Problems with click-bait advertising and how to avoid them
                     Problems with click-bait advertising and how to 
avoid them
Watson F
Writes on ad server, involved with Adspeed
 ad server solutions & Adspeed
 ad serving software.
Click-bait advertising is a type of online advertising that uses sensational, 
misleading, or controversial headlines and images to lure users into clicking 
on an ad or visiting a website. The goal is to generate a large amount of 
traffic to a website or other online destinations without considering if the 
content is actually relevant or valuable to the viewer. While it seems at first 
effective at driving traffic from ad serving because these ads have very 
catchy headlines, this is not a sustainable way and it can be very 
problematic for advertisers, publishers and viewers. Below are a few 
problems with click-bait advertising:
 
Misleading content
The biggest problem of click-bait advertising is that it often leads users to 
content that is not relevant or valuable. The destination page might even 
contain malware, virus or other harmful content. That places the viewer’s 
device and personal information at risk. It is very frustrating for viewers 
because they are misled to a page that is not what they were looking for. It 
leads to a poor user experience and mistrust because their time is wasted. 
In addition to time, data and bandwidth is also misused. It is even more 
problematic for users on mobile devices, who may have limited data plans. 
Users are less likely to return to a website that disappointed them.
 To avoid this situation, make sure that your ad copy and visual elements 
accurately reflect the promotion or offer. Avoid shocking or misleading 
headlines that could confuse or deceive users. Use authentic images in your 
advertising that accurately represent the products or services being 
advertised. Avoid using images that are sensational, deceptive, or factually 
incorrect. Instead of relying on over-the-top headlines or images, focus on 
creating value for your users. Offer useful information, helpful tips, or other 
valuable content that will help users to make informed decisions and 
improve their experience. Be transparent about the products or services 
being advertised, and make sure that the information provided is accurate 
and up-to-date. This will help to build trust with your users and improve the 
effectiveness of your advertising.
 
Ad fatigue
Clickbait advertising, characterized by sensationalized headlines and images, 
aims to entice users to click on them. However, this strategy often backfires, 
leading to ad fatigue, a phenomenon where viewers become desensitized 
and less responsive to advertisements. Ad fatigue arises from the constant 
bombardment of misleading or exaggerated ads, causing frustration and 
distrust among viewers. As viewers repeatedly encounter clickbait ads, they 
develop a negative perception of advertising in general, leading to a decline 
in ad effectiveness and a decrease in user engagement.
 
To avoid this situation, make sure your ad is relevant to the page that it is 
displayed on. When a viewer clicks on the ad, the subsequent landing page 
must also be relevant to what was mentioned in the ad copy and image. It is 
also a good idea to limit the number of times a viewer sees the same ad. 
Frequency capping is a setting in many ad servers that allows advertisers to 
control the number of times a particular ad is shown to a user within a 
certain period of time. This can help to ensure that viewers are not 
bombarded with the same ad over and over again. It is better to be 
selective, quality over quantity.
 
About Adspeed
AdSpeed ad server is a reliable & powerful ad serving and ad management 
solution that serves your ads, tracks impressions & clicks and reports ad 
statistics in real-time. Driven by the latest ad serving technologies, the goal 
of Adspeed adserver is to provide a reliable platform that can help in 
executing online advertising strategy more efficiently. 
 
 
 
 
Thank you for your time in reading this article.