Banner Design Tips

Here are some tips for effective banner ad design and obtaining a higher click-through ratio (CTR):

1. Large Banners
   Generally speaking, the larger a banner is the more likely it will be clicked on. A banner that is 468 or 500 pixels across takes up more screen space and therefore is more likely to get noticed. The banner size is generally limited by the site on which you wish to advertise.

2. Have a Call to Action
   Banners featuring the words "click here", "enter" or similar in many cases generate a higher response.

3. Animated Banners
   People will notice an animated banner more than a static one. The banner does not have to be continuously animated; 3-5 repetitions should suffice.

4. Don't Let Your Banner Get "Stale"
   Click-throughs tend to drop off after a week or so, but go back up when a new banner appears (even if it advertises the same product or site). When starting a major banner ad campaign, have several banner ads designed and rotate them to keep a single banner from becoming stale. This will also help you determine which banner design has the best CTR.

5. Link Banner to the Appropriate Page
   If you are promoting a specific product or service link the banner directly to that particular page on your site. Linking the banner to the home page instead forces the visitor to try to hunt for the products - and many won't bother.

6. Tell Them What It Is
   Don't be vague or misleading about what you're trying to promote. Not having enough information on your banner for people to make a decision to click on it can create disappointing results. Having a banner appear to promote something when in fact it leads to something entirely different only serves to annoy people. Be clear and concise in your message. The visitor will likely make the decision whether to click on your banner (or not) within the first second or so of seeing it. Give them the information to make the decision, but not so much that they're overwhelmed and move on.

7. Offer Something For Free
   Having the word "Free" appear in your banner can entice people to click on it. Naturally, you should only do this if you actually are giving away something of value for free (product, information, etc.)

8. Be a Diamond in the Rough
   Have you ever tried to find something in a search engine only to be bombarded with 148,293 results? Sure, we all have. Yet at the top of the screen is a banner that is well-designed, attention-getting, and is promoting exactly the product or service that we were looking for - a "diamond in the rough". Immediately the user has a positive impression of the company simply because it saved them a lot of time and delivered the message clearly. Chances are very good that the user will click on the banner and become a potential customer.

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