5 BEST WEB BANNER AD PRACTICES

BANNERS EXPLAINED They are graphical images designed to attract

visitors by capturing their attention so that they can click on them so as to get more information.

They are located either at the top or the bottom of websites.

They offer faster results as they draw people to your site by capturing people’s attention.

TYPES OF BANNERSThere are a number of aspects that are involved in web banners and this include:

File sizes

File types

Size limits

There are three common types of banners:

Static web banners

Animated web banners

Flash banners

STATIC WEB BANNERS As the name suggests, a static web banner is a

creative piece that contains texts and graphics which are displayed on one-screen image. This type of banner is either in jpg or gif format.

ADVANTAGES

i. Widely accepted

ii. The file size can be kept low

iii. Can be viewed on most browsers without use of plugins

iv. Non-intrusive in nature

DISADVANTAGES

i. Can easily be overlooked

ii. Unattractive

iii. Hard to fit in a lot of details

ANIMATED WEB BANNERS Animated web banners on the other hand use

animation to deliver the message. This type of banners are usually in gif. File format.

ADVANTAGES

i. They are widely accepted

ii. Low file size

iii. Can be viewed by most users

iv. Can fit info in multiple frames

DISADVANTAGES

i. Not interactive

ii. Ongoing rotation which is usually limited can be annoying if not on a set cycle.

FLASH BANNERS Flash Banners are more sophisticated as compared to

the other two types of banners.

In this type of banner it flows smoothly like a movie and may also include sound effects.

Flash banners are more interactive in that they have buttons for the users to be able to manipulate the banner.

ADVANTAGES

i. More eye catching

ii. Interactive

iii. One can fit a story into the ad

iv. Delivers a professional appearance

DISADVANTAGES OF FLASH BANNERS

DISADVANTAGES

i. Requires for users to have flash player installed.

ii. It burdens the web page making it slower to load.

iii. Not accepted by all publishers

iv. It can annoy users if too intrusive

v. Expensive

BEST 5 BANNER AD PRACTICES

When you make a free banner for your website there are a couple of practices that you need to keep in mind:

1. Include a call for action

2. Create a sense of urgency or intrigue

3. Keep it short and simple

4. Don’t irritate your viewers

5. Deliver everything through the banner

CALL FOR ACTION

You need to make sure that your banner ad has a button link that tells the users on what they need to do. These calls for action may include:

Click here

Shop now

Free download here

CREATING URGENCY AND INTRIGUE IN YOUR AD It is important that you include a sense of urgency

or intrigue that will help encourage interested people to getting taking action and clicking on your banner ad.

This can easily be achieved through the use of phrases such as:

i. Hurry while stocks last

ii. Start now!

THE VIEWERS ARE KEY: DON’T IRRITATE THEM

When using animation, you need to make sure that you keep the loop to a maximum of 8 cycles. This is with the main message of the ad on the last animation frame.

When it comes to delivering everything to the audience, you need to make sure that you not only direct visitors to your site, but you also take them to the particular landing page that they are to get what it is you are promoting.

CONCLUSION

It is quite clear that by using banner ads, you can be sure to see more traffic to your company’s website which will in the long run help you get more sales as it is through web banner ads that prospective customers will be encouraged to visit the website and eventually lead to sales.

Other than that, a web banner ad increases your brand awareness and also influences future purchase intent.

By keeping the afore mentioned 5 best web banner ad practices, you can be sure to achieve this and more results for your website and eventually your business.