Rotating banners - yay or nay?

[BrightIdeas]

What do you think of rotating banners (carousels) - say, with 3-5 offers/messages? (Containing image and text).

Do you like them?

Or, do you think a static banner works best (for conversions, ultimately)?

 

[zigojacko]

Pointless. Taking up valuable space unless they convey a very particular message that a) works and b) is useful. Take note with further reading.

 

[groovyjon]

I've recently come to the same conclusion about carousels. Personally, I think if you have several products/offers you want to showcase and putting all of them on a home page would be too cluttered, then it might be better to display a random one on each load of the page. Then, each visitor gets to see a random graphic. And when they revisit (assuming they pick up a different random image) it looks like the page has been updated with fresh content which is never a bad thing.

 

[finleydesign]

Depends on how they come across, I think it has to be the right message or to maybe display good marketing messages, but sometimes people can stuff to many in there

Also a lot of companies think that a web user will sit there and watch them all, which is never the case

 

[Raging Bull]

You may think that they're a good idea and you can get some basic info across that you want people to see but in reality virtually nobody gets past the 1st one.

I've recently changed mine from 4 to 1 static image

 

[BustersDogs]

They are annoying! You read something you like and want to click on, then suddenly it's gone! You've either got to wait for the next one or keep clicking to get it back. Just organise the website better.

Total turn off!

 

[fisicx]

Don't use them. May look pretty but are in 99% of all cases are totally ineffective.

About the only time I've seen one work is for a slideshow of artwork. And even then it was on an inner page.

 

[ProjectOcto]

Personally is like to see some stats to back up these opinions.

First of all banners can be made to pause when you hover over them. The idea that a web user "never" stops to look at then is ridiculous, as proved by the next piece of data.

For one client we recently did a 4 slide banner with 3 offers and 1 general delivery message (last). Firstly the page visit time was approx 23secs - plenty to convey a brand message (not clicked) that this retailer had lots of offers. Secondly, of a particular 1000 visits, we had 7.02% of home page users click the first banner, 3.1% the next, 2.7% and 0.18% the last (delivery message).

This was fine by us - we believe that the banners gave the user a feel for the site (bargains, bargains, bargains, good delivery) before they went off to browse, search and perhaps buy.

The content you provide in them is key; make it compelling and even the fiercest critic may consider clicking it!

 

[zigojacko]

The content you provide in them is key; make it compelling and even the fiercest critic may consider clicking it!

Which is what we said.

Too many designers/developers put a hero slider on the homepage of a new website for no reason whatsoever.

We have a number of companies outsource design projects to us and on more than one occasion, they requested the loading of multiple images in a slider on the homepage. We asked why and they couldn't actually answer.

Too many people just do it because they see them on other websites when in actual fact, they are massively ineffective and just waste space.

They need to serve a purpose and convey a message (and look awesome). And many don't. Otherwise don't bother.

 

[ProjectOcto]

Not quite - you clearly think they don't work (each to his own), but I'm suggesting the OP tried it out, monitors the Analytics and sees if they are happy with the results. THEN decide.

To say they are 'massively ineffective' without any data is...well, foolish IMO.

Designers rightly have their own tastes, but so do business owners.

 

[fisicx]

To say they are 'massively ineffective' without any data is...well, foolish IMO.

Not if you do your research...

Some evidence:
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/auto-forwarding/

http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/62715-three-ideas-that-convert-better-than-a-standard-carousel

http://conversionxl.com/dont-use-automatic-image-sliders-or-carousels-ignore-the-fad/

http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/61995-carousels-on-ecommerce-sites-are-they-worth-bothering-with

http://www.nngroup.com/articles/designing-effective-carousels/

There is plenty more. Just google it, use words like banner, rotation, carousel, slider and so on. Every single one suggests they are less effective than a static image.

If did my own tests and conversions increased when I dropped the slider and replaced it with a single image. When I got rid of the image and used a bulleted list conversions increased even more.

 

[zigojacko]

Not quite - you clearly think they don't work (each to his own), but I'm suggesting the OP tried it out, monitors the Analytics and sees if they are happy with the results. THEN decide.

They don't work in many cases. That is fact. But also like many things website owners do.

To say they are 'massively ineffective' without any data is...well, foolish IMO.

There are plenty of statistics on this online. And having managed and worked with over 500 websites previously, I'd say we've seen enough evidence of hero sliders not working for many websites.

Designers rightly have their own tastes, but so do business owners.

