At first glance, this may appear to be an odd question because we all banter about the pros and cons of ad distractions. However, this particular thread is remarkable because the person asking the question is an SEO practioner and is questioning the appearance of a long time industry website, Search Engine Guide.
The author asks,
I think that Jennifer Laycock is one of the best writers in our industry. Beyond the basic SEO subjects she addresses for beginners, the questions she asks about facets of the industry always strike me as important, fresh and worthy. I love reading her articles. Unfortunately, I've found myself going to searchengineguide.com less and less lately because of the abundance of Flash advertising on the site. Right now, in the top spot on their pages, there is an ad with a guy popping around a screen. This one isn't as intrusive as the last one that ran for weeks and feautured a rapidly morphing image of people's faces that had a flickering, flashing effect to it.
The thread covers distractions, ad sizes and types that may or may not hinder the ability to read and the risks involved with angering regular readership.
The kicker comes in when SEG site owner, Robert Clough, enters into the discussion. He learned a few things, and so is everybody else from his team's very public experience.
Cre8asiteforums discussion: Can Advertising Hurt Your Readership?
