As the most prevalent form of direct webvertising, banner ads have been in business since the web became commercialized. So despite all the rumors about their death, banners have continued (and still continue) to be a prominent form of online advertising and brand positioning/promotion.

A banner ad can basically be described as a piece of visual communication (either animated or still image, with no "set" size standards) that is placed within a web site. Its goal is to attract the netizen (or distract browsing netizens) long enough to compel a "click-through." The term click-through comes from the act of clicking on a link, thereby taking the user "through" to another location (in the case of banner ads, to the advertiser's site).

Banner advertising serves two major purposes:

Compelling users to click in order to take them away to the sponsor's site;

Promoting a positive brand image, reinforced through repetition.

The banner ad is nothing but an invitation to visit the site, which is, after all, the real webvertisement. Each site is an ad in its own right. There is simply not enough time to tell an entire story in a banner. Netizens don't like banners and will not spend more than two seconds (if that) to look at one. Banner ads are created to draw users to the meat of the ad. Specifically, we're talking the web site.

A Unique Attribute

Never in the history of advertising has creative communication been able to receive an "immediate" sense of success or failure. For the first time, advertising can be judged by the click-through rating, which is a measure of the number of times a banner is clicked versus the number of times it appears to visitors.

The industry-average click-through rating is somewhere between 1 and 2 percent. For every 100 banners, one to two get clicked, on average. Never in the history of advertising have advertisers had the chance to "test" the immediate user response to advertising, with the ability to change them on the fly if they don't receive positive click-through ratings.

Creating Effective Banner Ads

Effective banner ads can be defined as those receiving high click-through ratings, while portraying a conceptually strong, aesthetically pleasing image that helps to reinforce a positive brand message for the product or service being advertised.

The Microscope site is the Internet's only weekly web ad review. It profiles some very interesting banner ad campaigns on the web. By visiting Microscope, you can browse through its archives and examine the excellent site editor critiques of a wide variety of banners ads.

My only complaint about Microscope is its lack of click-through rating coverage. While many of the banners profiled on the site are conceptually strong, there are no indicators as to how well they were received by the Internet audience. Simply creating a strong banner is not enough. It must perform well within the context for which it was designed before it can be deemed truly successful.

(Editor's note: I can't pass up this opportunity for a shameless plug. The new Microscope site actually will track an ad's performance. The improved site debuts January 26.)

When it comes to creating successful banner ads, the common consensus is:
The banner MUST say, "Click Here" on it. (This is often referred to as a "call to action").

It should use the word FREE if such an offer exists.
The bright color RED should be used to accentuate BIG type.

Unfortunately, things are never this easy. There are simply no set formulas for any kind of visual communication. Each problem is unique, as should each solution be unique. Assumptions that create false senses of reality (such as there needing to be the words "Click Here" on a banner) are extremely absurd. This implies that Internet users are dense and don't know that ads are meant to be clicked on.

Let's not forget that banners serve two functions: Enticing users to click and promoting a positive brand message about a product or service.

Banner Click-Through Secrets

So what are the secrets of banner ads? Well, you don't have to say, "Click Here," to get users to interact with a banner. All you have to do is incorporate the following strategy into your design and you will have successful banners every time.

A strong concept. Without a concept, you might as well ask visitors to "Click Here" in big, bold, red, flashing type.

Excellent art direction. Image is everything. Creating a memorable first impression helps to reinforce a positive branding message. Utilize the basic design principles. Scale, contrast, typography, visual language, and white space are details that you must address if you want to design successful banners.

Creative copy writing. Sell the core-being of the product or service and compel users to click with creative call-to-action messages.

Animation for the sake of reinforcing the concept. If the banner needs to be animated, animate it! Make sure that it is necessary, and not gratuitous.

Small file sizes for quick load times. Remember that you have only two seconds to get your audience's attention. Your banner should load extremely quickly (hence, a 1k to 10k file size is preferable).

Be brief and to the point. Banner ads are not there to tell a story; thats the job of the web sites that they lead users to. Just get them to click, and the target web site will do the rest.

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