Banner Advertising and Web Site Promotion...

Banner advertising is a method of online advertising where a graphical ad, or banner image is placed on a Web site to generate impressions and clicks for the advertiser. Many Web site owners sell banner ad space to advertisers in order to generate additional revenue for their online business.

What are Banner Ads? Banner ads are similar to text ads except that banners and banner ads are actually Internet images, usually designed in a ".gif" or ".jpg" format. When you place a banner on a web site, visitors who click on the banner are actually clicking on an image, not a text link. You can create banner ads using a graphic design program (there are many programs available on the internet to help you with this) but be sure to create your banners according to the specifications of the site owner where your banner ads will be displayed.

Example: If the available ad space measures 150 pixels in length by 40 pixels in height, then your banner should have the same measurements for proper display. Otherwise, it will look distorted. The most common or standard banner size is the 468 * 60 size (and under 25k in size) that represents a rectangle banner shape. See below for an example of a standard banner size.

Text Banner Ads Versus Graphical Banner Ads. The word "text banner" can be confusing. A text banner looks like plain text but it is actually a graphic or image. You can create a text ad by typing text onto a block (or banner background) that is the same color as the Web page where it will be displayed.
Your text will appear to stand alone because the color of the banner background will blend with the web page color. This is not always allowed, but when it is, it's a great way to display your banner without it actually looking like an advertisement... it will just appear as a clickable link.

Targeted Banner Advertising. Advertising is best when it's targeted. The same is true with banner advertising. You can target your banner ads by placing them only on web sites related to your products or services.

Example: If you own a Web site that sells "gift items", a targeted site could be an online flower shop or a web site featuring various arts and crafts. Find out where your potential customers shop, and try to advertise there.

Banner advertising that appears on sites that are not targeted to your product or service can also produce some meaningful results too. Just be sure not to pay as much for that type of banner advertising traffic.

Calculating Your Banner Ad Response. Banner ads are tracked using software that reports how many times the banner ad was seen as well as how many people actually clicked on the ads. Some sites will provide you with these statistics, some won't. If not, you might be able to test your banner ads using your own site's statistics.

If paying for banner ads by the click or by impressions (or views), you can track your response with your bill. If you pay ten cents per click, then you'll know exactly how many people have clicked on your ad by viewing the amount due and dividing by .10 (ten cents).

You can use banner ads to bring targeted customers to your site or to brand your company name. Either way, banner ads can be a useful and effective way to increase your online sales. It should be included as part of an overall balanced approach toward internet marketing and advertising for your web site.