According to eye-tracking studies, after the first three natural search results, the Pay-Per-Click (PPC) listings on a search results page are the most looked-at items. This is a big ‘thumbs-up’ for PPC, but will this trend last?In the late nineties we saw the natural evolution of the consumer as we became ‘banner blind’. Banner advertising that had been so effective since the advent of the Internet quickly began to give poor returns as consumers learnt to screen the advertising presented to them.

This evolution has happened repeatedly throughout history. As consumers are bombarded with increasing levels of marketing messages, they learn to block out those that are not relevant and even raise their minimum awareness levels for advertising messages. That is, the relevance and strength of the advertising message has to break an ever rising minimum level of ‘noise’ to be noticed by the consumer.

As this effect has taken place with so man advertising mediums throughout the history of advertising, surely it is only a matter of time until we become Pay-Per-Click blind? I predict that within the next few years advertisers will have to work harder, just to achieve the same levels of success that they are experiencing now. Eventually, Pay-Per-Click will be replaced by a more effective medium, if that is, it is not beginning to be replaced already…