This article gives you some splendid tips to boost your web
traffic with banner ads. Before we get deeper into these tips, it is
essential to understand the basics of web banner design first.
1) WEB BANNER DESIGN – WHAT EXACTLY IS IT?
One of the most productive forms of online marketing, the web
banner design is used in the creation of clickable banner ads. Banner
ads are ad images that are embedded onto web pages, thereby highlighting
a product or brand and link to the advertiser’s website.
This
is the most preferred form of marketing by companies, as its
affordable, easily measurable and one of the best ways to increase brand
awareness.
2) DESIGNING OF GREAT BANNER ADS:
Now that the basics have been covered, its time we move on to
cover the intricacies of designing banner ads. Given below are some tips
that will help you to design a great banner ad.
USE THE MOST EFFECTIVE STANDARD BANNER SIZES:
The most effective banner sizes, according to Google AdSense would be –
728×90px — Leader board
300×600px — Half Page
300×250px — Medium Rectangle
336×280px — Large Rectangle
PLACE YOUR BANNER ADS CORRECTLY:
Make sure to place your banner ads perfectly on the webpage, so that it garners the maximum attention of viewers.
MAINTAIN HIERARCHY:
Most banner ads rely on balancing, which if done correctly can
increase brand awareness and drive in more traffic to your website. It
is also essential that your ads contain your company logo, value
proposition (attractive discounts/slashed prices) and a CTA.
KEEP IT SIMPLE, SILLY!
There is absolutely no need to go for exuberant visuals and
flowery content. Simplicity does the trick, as viewers spend barely a
second to glance at your ad.
BUTTONS – USE THEM CORRECTLY!
Irrespective of the type of banners used, the CTR – Click
through rate is what it takes to make the ad count. If you are planning
to use buttons, make sure that you place them just below the ads. Make
these buttons as attractive as possible.
HAVE A CLEARLY DEFINED FRAME:
People’s eyes are naturally drawn to a subject inside a frame.
Effective banner ads have a clearly defined frame with graphics extended
to the edges of the box.
YOUR TEXT SHOULD BE INSTANTLY READABLE:
To attract more traffic, it is necessary that your headline and
body copy are of different sizes, and under four lines or less. Do not
use stylish fonts including cursive writing, very thin fonts, an
all-uppercase copy, or fonts that are smaller than 10pt, unless you wish
to include disclaimers or copyrights.
USE ANIMATION:
Using simple animation for mot more than 15 seconds and thrice
the loop goes a long way in creating an effective web banner design. You
can also use animations to create CTAs.
STAND OUT OF THE COMPETITION:
It is all good to complement your competitors, but to make yours
stand out from stiff competition, you must make your banner ads more
visible and clickable.
BE CONSISTENT WITH YOUR BRAND:
Make sure that your banner ad connects viewers to a landing
page, that includes your value proposition. Your ads should be
consistent enough that viewers do not get confused by the contradictory
information, being posted in various sites.
INSTILL A SENSE OF URGENCY:
Using ephemeral content in your banner ads, can help generate a
sense of urgency amongst viewers. The beauty of ephemeral content is
that it vanishes after 24 hrs of viewing. This helps to create more
attention and traffic to your ads.
USE IMAGERY ONLY IF YOU NEED TO USE IT:
Choosing relevant graphics and images is the key to generate
effective results. If you cannot afford professional photography, make
best use of websites such as: Shutterstock, that has millions of images
and visuals. It is not always necessary to use images, as an impressive
copy and typography can do the same.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT COLORS:
Color will be the first thing a user notices in your banner ad,
as it invokes varied emotions, needed for attracting your audience. Play
with bold colors such as red, blue, green, if you want to make a
statement, demure colors such as yellow, orange, pink for freshness and
grey, black, and white, if you want your ads to be powerful yet simple.
KEEP YOUR FILE SIZES SMALL:
The smaller the better—under 150 kb, when it comes to file
sizes, as per Google Adwords. Your ad needs to load fast on a page
before viewers scroll down and miss it.
USE THE CORRECT FILE FORMATS:
You would typically be working on Adobe Illustrator or
Photoshop, when it comes to designs, and most of your files would be
JPG, PNG, or GIF files. It is better to use these formats rather than
Flash ads, as they have become so outdated these days.
To
conclude with, web banner design focuses on the systematic creation of
effective banner ads through the careful application of basic design
guidelines. By following the above tips, you should be able to create
amazing, high performing ads.