Not that long ago the more common computer resolution setting was 800×600 pixels. This meant that if your website and page template had a width setting of more than 800 pixels your visitors would need to scroll to the right to see the rest of your content. Because of this you would find a sidebar on the right side of the page. You probably want your visitors to see your main primary content without having to scroll. At the same time, it meant that a lot of visitors didn’t bother scrolling to the right just to see advertisements and promotions.
As computer monitors improved and we have pretty impressive resolution capabilities the need to scroll to the right is becoming obsolete. There are a few 800×600 users out there yet, but the numbers are shrinking substantially. Less than 1% of my visitors had an 800×600 resolution in 2011, and less than 5% with all resolutions of 800×600 or less. Put another way 95% of my visitors in 2011 all had 1024 x 768 or higher setting.
What that amounts to is since my site and pages are set to approximately 1000 pixels 95% or my visitors don’t have to do any scrolling to the left or right. It all fits on the screen for these visitors. The only thing they have to do is scroll up or down the page.
It still leaves 5% that would need to scroll to the left or right, but I would be surprised if the 5% doesn’t continue to drop. I wouldn’t be surprised in the coming years if 1200 to 1400 pixel width doesn’t become more standard, but that is another story for another day.
If you review the monitor resolutions I posted in: Ads Above the Fold Don’t Get Hit by the Google Hammer you can see the majority of visitors have a 1024 or above setting.
For some reason a right sidebar has stuck all these years because it is by far the most common location today. There are left sidebars out there, but the right side continues to be the popular choice.
I haven’t performed any extensive testing on left sidebar vs. right sidebar, and I rarely see it talked about. I am wondering if moving it from the right to the left would have any noticeable effect.
One article that I did manage to find said:
People spent more than twice as much time looking at the left side of the page as they did the right:
- Left half of screen: 69% of viewing time
- Right half of screen: 30% of viewing time
The remaining 1% of viewing time was spent to the right of the initially-visible 1,024 pixels.The article is from April 2010 so it’s not that old. You can check it yourself here: Horizontal Attention Leans Left.
I think people are pretty good at tuning out the sidebar and contents because they assume there will be ads and things they are not interested in, and website ads seem to be on the rise. As they read a blog, article, or post their focus is the top left side of the page because that is where they would start to read. Not that they wouldn’t see the right sidebar either, but I am really starting to think most people focus on the left side of a page more.
If that were the case your most important content at the top in a left sidebar could see an increase in click through and visits. Of course there are a lot of things to consider from the percentage of visits with a 1024 resolution or greater, to how your template/theme is designed, and more.
Am I saying re-code or switch your site all around? Heck no! I am just wondering if there would be any noticeable differences between the two. One of these days I may have to run a test of my own for a month or so to see what happens. If an 800×600 resolution was still popular and widely used I wouldn’t even think about it. However, since they are a dying breed it is definitely something I am considering at least testing.
What do you think? Does it really matter what side of the page the sidebar is on?
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Boonex Dolphin, Wordpress, Seo, Technology, Web Server and Hosting Specialist.
Hahaha… interesting title. I saw some blogs with sidebar on the left and I can tell you the surfing/navigation experience within that blog was kind of weird to me. I don’t feel weird if the blog has both left and right sidebars, not to mention with only right sidebar which is the most common side. The one with only left sidebar just gives me the weird feeling… To me, I think the most important thing is to let visitors see my CONTENT first, I want visitors to feel that my blog is a blog. Naturally, we read from left to right and from top to bottom, so if my sidebar is on the right, the first thing visitors see will be my content. So yeah, the sidebar should go to the right
Peter Lee @ Computer How To Guide recently posted..How to Properly Clean Your Gadgets
I have seen some left sidebars that look fairly decent and others that do seem a little weird. I know some people have a left sidebar and they put things like their products and services, which they want people to see. I guess it really depends on the layout, design, and what they actually put in there if it’s on the left.
How about having a static side bar that does not move while you scroll your page. Also Is it ethical to have static background images that have an embedded affiliate link on it!
I don’t know that having a static background image with some form of affiliate link. People never surprise me when it comes to trying to make money with their website.
I read an article a few days back, where the author suggest left sidebar for better Google AdSense CTR with adsense 160 x 600 ad unit.
Tan@breakfast sausage recently posted..Delicious varieties That You May Try in Breakfast Sausages!
I don’t see a problem with trying different Adsense formats and location if you someone is trying to make a little more with it. Sometimes it can make a big difference. All you can do is do some experimenting and see what happens.
I think the best location is at the end of the page, a dynamic one. Not at the left nor the right, but scrolling down, once with the visitor that browses the page, up and down
Fernando recently posted..What To Look For In Paint Sprayers
That is certainly a different idea that I hadn’t thought of.
Maybe you should take it into consideration. I saw lots of bloggers choosing this option.
Fernando recently posted..How To Buy a Sewing Machine
I also remembevr reading that article about most of us viewing the left side of the screen more. This is why most of the icons in Windows desktop are toward the left side too. Even today, most sites that I see have the sidebar on the right.
-Jean
Jean @ Used Tires recently posted..Things to remember before buying Used Tires
Now that I think about it the majority of computers I have ever used all seem to have icons towards the left on the Windows desktop. Which reminds me, I need to do some desktop cleaning one of these days soon.
I like to use left. Is there any special benefit for using the right sidebar ??
Tammy recently posted..How To Grow Wheatgrass By Yourself
When I was setting up some blogs I wondered the same thing! I don’t feel like I really have much personal preference, as long as the title or content of the sidebar grabs my eye I don’t care where it is located on the page. I have tried sidebars on both sides, which I like since the content at the top of the bars is very visible, but as my default I usually go with left sidebar.
Most of what I see even more so with blogs is the sidebar tends to be on the right. I am thinking about testing a left sidebar when I get a chance. I do see some that look pretty decent on the left. Something to think about.
Hi,I see right sidebar in most of the websites and I am used to with this so it looks wired whenever I found it on left side but I agreed with Tan that some authors suggest left sidebar for better Google AdSense CTR with adsense 160 x 600 ad unit.
Pete Goumas recently posted..Jigsaw Health Coupon & Review
The right side does seem to be the popular choice. I don’t mind if it’s on the left if it’s not to difficult to read the main content.
I dont have any problem with right or left sidebars if I found my right product or article on website.
waterpearls recently posted..NetWork Solutions Corporate Philanthropy
I don’t have a problem either as long as it doesn’t confuse people.
Please try to use a name or name@keyword when commenting in the future. If waterpearls is a screen name that is fine, but other sites may interpret it as a keyword and automatically delete it. Just a heads up. Thanks for commenting.
I have honestly never thought of how to place ads on website in relation to left or right. It sounds like it would be more effective on the left side because that is where people expect the content. I would like to see a study that attacks that question more directly.
Elena Anne recently posted..The Truth About Soy Milk
People can be ad blind even if you find the best spot. All you can do is do some experimenting and see what happens.