Online consumers are spurning highly sophisticated and detailed content in favour of information packaged with more of a human touch, according to new research.
With the minefield of information available on the web, browsers looking to find out about drugs and medical conditions dismissed a number of supposedly reputable website within just seconds of clicking on the site, reveals research by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
Other factors turning people off include multitudes of 'noisy' adverts that divert the eye and sites that were perceived as relaying biased information.
Professor Pamela Briggs at Northumbria University said: "People don't have the patience to scroll through pages in order to find something useful. Ease of access is so important.
"One thing that really put people off was advertising, so people clicked off drug company websites straight away."
She added: "Generally, the medical information on drug company sites is very accurate but people question the authors' motivation and agenda. The issue of impartiality is quite crucial in building trust."
The findings will be of use to businesses thinking of introducing a blog to drive traffic to their website as it shows it is essential to tailor both content and writing style to the reader rather than bombarding them with technical information.
