Uncovering The Potential Of Online Advertising Banners: An All-Inclusive Guide

Disadvantages of banner advertising:

Unfortunately, no digital marketing strategy is perfect, and there are some pros to banner advertising for businesses, including the following:

Lower CTRs:

Banner ads (and display ads in general) have a lower click-through rate than other types of ads, like search ads, because they’re more intrusive, and people have trained themselves to ignore them. Banner ads have a drastically lower CTR because individuals aren’t looking for a brand’s products or services when they come across one.

Consider this banner ad example: You’re reading an online publication about cars when you see a banner ad for an electric vehicle (EV). How likely will you click off the page you’re already reading to learn about that particular car?

Not very likely because you weren’t looking for it in the first place. With search ads, users are already looking for your products and services when they type in a query associated with your brand.

However, with banner ads, people are simply browsing the web and may not be interested in your products and services. Most people who see your banner ads aren’t ready to make a purchase unless you’re using a retargeting marketing approach and those individuals have already visited your website.

Lower conversions:

Because banner ads target people who aren’t necessarily ready to make a purchase, they have lower conversion rates than other marketing strategies that target individuals, like search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO).

Depending on your goals, your conversion action may be someone completing a form or making a purchase on your website. However, because individuals who come across your ads aren’t necessarily ready to make a purchase, banner ads have lower convection rates.

Not allowed for all businesses:

Unfortunately, some types of marketing and advertising aren’t allowed for specific markets. For example, Google doesn’t allow advertisements for potentially dangerous products and services.

In addition, the industry you’re in might have strict advertising rules you must follow to remain in compliance. For example, a supplement business cannot state that its products can be used to treat medical conditions in advertisements or on websites.

Ad blocking:

Ad blocking software allows users to turn off advertisements when browsing the web, so your ads may be blocked and not seen by users who would be most interested in your products and services.

Users ignore ads:

Over time, we’ve all learned to subconsciously ignore any ads we see. You may notice billboards when driving down the expressway, but do you ever remember what’s on them?

The same is true for digital and print advertisements; many people ignore them because they’ve seen so many ads throughout their lives they’ve accidentally been trained not to see them. This is why it’s so crucial for your banner ad to stand out. Potential customers won’t see them while reading articles online because they’ve trained themselves not to, so your ad must be special if you want it to be seen or clicked.

Now that you understand what banner advertising is and how it can increase website traffic, let’s discuss some of the basics you should know.

How much do banner ads cost?

Banning advertising costs depend on different factors, including your overall goals. Display networks use different pricing models, but most are based on cost per thousand impressions, also known as CPM or cost per mile.

However, if your ultimate goal is conversions, you can use an ad network that allows you to pay per click instead. In general, though, you’ll pay for every 1,000 ad views.

Depending on your banner ad and how you purchase ad space, you may also be able to pay based on the cost per action (CPA). For example, if you purchase your banner ad space directly from a publisher, you may be able to pay per action, which works similarly to commissions.

What are the standard banner ad sizes?

Banner ads are rectangular display ads that come in different sizes. Your ad size will depend on the publisher or publishing platform.

For example, if you’re using an ad network, you can create multiple versions of your ad in different sizes to fit more ad space across the internet. Meanwhile, if you’re working directly with a publisher, their prices may affect the size you choose. The standard banner ad sizes include the following:

Square:

Standard square banner ads are 250 x 250 pixels and are ideal for small ad spaces on websites.

Standard:

The standard banner size is 468 x 60 and is placed on the top, middle, or bottom of the webpage. Since these ads are long and thin, you must find graphics and copy that won’t look cluttered.

Leaderboard:

Leaderboard banner ads are 728 x 90 pixels and are usually placed at the top of a page. However, again, because they’re long and thin, it can be difficult to fit all the essential graphic design elements you need to encourage users to click your ad.

Rectangle:

There are several rectangle sizes ranging from medium (300 x 250 pixels) to large (336 x 280 pixels), and they’re some of the most popular options for brands because they’re placed on the sidebar of a page. Many publishers prefer them because they don’t cause a distraction when visitors are scrolling pages and trying to read the content.

Half page:

The half-page banner ad takes up the most space on a web page. It’s 300 x 600 pixels and offers high visibility. However, since this option is bigger than the rest, it will be more expensive for brands.

What should you include in your banner ads?

Banner ads are visual ads, so they don’t rely on text as much as search ads, but both are essential if you want to convert customers and encourage clicks. Successful banner ads have the following elements:

Visual elements:

Your visual elements should reflect the brand’s unique identity, such as the logo and other imagery that can be found on the website.

Remember, your visual elements are crucial because they’re what will attract attention to the banner ad. Therefore, your imagery must be relevant to your target audience and offer. For example, if you’re a company that sells pet products, you should include pet imagery, like an image of a dog with your product. Meanwhile, if you’re a digital marketing agency, your ad might consist of real results you’ve gotten clients.

Copy that sells:

All successful banner ads need copy that sells. Banner ad copy is important because it tells customers what they can expect when they click the ad and why they should click the ad.

Unfortunately, you don’t have a lot of space for copy, so you’ll need to think of a snappy headline that can attract attention without taking too much focus away from the visual elements. Your text should also be easy to read; viewers shouldn’t have to squint to understand your ad, so always use a short headline and easy-to-read fonts.

Call to action:

Every ad needs a call to action (CTA) to tell users what to do. If your ad doesn’t have a call to action, it won’t get clicked because people may not even realize it can be clicked. However, your call to action should be short.

Something as simple as “Shop now” can be an effective CTA if you sell products online and want to send them to a dedicated page where they can start shopping. It’s important to note that your banner ad should have only one CTA.

Any more than that, and they can be confusing for your potential customers, ultimately driving business away. For example, if you want customers to learn more about your business, tell them to “Learn more.” Meanwhile, if you want them to browse your collection of winter coats, tell them to “Browse the collection.”