When first introduced on the Internet, banner ads changed the face of advertising. While most marketing companies were thinking in terms of print ads, the concept of banner ads, with their limited space, visibility and size, was revolutionary. Marketers were forced to think out of the box and craft new designs within new boundaries. Time and research showed that their efforts were not in vain. An early study by Nielsen / NetRatings in 2000 found that using the right approach in creating banner ads was successful in drawing users into actually clicking on those banner ads. Thereby followed much study and research on what constitutes the best practices for creating effective banner ad campaigns. Banner advertising has seen some changes since their creation. A recent study by the same group in 2006, found that banner ads were causing “banner blindness”, and like the plague- were being avoided by clickers. Now instead of screaming flashing images, more emphasis is placed on making the ad simple and relevant to the page it is placed on.

Here are a few tips to help create banner ads that will work to your site’s advantage.

1. Do your research. You simply cannot compete without knowing your competition. Logon to popular websites, related to your industry, and scan the hundreds of banner ads on display. Compare the ones you like to ones you don’t, and see if any common factors jump out at you.
2. Keep it simple. The second rule of creating effective banner ads is to keep it short and simple. Banner ads are displayed amongst a large amount of other information, competing with several other factors on the page for the user’s attention. Unlike print media, where an advertisement can grab the entire page or appear as a two-page spread, banner ads get limited display area. So it is imperative to keep the banner ads simple, easy to understand and to the point. Brief is good. Clutter is not. A study by AdRelevance found that banner ads that have too much going on result in lesser clicks and lower brand recall.
3. Weave magic with words. Less is more in the case of banner ads. Use larger fonts and fewer words. People simply don’t have the time or the patience to read long-winded messages in tiny text to figure out what you are selling. Make an impact by using keywords relevant to information found on the site the potential clicker is on.
4. Keep the file size low. About 45-70kb is typically a good size for a banner ad. Most websites you advertise on will have limitations regarding the size, so those numbers will often be given to you. However, in cases where there is no limitation, it benefits to have fast loading banner ads to appeal to all audience groups, so steer clear of making the file size too large. A good rule of thumb is to examine your target market when determining the file size. For example, if you’re selling advanced computer software- chances are you don’t have to worry about an audience with slow load times. If you’re selling computers, you may want to appeal to those with slow loading times.
5. Choose colors in context. Too many businesses make the mistake of using the same banner ads for campaigns run on different websites. Always design the banner ads while keeping in mind the context in which it will be displayed. While the message can be the same across different websites, try to choose your colors based on the background of the website on which the ad is to be displayed. Also, check out the other banner ads on the website to ensure that your ad uses colors that stand out from the crowd.
6. Follow up banner ads with action on the website. The worst thing that could happen to your banner ad campaign is that you get a great click through rate, only to realize that your website is failing to cash in on the visitors. Banner ads are only effective if they are supported by rock solid backend programming that converts eyeballs to sales. Also find a way to track your clicks to help improve your ads in the future.
7. Choose the right place to display your banner ads. You can create a fantastic banner ad with crisp copy and appealing graphics and still find that it is failing miserably. Instead of rushing back to the drawing board, check to see if you are targeting the right audience. If you are advertising expensive gadgets to high school kids with little money, chances are you won’t see much in terms of ROI. Study the audience on the website where you intend to display the banner ads to determine if that audience is right for the products you are looking to advertise.

With some work and research on your end, you can create effective banner ads that will inevitably lead customers to your site not just to visit, but to purchase.

-Stacie Leonard, Ecommerce Marketing/Copywriting

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