Banner Talks

Banner ads, also known as web banners, first appeared on the Internet when the web site HotWired sold the very first web banner in October 1994, to AT&T. (Source: Wikipedia). A web banner embeds into a web page an attention-grabbing ad which links directly to the advertiser's website.

Let's define some terms

An 'impression' is defined as the instance a banner ad is displayed on a web page loaded onto a viewer's browser. A 'click-through' is defined as the instance when a viewer clicks on the banner ad and causes the web browser to display the website linked to the banner ad. The 'click through rate' for the original web site displaying the banner ad is defined as the number of click-through's divided by the number of impressions. The owner of the original web site is then paid by the banner owner, either directly or through some form of ad-sharing system on a dedicated server.

The most obvious benefit is the fact that the advertiser's information is on display, even if the viewer does not click-through. Banners for automobile models are an excellent example. Brand recognition, though a subjective measure, increases via widespread placement of banner ads.

However, banner ads provide much more -- they are a direct route to an advertiser's website, and click-through traffic can be accurately measured. Different types of ad campaigns can be piloted, and the click-through results can be compared.

Many advertisers depend on a passive web strategy -- build a web site, and the customers will come. Forward-thinking advertisers, however, realize that a well-placed banner ad will pull people into their company's web site. A banner ad puts a customer one click away from buying the company's product or service.

A banner ad is both efficient and cost-effective. A marketing campaign can be focused by placing banner ads both on a personal web site that serves a specific niche and on specific web pages of the Internet's business web sites. Banner ads are also traceable -- you'll know from which web site a customer came from.

Just as with any ad campaign, the banner ads must themselves be compelling -- it is quite easy to develop a banner ad that is appealing and that arouses curiosity. Use animation, audio and video -- trigger actions in the banner ad based on browser events, such as a mouse rollover, or the completion of a page load. Banners for new movies which play the trailer are a good example of this type of trigger.

Narrow tall banner ads are placed along the right or left edge of a Web page; short Wide banner ads are placed at the bottom or top. The choice of which to use will depend a great deal on the web site on which the banner ad is to be placed. If the web pages of the site are designed as long narrow blocks, then a short wide banner will stand out, and vice versa. So, try different sizes and shapes of the ads, and rotate the usage of differently designed ads over several differently designed web sites.

There is always the direct way to place a banner ad -- pay a web site a flat rate to display your banner ad. The next step up would be to adjust that payment depending on the click-through rate. A banner exchange is also a possibility, with two companies displaying each other's banner ads for free on each other's web sites. Or you can work with a company that uses PHP hosting to place banner ads, paying them a commission based on click-through rates.

Remember, though, that what you are paying for is the total number of visitors to your website who have arrived via clicking on a banner for your product or service. If the click-through rates are not sufficient, switch your banner ad to another web site.