Creating a Banner Ad that People Will Click!

The object for most people’s web site is to be earning income online. To do that you need to attract people to your website and a colourful, tasteful banner is one way to do that.  Banner ads are quite easy to create. It’s not rocket science so you don’t need a degree in banner creation to put together a good banner ad that people will click on – and be spirited away to your website. That is all a banner ad is intended to do. It won’t sell your product or service. Your website does that. A banner ad should entice people to click on it and thus be directed to your website.  There are a number of free banner creation programs out there. With a little practice, you should be able to create a good-looking, colourful banner relatively quickly.

Banner Software

There are several ways to create a banner ad. The first is to create it from scratch by yourself. If you have Adobe Photoshop and know how to use it, great. But, doing this is time-consuming and you must know your stuff. Sure, you can create a simple banner but why bother when you can create a banner using professional, free software with free templates and all the bells and whistles that go along with them. Start by doing a search for ‘free banner creator’ and you will see loads of them.

There are two types – one where you create your banner online and then download the finished banner to your web site and the other where you download the software and then use it to create your banner offline. Creating a banner online means you don’t have to download anything. Sometimes the owner ‘hosts’ your banner so that when you post it, the banner is linked to their web site. I prefer being able to download the banner to my own web site once I’ve created it. Most banner creation programs allow you to do this. Usually you are also able to upload your own images and incorporate them in your banners.

Bannersketch andGetPaint are two banner creation programs that come to mind.Your search will turn up many more. Play around with them. See what each one offers and which is easiest to use. Some are much easier than others. Some are plain and simple. Othersare flashier. Your option. Remember as you are creating the banner that the purpose of your banner is just to get people to click through to your web site. Don’t be tempted to use it to sell your product. It won’t work and will turn people off.

When making your banner ad, consider the size you will need. The most common banner you will see is a horizontal 468x60 pixels. Start with this. You can play around with alternate sizes later – such as square banners (block ads), vertical ads at 60x960 and smaller or larger sizes.

You may want to consider creating your banner in double or triple the size you intend to use. Why would you do that? It will give better overall resolution when reduced to the size of your finished banner. The better looking your banner is, the better it will attract attention.

Use a strong background and contrasting text. Add an image if it helps – possibly a background image. People see upwards of 1000 ads every day with newspapers, magazines, billboards and TV. They are inured to ads so your banner has to catch their eye quickly. A few seconds in likely all the time they will give your banner. How can you capture people’s attention and interest them to the point where they will click on your banner within those precious seconds? Put yourself in their place and think about what would get you to click. Keep the font simple so it gets read quickly. Use a pleasing design and background. Maybe purple and pink is your favourite color combination but you are not the one who is going to be looking at it and making a split-second decision to click or not to click.   If your web site uses specific colors, then by all means, use the same color combination in your banner. The consistency will help when people get to your website. Avoid colors that are hard to read or hard on the eyes.

What about Animation?

Simple animation may help to draw the eye to your banner – especially if there are other ads close by that are competing for attention. Don’t use flashing, blinking, bright red solids. Be tasteful in your banners. It will pay off in more clicks. Of course, there is nothing wrong with testing two or three color combinations to see which draws the most clicks. In fact, it is a good idea and part of any good marketing plan.

Outsourcing

If you don’t feel creative or are pressed for time, you may want to consider paying a professional to create a banner for you. 20DollarBanners.com is one place that will create a very simple, custom banner $20 banner ad for you in a day or two.

Remember, the purpose of the banner you create is to get people to click it. It has to quickly attract their attention and entice them into wanting more information. Do that and you have a successful banner! Once the banner gets them to your website, then, assuming your promotion is well done and your product is viewed as helpful, then your sales will kick in and you start earning income online – and that’s what it’s all about.

To your prosperity!

Bob Taylor

Bob Taylor is an educator, writer and entrepreneur. He publishes a twice-weekly ‘MoneySecrets’ newsletter to help people learn how to make money online. Subscribe to his newsletter and get your copy of his e-book: How to Make Super Affiliate Commissions