Banner positioning in the masthead area of online newspapers: an eye tracking study

Abstract

In this article we present an eye tracking investigation aimed at inspecting the eye behaviour of users while looking at the home page of online newspapers containing ad banners, especially during the first seconds of exposure. In particular, we consider different positions and combinations for banners placed in the masthead region of the page, to verify whether there are solutions that are better than others in catching the early attention of the user. The study involved 50 testers and was carried out on simulated newspaper home pages using a remote eye tracker. Although differences in testers' behaviours were not always statistically significant, some interesting divergences could however be identified, which can be the starting point for more focused studies on the subject.