Banner ads are used as a form of advertising on a website.  Some can be big or small, but the point is to get people to click on them.  With the rise of other types of virtual ads, are banner ads still effective?

First, let’s discuss what a banner ad is and what it is supposed to do.  When a page on a website loads, there are advertisements at the top and/or bottom of the page.  Those are banner ads.  Some are flashy, blinding (you need sunglasses to see them), small (magnifying glass) or large.  Banner ads are click-through ads.  If you click in the space, you are redirected to another site that tells you more about the ad.

Many banner ads are ignored, especially if they flash a lot.  Looking at all those annoying colors while you are trying to read the text on a page is maddening.  People figured the idea was to make them as big and bright as possible to be seen.  That worked but that didn’t mean that anyone would actually click on them. 

Banner ads can be many sizes.  If your banner ad is too large, it won’t load as quickly as the webpage.  By the time it finishes loading the graphics and text, your potential customer could be on to another page.  Banner ads still exist of course, but more and more people are opting for programs like Google AdWords which customizes ads to your website.  You can bring in a little revenue and the ads don’t take up a lot of space or blind anyone.

If you want to use banner ads on your website, here are a few tips to increase your click-through rate.

1.  Add a “click here” button.  People who click on these ads want to reach the destination as quickly as possible.  Giving specific instructions helps them get there.  You can actually click anywhere on the ad where your cursor turns into a hand, but without explicit instructions where to click, some people will ignore the banner.

2.  Forego the bright colors for a little flash and bigger font.  An ad can have color on the flashing words or buttons.  That catches the eye.  The words need to be bigger than a fly speck and tell the visitor why they need to click on your ad.  You only have one shot at this with each visitor, so make it count.

3.  Connect the banner ad with the page they want to view.  Clicking on ads that take you everywhere but the page with the offer frustrates visitors.  Most won’t hunt for the page – they’ll just go back to where they were before.

Banner ads can be effective if used in a certain manner.  Keep them short and to the point with a little flash to attract traffic.

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