a few of my lead pages. Could you write a post of how to do it or point me in the direction that might explain it.
Thanks,
Chris
Thanks Tim for another fantastic and informative blog entry! As a busy surfer, the only videos I tend to skip are the ones I see over and over and over again. Thanks, Stephen Whittle
Thanks Tim for another informative blog entry! When I surf, the only videos that I skip over are the ones I see over and over and over again. Watch out for over saturation video posters! Thanks, Stephen Whittle
Very true.
Hi Tim,
I really enjoy your blog and TE but do not chime in much. I was wondering if your test results might also be skewed by folks who are tabbed browsing 7 or 8 TE’s?
Just a thought…
Mark
Mark Shragos lastest blog post..The Other Rule of Seven
I don’t really get what the timer that you’re talking about is, but I’m amazed that no one turned off the video.
I just joined StartXchange yesterday, and I didn’t turn it off. That’s really cool!
Dear Tim,
Your test was very informative. One question though. Did you take into account the use of tabs in browsing?
Thanks
warren
Well I think that is irrelevant as well. If the timer was 20 seconds and it took them 30 seconds before they clicked, they still would be at the site and clicked.
I find that the visible timer actually distracts the surfer from actually looking at the ad, and shorts the advertiser a good view. Too many surfers just trying to match the timer. We need to provide a greater incentive to the surfer to click on the ad. Maybe the advertisers would be willing to give the surfer credits for clicking ie- debit/credit system. Might actually be a profitable approach….
That’s possible, but in the end it might decrease your profit. If you have to pay someone to do what you want them to do, then they are going to stop doing it when you stop paying them.
I guess it depends on what you are doing though. If you get paid $100 for an action, and you tell them you’ll give them $1 for it, then thats $99. But chances are it won’t be that way =P
No Tim, I meant the advertising user would exchange credits to the subscribing user. The TE would then just become the credit exchange. The advertiser would be encouraged to purchase more credits where the subscriber would be rewarded not just for viewing, but also for subscribing.
The advertiser gets his list and the user gets rewarded. I suppose the TE could also use conversion pixels to effect a cpa type reward. Super Rewards is doing this in the social site arenas.
I’m going to give it a shot in one of the next dev cycles.
personally the timer makes no differance to me, if i like the look of something, i investigate it, simple as.
As usual, people think the timer means people will look at your site for that many seconds. They can never get it in their thick skulls that people DON’T do that! If they like it, they look. If they don’t, they don’t look! Heck we would all have 5 minute timers! What’s cool about this post Tim, is that is justifies what I have been saying. The length of timer is virtually irrelevant. And tabbed surfing has really been the end-all. This is one of the best posts you’ve done! I liked seeing some stats on TTP!
stephen cs lastest blog post..Top Colleges and Universities for graduate salaries
I don’t think timers matter. I know some exchanges have long times so that sites have time to load. The way I see it, if your site takes more than a few seconds to load, you have way too much on it. Simple sites will get my attention better than complex sites. If a site grabs my attention, I will stay on that site longer.
Another thing:
If an exchange has a long timer and most of the sites shown are ones I am already a member of, then my time is just wasted. For example, I don’t want to spend 20 or 30 seconds looking at a StartXchange splash page when I’m already a member.
Michelle Schneiders lastest blog post..The Ultimate Traffic Exchange has Arrived!
Loved the Tezak video Tim! Keep pumping those weights =P, I really think it’s your best work. The reason nobody turned the video off, is because it was fun to watch, different, and wasn’t saying “HEY EVERYONE GET RICH HERE!!”
Good Job Again. Oh and if you need some help in the gym, just give me a call.
Phil ( philsfault ) Ames
As most surfers, I believe, I use tabbed browsing. This does not mean that I do not look at the ads. I do and if I like it I open the site in a new tab or bookmark it. Thus the timer is not so important.
As to video and sound. I do not have a sound card and I do not miss it.
No surprises here. The pages you see over and over mostly affiliate pages do not grab your attention and get clicked as soon as the timer is up. Fresh new splash pages usually if done right will make you stop surfing and read the content. That’s why it is important to have regular new splash pages made and why the traffic exchanges that still use their original outdated splash pages never get clicked.
I have always believed in putting up new banners and splash pages at least every other month and I use Black Hat Graphics to do this for me and to make separate new splashes for any new promotion I have going on.
Good Test Tim!
The sad part is that most of the websites are not made for promoting on traffic exchanges. Most use videoes,framebreakers all the bad things surfers hates so what we have left is mostly splashpages and leadcapturepages.
Also there are so many great tools for surfers now so they can make the surfing go much faster and easier.
Maybe most sites does not see traffic exchanges as a good advertising resource? Just wish they could make at leaste one site that could be promoted on traffic exchanges so we could see more sites.
Maybe those sites need to learn the secrets about splashpages-)
Kjell Skogsoy
Very interesting blog as usual Tim, and it throws up a lot of questions and comments as previous contributors have noted. First one was of course the not so obvious results you got from monitoring, and in turn that begged the question again about the confusion when multi-tabbing, as more than one site starts with auto video content.
Second thing is that particularly because of the over-selling of Splash Pages it can become quite boring while surfing and seeing the same page on various sites, not to mention that some are so poor that there’s nothing to look at apart from the spaces for name and email address.
I think the original idea still hold true, namely that if you’re interested you will stop to read or mark the page to come back and read after surfing. Bottom line here has to be this….who do you or any other owner really want to attract? Newbies or those of us who have been here for awhile?
Sorry to be a bit verbose, but you did ask for feedback.
Peace and love
Syd Burke
Hey Tim
Just so you know I find your blog very informative.
I am one of the ones that skip ALL videos. I find them very annoying and always slow to load. PDF or text is much quicker and straighter to the point. The impression I get from videos is that they take forever to get to the point. Just give me the straightforward facts. This may upset some people(sorry) but the people on videos yap too much and I dont have that kind of time available.
Comments on this entry are closed.