In-text advertising is controversial as it blurs the line between content and advertising. It differs from standard types of advertising on web pages and is set up with links within website content. Some experts believe it is harmful to web browsing and blurs the line between editorial and advertising content.
Advertising on web pages takes many different forms. It may appear on a page dedicated exclusively to advertisements, or it may be integrated into a page that also contains information, text, articles, images or other material that is not selling anything. In-text advertising is advertising that appears in the text of material that is not otherwise devoted to advertising. It is controversial because it blurs the boundary between Internet content and Internet advertising for the website visitor.
There are certain standard types of advertising that appear on content-oriented web pages and are separate from the content. This includes banners, wallpaper ads, sidebar ads, pop-up and pop-under ads, interstitial ads and video ads. The first three types appear on the same page with content, but in separate, clearly delineated adjacent areas. Pop-up and pop-under ads appear in separate windows, while interstitial ads and video ads are usually arranged so that the user has to wait for them before reaching the content. In-text advertising differs from all of these.
Text advertising is set up with links within website content. While links in the text of content traditionally link to other content, such as articles about the specific item mentioned or definitions of words, in-text advertising works differently. It links users to advertising rather than content, and if the user clicks on the ad, the website owner may receive a pay per click. Text Advertising Bestsellers: Information Links, Vibrant Media, Kontera, Embedded Text, Sinless Text, Be Context, Triggit, and Miva.
In-text advertising is flagged by a double underscore rather than the single underscore of a standard content link. When the user hovers over the link, the pop-up ad is displayed. It may or may not start a video immediately. The need to hover is mentioned by companies that specialize in text advertising, such as Vibrant, to give the user control. In practice, however, pop-ups can be triggered inadvertently as the mouse is moved across the page, resulting in an interruption in the display of content that can be potentially irritating to the reader, as pop-ups do not necessarily disappear when the mouse is moved and may need to be disposed of individually.
Some web usability experts feel that text advertising is harmful more broadly, as the bad experiences it causes will make users less likely to use legitimate and useful web browsing. Additionally, journalists working at newspapers with an online edition have expressed concern that if the words of a story are sold, the line between editorial content and advertising content will be blurred. Although some reports say that objections to ads have decreased, there are still experts on the web who don’t believe they belong on professional websites.
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