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What makes a good Banner Ad?

Banner ads are one of the most common forms of online marketing- they’re affordable, measurable and effective in building brand awareness and generating leads.

We’ve put together a few tips on what it takes to make a really successful banner ad…

  1. Ads in all the right places

Online advertising is all about where you put your ads. It seems pointless to have beautifully designed ads, if they are being shown in the wrong places and to the wrong audience. The SeeLocal network specifically chooses sites relevant to each campaign, and ensures ads are only shown to audiences with a genuine interest.

It’s also important that banner ads are placed above the fold of a site, i.e. in the first section, not requiring the user to scroll down to view. This is because, the majority of website users will not scroll further down, so the likelihood of your ad being seen is significantly less than if they were placed at the top of the page.

  1. Banner ad sizes

SeeLocal,  an online advertising platform specialising in local display advertising campaign, recommend using ads in the following sizes only:

  • 336 x 280 pixels
  • 300 x 250 pixels
  • 728 x 90 pixels
  • 300 x 600 pixels
  • 1200 x 628 pixels
  • 320 x 120 pixels

Advertisements in these sizes will be visible across all online networks, and will work on any device such as mobile, tablet or desktop. If ads are in  any other sizes, they risk appearing distorted, hidden or not shown on sites at all.

  1. Three key aspects to an ad.

Three of the key things must be included in an ad, are your logo, clear indication of what you’re advertising ( including images) and a clear, creative call to action.

Ads should clearly show the company logo, and be designed with branding at the forefront of the mind.This ensures that the ad is recognisable to your existing customers, but also leaves a lasting effect on new customers. Using images of your product, or using images of people, tend to get higher engagement, and try to avoid images that look too much like they have come from a stock image site- if you own your images, it’s best to use these as they are guaranteed to be new images, rather than images that users have seen on different ads before.

Ads also need to include your proposition, such as a special offer or trial in a clear position on the ad, with a call to action that is short, punchy and inviting. CTA’s are usually positioned inside a button, making them a focal point of the ad. It is recommended to avoid phrases like ‘click here’- it’s overused, obvious and generally unexciting. Try to come up with something different, to create intrigue and draw the customer in.

Essentially, your ads need to be able to stand out on a crowded web page, to be clear in what you are promoting and convince the user that they should click on your ad over any other competitors. Keep monitoring the performance of your ads, and make changes if and when necessary to ensure you’re not wasting any of your budget.