Business owners don't have a clue what works and what doesn't on a website, that is where the expertise of a designer should come in. Other designers that just plonk stuff on a website just for the sake of it, aren't really doing their job properly. It shouldn't be about "taste", it should be about what converts and works.

 

[fisicx]

Designers rightly have their own tastes, but so do business owners.

As soon as you bring personal preferences into the design process you are on the rocky road to ruin. It's not about the tastes of the designer or the business owner, it's about meeting the needs of the visitors. And test after test has shown they aren't interested in sliders, carousels, banners or any of the other baggage people add to their sites.

 

[ProjectOcto]

Not if you do your research...

Some evidence:
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/auto-forwarding/

http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/62715-three-ideas-that-convert-better-than-a-standard-carousel

http://conversionxl.com/dont-use-automatic-image-sliders-or-carousels-ignore-the-fad/

http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/61995-carousels-on-ecommerce-sites-are-they-worth-bothering-with

http://www.nngroup.com/articles/designing-effective-carousels/

There is plenty more. Just google it, use words like banner, rotation, carousel, slider and so on. Every single one suggests they are less effective than a static image.

If did my own tests and conversions increased when I dropped the slider and replaced it with a single image. When I got rid of the image and used a bulleted list conversions increased even more.

THIS is the kind of evidence I'm sure the OP would be interested in. I can vouch that for some sites, rotating banners DOES work, and for others it DOESN'T. My point - as you have done - is to test.

 

[ProjectOcto]

Business owners don't have a clue what works and what doesn't on a website, that is where the expertise of a designer should come in. Other designers that just plonk stuff on a website just for the sake of it, aren't really doing their job properly. It shouldn't be about "taste", it should be about what converts and works.

Which comes from testing, right?

 

[zigojacko]

THIS is the kind of evidence I'm sure the OP would be interested in. I can vouch that for some sites, rotating banners DOES work, and for others it DOESN'T. My point - as you have done - is to test.

There has been data and stats all along, the web is littered with tests on this very subject, we've said that all along in this thread.

The difference is, we've done the research and read up on this and then fisicx kindly handed this on a plate to you with the links to said tests.

No-one has said questioned your point of testing at any place in this thread.

 

[fisicx]

THIS is the kind of evidence I'm sure the OP would be interested in. I can vouch that for some sites, rotating banners DOES work, and for others it DOESN'T. My point - as you have done - is to test.

Which sites?

How do the states compere to the same page WITHOUT the rotating banner?

 

[zigojacko]

Which comes from testing, right?

You seem to be having a debate with yourself. Yes test, test, test. This has been done hundreds of times and said numerous times in the thread. No-one is disagreeing with you here.

We've done the testing and research, you hadn't and made the assumption that we were saying hero sliders were ineffective without knowing anything about the subject mentioning "foolish" in the process and now you're back tracking to point which we've never disagreed with in the first place.

 

[zigojacko]

Which sites?

How do the states compere to the same page WITHOUT the rotating banner?

Yes, this is a valid point, it's easy to say that a rotating banner received a CTR of x% and a conversion rate of y% which shows that it works but how does one know that the site converts better than without a rotating banner without testing both instances...

 

[fisicx]

Yes, this is a valid point, it's easy to say that a rotating banner received a CTR of x% and a conversion rate of y% which shows that it works but how does one know that the site converts better than without a rotating banner without testing both instances...

And do some heat mapping as see how many people actually clicked on the image. Then compare that to the time on page. Even better do some eyetracking tests. In one bit of testing we asked people after the test what they recalled from the homepage - not one person mentioned the slider images. They all remembered the headline that appeared BELOW the slider.

 

[RepricerExpress]

Test test test!!!! It doesn't matter whether you like them or not, or whether they work on another site, your own site is unique and testing their effectiveness is the only answer. If you're not testing, you're wasting your time.

 

[Paul H]

There is always a compromise when using any website element that can be interpreted as a bit "gimmicky". I personally like the use of a carousel, but my desire has been tempered by friends in the business and ultimately (after trial and error!) they can work. Indeed I have found that keeping them minimal, simple and useful is key. They really do need to do something positive for the customer, either with click-thru's to a product page or showing there is, for example, a unique and huge discount day coming up.

 

[fisicx]

...or showing there is, for example, a unique and huge discount day coming up.

Have you split test with just showing a static image rather than a slider/carousel/banner rotator?

I don't think anyone has suggested they don't ever work. But in the majority of cases a homepage slider (which is what the OP was alluding to) are less effective than a static image.

One place a slider/carousel does work is where you have a number of product images. A touch screen slider can be very effective as it allows the visitor to swipe through the products.