Designing Banners That Sell

By Staff Writer

Jupiter Communications officials predict that online advertising spending will reach $16.5 billion by 2005.

They're everywhere, from big business sites to the smallest personal sites. Banner ads are quickly becoming substantial traffic drivers on the Web. In fact, Jupiter Communications officials predict that online advertising spending will reach $16.5 billion by 2005-more than cable, yellow pages and outdoor advertising! More and more people are spending money on banners, but not nearly as many are successful in reaping responses. Before you launch your banner campaign, or before you test another round of changes on your current one, follow our tips for smart and effective design.

Getting Started

As when planning any advertising, you need to establish a few parameters to guide your banner ads. First, determine your target audience. Do you want to attract a new age group of customers? Are you trying to reach a specific category population? Next, what action do you want them to take once they click? Subscribe to your newsletter? Buy your latest product? Once you answer these questions, you'll be better able to create more effective banner creative.


Design Do's and Don'ts
Once you've finishing strategizing, it's time to do the creating. Whether you're designing the banners yourself or outsourcing them out to a designer, make sure that the following top elements are taken into account.

1. Copy Clarity - Not only are you limited by time, having only a few seconds to make an impression, you're also limited by space. That means your message has to be clear, concise and strong. Don't use ten words when five will do.

2. The other two key words you'll need: "Click here." This simple directive has been shown to increase response rates by 15-20 percent!

   Compelling Words - No matter how many ads are out there, how many times a person views them, the most powerful advertising words are basic and unchanging: "FREE" and "NEW." The other two key words you'll need: "Click here." This simple directive has been shown to increase response rates by 15-20 percent!
3. Font - Don't use too many different fonts in your ad. More than two can make split-second scanning harder on the eye.

4. Don't crowd anything...or you won't see the clicks.

   Legibility - In addition to font, spacing plays a big role in how easy your banner will be to read. Pay attention to the space between the lines (or "leading"), the space between the letters (or "kerning") and the space between your copy and the edge of your banner. Don't crowd anything.or you won't see the clicks.
5. Colors - Catch attention. Peruse where your ad will run and note the color scheme. Then contrast your colors against it so your banner will be striking on the site's background.
6. File Size - The rule of the Web is a 468 x 60 pixel banner should be 12 kilobytes or less. In fact, the less the better. Keep your colors simple and save your ad as a GIF file and you should have an easier time getting under 12 kb. If your banner is too big, you'll lose impressions while it's loading.

7. Include your Web site URL and logo in all banners.

   Company URL and logo - Don't miss an opportunity to brand! Include your Web site URL and logo in all banners. Even if your URL is in a much smaller font in the bottom corner, always include it.

8. Even the most basic animation can raise your click-through rates by 25-30 percent.

   Animation - Use it! Even the most basic animation can raise your click-through rates by 25-30 percent. The downsides are that these require more work and end up as larger file sizes. To solve the latter problem, optimize by decreasing the number of colors and vertical color change.
9. Timing - If you'll be using an animated banner, you need to get the rotation slow enough so viewers can read it, but quick enough so they don't miss anything if they scroll or click away. The balance for total time revolution is about three-seconds, with a five-second maximum. The only frame you should hold for more than two seconds is the final messaging. Don't forget to pay attention to the rhythm and cadence of your banner. Keep testing and having others look at it, and you'll have the proper loop in no time.

Additional Tips

Avoid tricks for clicks. You know the banners: the ones that tell viewers to click for critical updates or the ones that mimic operating system dialog boxes. It's true, in the short run, you'll get a dramatic increase in click-through rates, but you'll do more damage than it's worth. Visitors won't take actions once on your site and, feeling duped, will resent your tactic. Your credibility could suffer in the long run.

Putting yourself in the shoes of your future audience will help you design a compelling banner.

See what catches your eye. As you're surfing around the Web, keep track of the banners that grab your attention. Visit major portal sites and see what's out there. Take a look at the commonalities between the ads you like and make a list of why you think they worked. Putting yourself in the shoes of your future audience will help you design a compelling banner.

Less is more. Keep your basic message intact and lose any additional, unnecessary clutter. Whether it's your images, your copy, or your overall design, simple banners make bigger impacts.

Track, test, track again. Keep a close eye on your banner's performance and tweak details when needed to best optimize your campaign.

Keep placement in mind. Even the best designed banner won't perform well if it's placed wrong. Do your homework now and you'll avoid wasting money later.