It is increasingly important to understand how people react when they use their eyes in the digital age. This article highlights eight takeaways from eye-tracking studies that marketers can practice today. I believe there is no such thing as too much when it comes to data. Crunching figures, performing tests, looking over analytics, and evaluating trends are all part of the process of creating successful companies and websites. Eye-tracking is an exciting area of consumer behavior research. Eye-tracking data may help you improve your skills as a site designer, content writer, conversion optimization specialist, or online marketer. I’ve compiled the key findings from a few of these eye-tracking studies and put them in your hands so you can start seeing more significant results in your company right now. Let me clarify what eye tracking is before we begin. Eye-tracking is a method of determining where and how long people stare on a website. Similar to the picture above, eye tracking data is shown graphically, superimposed on the participants’ screen. You can find out where a person glanced first, second, third, and so on using eye-tracking. You may learn what the user thinks the most intriguing portion of the screen is and how long they spent looking at it. Like any other advanced data analysis, eye-tracking studies aren’t cheap. The cheapest eye-tracking gadgets are roughly $5,000, which isn’t exactly cheap.
Key findings that might benefit your online company:
Takeaway 1: Make your most important material visible above the fold.
Above-fold material is, unsurprisingly, the most scrutinized. Therefore, this is where you should put your most vital material.
Even though it’s the most significant piece of real estate on your website, you shouldn’t ignore the rest of it. Putting everything above the fold may severely degrade the usability of an otherwise functioning website. You have 8 seconds to pique your visitors’ interest, so make sure you include intriguing material above the fold. When doing so, take care not to clog up your sale above the fold by jamming in too many calls to action. Instead, make your message and copy more enticing. That will entice folks to learn more about you and maybe buy from you. For example, I just conducted an A/B test on NeilPatel.com’s new design and discovered that adding a call to action above the fold reduced conversions by 21%.
Takeaway 2: Provide calls to action at the bottom of the page.
Although the top of the page receives the most attention, the bottom of the page gets the second most attention. Scrolling down is something that people do. They will then scroll down to the bottom of the page when the scrolling stops. You want to strike them with your call to action right there. On my website, I have various calls to action. I advise you to do the same.
If you look at the Crazy Egg heatmap, you’ll find that the call to action at the bottom of my Quick Sprout subscription page receives a lot of attention. It receives 39% more clicks than the middle-of-the-membership-page call to action button.
Takeaway 3: People pay attention to large, bold headlines.
The more noticeable your headlines are, the more likely they will be read. Several studies, including the well-known F-shaped pattern research, have shown that headline size matters.
“Dominant headlines most typically capture the attention immediately upon entering the page,” according to comprehensive research on the issue by The Poynter Institute. I’ve spoken about the significance of headlines and how to craft them before. However, a headline should contain vital design aspects — large and bold — in addition to the readable sizzle. For my headlines, I sometimes utilize some delicious visual panache:
Most of the time, I use a large typeface:
Takeaway 4: It’s preferable to get knowledge in little chunks.
You’ve undoubtedly heard that your material should be broken into small paragraphs with headers, bullets, and numbered lists. The rationale behind this is self-explanatory. Massive chunks of text are difficult for us to digest. The gaze duration is shown in an eye-tracking heatmap, highlighting the necessity for digestible pieces of information.
People, it seems, are interested in portions. So this page isn’t necessarily an excellent example of a well-designed layout. It does, however, demonstrate that people pay attention to headers that have solid visual characteristics, such as central location, bold colors, and well-thought-out spatial structure.
Takeaway 5: A lot of white space is required.
Negative space, sometimes known as white space, is an essential component of web design. Data from eye-tracking studies support this:
The samples above show that the more spacious style with negative space fosters clean movement and better data intake. Negative space seems to be a waste of time. I mean, why not put anything there? In actuality, negative space is helpful because it allows the reader to navigate the page more quickly. The human eye is looking for room to “relax” from the numerous elements on the page. The watch must also know where it should move next. This is possible because of negative space.
Takeaway 6: It’s crucial to pay attention to the left side of your website.
According to eye-tracking research, people spend most of their time on the left part of the page.
A left-to-right reading pattern is used in several written languages. This viewing pattern has been engrained in web design norms and reading habits. As a result, we tend to gaze to the left. When developing websites or inserting information, place necessary items on the left side of the page to make the most of it.
Takeaway 7: Remove banners.
Web banners are mostly ignored. This fall in banner ad attentiveness occurred about the same time that banner advertising was at its peak. The first banner advertising was relatively benign. They were only advertisements. Then they began vibrating in an attempt to catch your attention. Alternatively, they seemed to be a system mistake. Or they informed you that you were the millionth visitor to a website and that you would be receiving your own gold Ferrari as a result. Isn’t it time you clicked on the ad? That’s correct. In the early days of eye-tracking investigations, a phenomenon is known as “banner blindness” was one of the most talked about. In 1997, Jakob Nielsen began collecting this information. Banner blindness is now widespread knowledge on the internet and in usability circles. It’s such a crucial feature that it has its own Wikipedia page. Take a look at the eye-tracking research below if you don’t believe me when I tell that people overlook banners.
It would be best not to utilize banners unless you have no other method to monetize your site.
Takeaway 8: Photographs of individuals are helpful.
Experts believe that photos of people are excellent, according to research ranging from LinkedIn to other usability tests. Even in a photograph, looking at someone else causes a pleasant physiological response of attraction, comprehension, or identification. In addition, a page using images of a person’s face boosts engagement and watching while lowering the bounce rate. The eye-tracking research on this issue has at least four takeaways:
- Use pictures of people as design elements – you may wish to use images of people on your home page. People look at other people and, as a result, stay longer on the page.
- Use a picture on your About page – people are more likely to believe you, trust you, and do business with you if they see what you look like.
- Use your picture on your LinkedIn profile – it engenders trust.
- Work on Google authorship – people click more often on SERP entries with authorship images.
Conclusion
Simply paying attention to eye-tracking research may help you enhance your website, conversions, company, and product. People’s choices of where they look have a significant impact on what they learn, do, and purchase. A gaze precedes a click.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can eye tracking tell us?
A: Eye tracking can tell us how a person wants to make the experience more enjoyable and immersive. For example, if someone seems left, it will move their avatar’s hands up to play with both of them instead of one.
What is the most crucial part of the screen regarding users’ viewing patterns?
A: The screen is a large, rectangular shape. It’s not too important to the user, whether it’s straight or diagonal, as long as they can see their avatar and the color of each blade for them to play Beat Saber successfully.
Can websites track eye movement?
A: It’s possible, but not very easy. Eye movement is a way to determine what you’re looking at so that websites can tailor their content to suit your interests and give you more relevant advertising. But it’s still tricky because people tend to blink or move too fast for the technology to get accurate readings of where they are looking.