28 Dec How To Design Effective Banner Ads

Emarketer.com

Where do standard banner ads fit in the future of Internet advertising?

To answer this question, I think it’s important that we take a look at where they played a significant role in the past.  That is, what makes the good ones effective and the bad ones ineffective?

E-Markter.com has a great blog detailing some of the best banner ad practices in recent years. According to their date and predictions, banner ad spending is going to increase in the coming years even though click through rates have dropped significantly from .15% to a stable .09%. Surveys and research shows that consumers react only to certain banner ads for certain reasons.

According to the study, the number 1 reason consumers click on banner ads is because they offer some sort of incentive.  This includes coupons, discounts or services.  The other top reasons consumers click is because the banner ad effectively demonstrates a solution to their specific problem.

Given this information, this is how you should design your next banner ad.  Try to incorporate a strong, clear, and concise incentive in your ad.  This will greatly increase the chances of a click.  Not only will it increase the chances of a click, it will be a high quality click assuming the ad will send users right to where they can learn about the incentive.  It is also very important to be specific about the incentive and also the placement of the ad. Choose networks that have a proven demographic that is similar to your target audience.  The solution your ad will present needs to be the problem that your ad viewers share.  You must be specific.