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Web Advertising Banner Basics
Advertising an Internet website usually means using a web banner. They are fairly cheap, and relatively successful.
Designing your own advertising banners can save you a lot of money, but you need to know a few basics to make the banners work for you.
We're going to cover the common sizes, file types, and hit a few tips in banner creation.
| Difficulty Level: |
Beginner |
Time Needed: |
10-20 Minutes |
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PDF Version: |
Download |
| 1 |
Common Banner Sizes
There is no universal rule to what size you should make your web banners. Depending on the website you advertise on, the sizes you need will vary.
However, there are five sizes of advertising banner more common than any other. Most websites adhere to these sizing guidelines, creating slots for advertising that will allow the display of one of these sizes.
The chart in Illustration 01 shows exactly what size the common banners are. Save or print for your reference. Having at least one option in each of these sizes will give you the most advertising flexibility. |
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| 2 |
Understanding the Power of Simplicity
Successful advertising banners can be tricky to design. Between software that filters out web banners and the general fact that most people are so used to banners they no longer see them, getting a single click is sacred.
How do you capture attention? Keep it simple. Don't use more "stuff" - including words and pictures - than you have to.
The goal is simple: Make an impact fast. You may have only seconds to catch a potential visitor's attention. Experts recommend using 7 words or less, and no more than 3 major graphics.
Illustration 02 shows several very good, beautifully simple banner ads. |
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| 3 |
Keep File Size Down
No one wants to watch a commercial. Even less do people want to view ads online. They're not going to wait for your banner to download - they'll continue on without ever seeing it.
Animated banners are used often, but these are also the most size-intensive banners out there. Unless you have a very good, convincing reason to use animations ... don't.
If you must use animation, keep it down to one element that is animated. Too much and you'll ruin the eye-grabbing effect. |
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Call to Action
There aren't many things that all experts agree on when it comes to banner advertising - this is one thing they do agree on.
A call to action is simply using words like "click here", "act now", "don't wait", "enter", etc. You're telling the viewer to take immediate action.
This is a universal truth. Include a button that says "click here", or a line of text that looks like a hyperlink. Give the viewer something to do other than just glance at your ad and continue on.
One clever adaptation of the "call to action" is the appearance of a drop-down box. It makes it seem that you can select something by clicking ... but you can't. Instead, it takes you to the website.
Many of the banners in Illustration 03 aren't what I'd call aesthetically pleasing - but they are successful because they call the viewer to take action. |
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