Definition

Banner ads are the display ads that uses imagery to fascinate and attract the target audience. The goal is to drive traffic at the website.

Description

In the world of digital marketing, the idea is to get more traffic to get higher sales on the website. Banner ads are ads placed in high-traffic locations on the websites that attract visitors.

It creates a high brand awareness and pushes people to click through and make the ultimate purchase.

Banner ads use images and multimedia to convey the brand’s message. These ads fall in the category of digital advertising that lures the customers to generate revenue.

Banner ads are priced according to either of the two:

• Cost per click, that is, the price for each ad click.
• Cost per mille, that is, cost per 1000 impressions.

Example

In the screenshot above, a LinkedIn banner ad indicates that people can connect over this platform to expand their business.

Importance of Banner Ads

Banner Ads are important for a website as it:

• Helps in generating traffic to the website.
• Assists in creating more brand awareness.
• Allows the brands to have wider acceptance amongst the audience.

How to create banner ads?

This is how you can create banner ads to increase brand recognition:

• Step1: Outline brand goals: You must create a banner ad after considering the brand’s goal. Think about what desired action you want the viewers to take from the banner ad.
• Step2: Agree upon a budget: Decide what amount of budget do you want to invest in the banner ad.
• Step3: Identify the right audience: Make sure that the ad reaches the right audience. The brand should have the right audience to make it successful.
• Step4: Create the right CTA: Develop the right CTA considering what actions you want the audience to take from your banner ad.
• Step5: Keep the quality in mind: Make sure that the banner ad includes high quality images, readable text, etc. that should match the company’s overall branding.

The banner ads are placed strategically on the website to promote the brand as well as encourage the viewers to visit the brand’s website. The intent is to build brand awareness, drive traffic and generate more leads.

Best Practices for designing Banner Ads?

Here are the best practices for designing banner ads:

• Use the effective standard banner sizes. According to Google AdSense, a standard ad banner should be of:

1. 728X 90px for leaderboard
2. 300X600px for half page
3. 300X250px for medium rectangle
4. 336X228px for large rectangle

• Place the banner ads correctly.
• Maintain hierarchy. Start with the company’s logo, then add the value proposition, and then include the CTA.
• Keep it simple with a blend of content and visuals.
• Keep everything inside a frame as that catches the attention of the people’s eyes.
• Make your text readable.
• Use animation to catch attention.
• Banner ads should blend but stand out at the same time. So colours and UI designs must suit the best but still the design should be unique.
• The banner ad should match with the brand’s image and identity.
• Add an essence of urgency in the banner ads. You can use bold colours to add urgency enabling viewers to take actions.
• Choose appropriate colours and use the images well.
• Keep the file sizes small so that it does not affect the load time of the website.
• Use the correct file format like JPG, PNG, and HTML5.

FAQs:

When does a banner ad perform well?

A banner ad performs the best when they are:

• Conveying the exact message that is close to the content.
• Above the fold and not at the intersection of the two folds.
• Placed on the left hand side.

What are the important things to be included in a banner ad?

You can create a banner ad when you make a note of these things:

• Speak and reflect well for your brand.
• Incorporate a CTA.
• Use keywords wisely but do not overdo it.
• Choose high-quality images in your banner ad.
• Keep it simple.

What are the types of banner ads?

There are two types of banner ads:

1. Standard: The banner ad in which advertisers will pay for in exchange for clicks on advertiser’s websites.
2. Adaptive: Adaptive banner ads are the ads that offer the best user experience.

What is the difference between a native ad and a banner ad?

A native ad is the one that blends seamlessly in the website’s content. These ads appear as sponsored or promoted content. On the other hand a display ad is the advertisement that appears on the website since the beginning of digital advertising.

Banner ads are the common display ads that vary in shape and size to fit different locations on a web page within the content.

Native Ad	Banner Ad
A native ad matches organically with the look and feel of the site.	Banner ads stand out from the organic feel.
Native ads are consumed as pieces of content.	Banner ads are ignored due to banner blindness.
These ads are suited to bring traffic to the site.	Banner ads are suited for remarketing campaigns.
High CTR	Low CTR

Also Read –

• What is digital advertising? A beginner’s guide
• Display Ads Vs Search Ads: What’s the best for you?