So you want to purchase advertising online for your company but you’re not sure just what the best choices are. Well, if you look at the numbers, Internet banner ads are both affordable and can generate a lot of leads. However, for banner advertising to be successful, you need use the correct size ads along with a powerful benefit-rich message. And, adding a shocking picture can really get the clicks flowing from your banner ads.
Thankfully, Internet banner advertising has been used for a long time and statistical research has been done to show which banner ad sizes get the most clicks and which sizes get the least clicks.
Here are the top four banner sizes for generating clicks:
1. 300 x 250 pixels. This is known as the “medium rectangle” size. It statistically generates more clicks than any other banner size. If you are doing any type of banner advertising, make sure you are using banner ads that are this size. Click here to see the actual size.
2. 336 x 280 pixels. This is known as the “large rectangle” size. It is slightly larger than a medium rectangle and is the second best banner ad size for generating clicks. Click here to see the actual size.
3. 728 x 90 pixels. This ad size is known as the “leaderboard.” It is a fairly large horizontal banner ad and does the third best job for generating clicks. Click here to see the actual size.
4. 160 x 600 pixels. This banner ad size is known as the the “wide skyscraper”. It is a vertical banner ad and it is the fourth best performing banner ad for generating clicks. Click here to see the actual size.
Now for the banner ad sizes the produces the least clicks:
According to Google Adsense and other marketing websites, the worst sizes for Internet banners are the smaller sizes such as Microbars (88 x 31 pixels), Full banners (468 x 60 pixels), and Square button sizes (125 x 125 pixels). You should really avoid using these banner ad sizes as they are rarely clicked.
The general rule of thumb for getting the most clicks from your banner ads is that bigger ad sizes generate more clicks and the smaller ads produce very few clicks.
Tips for creating a banner ad that gets a lot of clicks are to do the following:
1. Use a powerful benefit as your banner ad headline.
2. Use a shocking picture. A shocking picture will immediately draw attention to your banner ad.
3. Add a call to action button or text such as “Click Here”, “FREE Download”, “Save up to 70%”, etc. Banner ads that include a strong call to action always generate more clicks than banner ads that do not include a call to action.
Co-written by Peter Geisheker and Alanna Monical and originally posted at The Geisheker Group Marketing Blog.
Read more: Banner Ads Are Back from the Dead: How Google Has Given Banner Ads New Life