A banner ad can be a quick, easy, and cost-efficient option to tell people about your brand and encourage them to purchase from you. However, to achieve these results, such an ad has to be appealing and relevant to your target audience.
Read further to discover the benefits and use cases of web banner ads and learn how to create ones that will work for your business.
Download high-quality, licensed visuals for your banner ads from Depositphotos
What is an advertisement banner?
An advertisement banner is a rectangle-shaped ad you see on websites. Its goal is to grab your attention and encourage you to click on it for more info or to buy a product or service. That's why a banner ad should be catchy and easy to notice, even potentially animated, to get more customer attention.
How can an advertisement banner benefit your brand?
This year, ad spending in the Banner Advertising market is forecasted to reach $174.4 billion, demonstrating constant yearly growth. Incorporating an advertisement banner into your marketing plan can benefit your brand in several ways, including:
- Increase visibility and drive traffic to your website or product;
- Raise awareness among potential customers who might not have otherwise discovered your brand;
- Reinforce brand messaging and increase brand recognition.
FAQ: What makes a good advertisement banner?
A good banner not only looks appealing, but also communicates a clear message or call to action and resonates with your target audience. It should be easy to understand and relevant to the promoted product or service.
Examples of advertisement banner use cases
Advertisement banners are commonly used for:
- Product or event promotion. For instance, Nike often uses banner ads to attract customer attention to new shoe releases.
- Retargeting. These ads target users who previously visited a website, but didn't make a purchase. For example, Amazon often retargets users who have browsed specific products, but haven't bought them yet.
- Brand awareness. Banner ads can also be used to increase brand awareness. Coca-Cola often creates and launches banner ads to reinforce its brand identity.
- Mobile app installation. Banner ads can help promote mobile apps and encourage users to try them out. For instance, Spotify often uses banner ads to encourage users to install its mobile app.
FAQ: How can you create a banner for advertising?
You can do so using design software like Adobe Photoshop or online tools like VistaCreate. Online tools often have pre-made banner templates that you can easily customize according to your creative needs.
How to create a high-quality banner ad
Even if you don't have much experience with graphic design, it's still possible to create appealing high-quality banners. Here's what you need to do:
Use the most efficient and appropriate banner sizes
Choose banner sizes that are commonly accepted across various platforms and devices. For instance, Google Adsense recommends using 300x250, 336x280, 728x90, 300x600, and 320x100 ad sizes, naming them the top-performing ones in 2024. Opting for standard sizes helps maximize ad reach.
Maintain visual hierarchy
To make your banner ads efficient, you need to find the right balance in each element, especially in terms of visual hierarchy. A good ad should include your company's logo that is prominently visible, but it shouldn’t distract viewers from the main message. The value proposition should capture the attention of viewers and be appealing in terms of offer and pricing.
Choose appealing visuals
Use high-quality and visually appealing images or graphics that are relevant to your product or message and clearly highlight its benefits. You can purchase images from stock content websites like Depositphotos for that purpose or hire a professional photographer to take pictures for you. In any case, avoid cluttering the ad with too many visuals and focus on one compelling picture instead.
Ensure that the text is readable
To achieve this, choose fonts that are easy to read and pick appropriate sizes for them. You can start with the smaller ad size—if your text is readable on it, then it would be much easier to duplicate across larger formats. Keep the messaging concise yet impactful.
Make the CTA button stand out
The call-to-action (CTA) button is one of the most critical elements of a banner ad because it encourages users to take a desired action. That's why you need to ensure that the button stands out. You can achieve this by using contrasting colors, bold typography, or additional visual effects like shadows or gradients. You also have to choose action-oriented words for the CTA—for instance, "Shop Now," "Learn More," or "Sign Up."
Ensure that the ad matches your branding
The banner ad should align with your brand's visual identity—its colors, fonts, and overall aesthetic. Consistent branding helps customers recognize your brand and can be especially beneficial if you already have a large and loyal audience that prefers you over your competitors.
FAQ: What are some additional tips for designing a successful banner ad?
Besides the tips listed in this article, focus on keeping your banner ad simple and uncluttered. Come up with a strong headline or message, include a clear call-to-action, and optimize for mobile devices.
To sum up
Banner ads can help your brand achieve so many things, from raising awareness to increasing brand recognition and boosting sales. Follow the tips in this article to make your ads visually appealing and efficient from a marketing point of view.
