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Sites that are loaded with ads or what users view as ad clutter are more likely to have their messages ignored all together according to a new survey from Burst Media

The survey polled 4,000 Web users to gauge how ad clutter impacts their Internet experience and how it affects the perception of advertisers who place their ads on cluttered sites.

Ad clutter not only annoys the audience but it also decreases ad effectiveness. The majority (75.5%) of the respondents who stay on a site they perceive to be cluttered say they pay less attention to advertisements appearing on its pages.

Users accept that advertising will appear on a Web page, but more than half (52.6%) have a low tolerance for more than two ads per web page. Nearly a third (29.9%) immediately leave a site if they think it is cluttered. Women are more likely than men to leave a site that appears cluttered - 32.1 percent versus 27.5 percent.

The survey found that ad clutter has a negative impact on a consumer's perception of an advertiser's products and services. Over half (52.4%) of respondents had a less favorable opinion of an advertiser when their advertising appears on a page they perceive as cluttered. More women (56.4%) said clutter negatively impacts their opinion of an advertiser than men (48.3%).

The survey also found that ad clutter's negative impact on respondent's opinions increases with age. Less than half (46.8%) of respondents 18-24 were impacted negatively by clutter compared to nearly two-thirds (63.2%) of respondents 55 years and older.

"One of the main obstacles to getting consumers' attention online is ad clutter," said Chuck Moran, VP of Marketing for Burst Media. "It is critical for advertisers to ensure their messages are being placed in a high quality content environment to receive the maximum exposure they deserve, and to preserve their brand's reputation."