Readers of online news services look first at the text on a page rather than graphics and photographs, according to recent research conducted by Stanford University and the Poynter Institute in the US. The study, in which the subject’s eye movements were tracked by small cameras attached to the side of their heads, showed that news-reading habits have changed since the introduction of web-based news services.
Ten years ago a similar study conducted into the habits of print newspaper readers found that they looked first at the lead art element on the page and then moved their eyes to the biggest headline. Online readers, however, fixate first on news briefs or captions, and usually only look at the photos and graphics on returning to the page after clicking onto an article.
The study also found that banner ads do catch online readers’ attention, with readers looking at 45% of the ads presented to them for an average of a second, long enough to perceive the ad. However, only about one-tenths of 1% actually click on them. Graphics other than banners were absorbed 22% of the time, and 64% of photos were perceived.
It is difficult to say whether text itself really attracts eyes before artwork as often the text will appear before the graphics. Nonetheless, the study proved that a provider’s or advertiser’s first chance to engage the reader is through text.
The research also looked into the profiles of online readers and discovered that slightly more men than women read national news while more women than men read local news online. Sports news, however, was looked at equally by both genders, although it was read more heavily by men.
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