Regardless of whether your business is internet dependent or not, your communication strategy is incomplete without online advertising. Internet advertising has exploded in recent times, and so has the choice of vehicles for delivering your messages in cyberspace. Today, marketers are spoilt for choice – and it's a tough call to decide between emails, newsletters, sponsored links and so on. To top it all, given the right conditions, the good old internet banner can also work wonders. Read on to learn about designing an internet banner that rocks!



Put the value up-front. Time has never been at such a premium as now. In the cluttered world of cyber advertising, you have to fight hard to grab eyeballs. Remember, every one wants to know what's in it for them; articulate your value proposition full on. While designing an internet banner, try to incorporate words that propel action – “Free”, “Limited Offer” or “Click Now” are some examples. At the same time, make sure your key message gets across without ambiguity. The Ad Design section on can really teach you a thing or two.

Looks matter. While you do want your banner to grab attention, you don't want it to stick out like a sore thumb! Pay close attention to aesthetics while designing an internet banner. Use the colors of your logo to provide visual reinforcement of your brand; at the same time, make sure that the design is tasteful and in keeping with the image you'd like to maintain. It is debatable which produces better results – a banner that is consistent with the look and feel of the site it is placed on, or one that is in direct contrast! You might have to experiment a bit to find your own answers to that one. However, animation is largely perceived as being a good thing, provided it is used in the right measure.

So does size. This is probably the most important guideline to follow while designing an internet banner. No one has the time and patience to wait till a heavy banner finishes loading. Experts recommend a size of around 15k – while this may limit the bells and whistles somewhat, anything is worth doing so for larger click-throughs.

Try a few tricks. There is no right and wrong in advertising, and the online variety is no different. You'll never know for sure what will click or click through, so be prepared to experiment a bit. Get whoever is designing an internet banner for you to submit a few options, and try them out for a few days each. That will give you a chance to compare their performance before you finally settle on one. An average banner achieves a click-through rate of less than one percent, but obviously you want more. While some have been known to touch a staggering 7 percent, we would recommend that you apply a more reasonable benchmark at maybe 2 to 3 percent.

Be seen in the right places. Just because a website records a gazillion hits a day does not mean you should be advertising on it. The old wisdom of advertising is that the more targeted your reach, the better the returns. Place your message on websites that have synergies with your line of business, and are therefore likely to attract interested visitor traffic. Again, play around with different combinations of target sites to see what works best.

Don't DIY. Finally, we'd say that designing an internet banner is a creative process, and best left to professionals or those with genuine talent. Investing a bit of money to hire the right people can result in better quality and great results!