Long gone are the days when billboard advertisements were the best way to reach potential customers in high-traffic cities and towns.
As the Internet has taken shape and transformed into a marketing hotspot, so has advertising.
Now, those billboards that were once seen from busy streets and highways have gone digital. They're specifically called Banner Ads and they are digital billboards for businesses, big and small.
If you are interested in learning more, we have broken down the what, where and why of utilizing Banner Ads for your business in this blog!
What Are Banner Ads/Types of Banner Ads?
Banner Ads serve advertising goals and campaigns that are centered around raising awareness in front of potential customers on high-trafficked websites.
You can gain the value of potential customers being introduced to your business via a Banner Ad without them even clicking on it! Since Banner Ads have a strong visual component and their value is based around awareness, impressions or views are much more valuable than engagement when it comes to achieving this.
With all that being said, two different kinds of ad formats fit under the Banner Ads category. These are Responsive Banner Ads and Static Banner Ads.
Responsive Banner Ads use a combination of assets including, bright and eye-catching images, minimal descriptions or text and direct calls to action to maximize impressions.
Built with viewers in mind, Responsive Banner Ads fit mobile formats, and live up to their name by responding to the site they are being viewed on by fitting the ad within its content organically and natively.
The specific elements, such as images and formats, are selected and adjusted based on how the audience is viewing them. This allows impressions and reach to grow regardless of the type of website a viewer is browsing.
On the other end of the Banner Ad spectrum are Uploaded Image Banner Ads. These are static or animated ads that are used for exposure on larger desktop placements.
When more creative control is needed, Uploaded Image Ads are a great option as you can include more text and ad backgrounds in your uploaded Banner Ads.
Ultimately, you should know that with these ads comes the limited ability for them to show up natively, organically and properly formatted. Instead, you will need to create multiple different sizes of Static Ads to achieve this.
Now, we don't want to keep you waiting! Here's an example of how you can expect a Banner Ad to look.
Where Can Banner Ads Be Found?
Banner Ads serve the purpose of being found on high-traffic websites.
With this in mind, here are a few notable websites that are a part of the Google Display Network and will showcase Banner Ads on their sites:
- HGTV
- ESPN
- New York Times
- YouTube
- National News Websites (Fox, CNN, etc.)
- Food Network
- Weather.com
Now, it is important to know that within the Google Display Network, there are around two million different websites and apps. In the process of setting up your Banner Ads, you must take certain strategic action to show on credible websites, otherwise, they can show in any of the two million placements within the network rather than the most visited.
By using an awareness strategy of building a substantial yet curated list of websites, you can ensure that your ads show in the right places and meet the right audience. And remember, don’t be too narrow with your list of websites, or else your ads won’t show!
Banner Ads aren’t limited to website placements, however. Two additional targeting options for these advertisements you may be familiar with are geofencing and retargeting.
Using geofencing and retargeting to expand visibility on the Google Display Network broadens exposure to relevant audiences who are likely to be local to your business and may be potential customers to re-engage with Banner Ads!
What Makes an Eye-Catching Responsive Banner Ad?
Having Responsive Banner Ads is great but they’re only as effective as the quality that is put into them! Here are a few features that go into making eye-catching and impactful Banner Ads:
- High-quality photos that will stay clear even when scaled down to mobile format size.
- Uploaded images that can be scaled down to fit into the right ad format or website format.
- Close-up views of the product or service at hand to make the value of the ad clear to a viewer.
- The business name featured in the headline.
- Use of multiple headlines, images and CTAs. The more assets that are available, the more A/B testing can be used to predict the best ads for your audience.
There are upwards of one billion combinations of a Responsive Banner Ad that could be created if you are using multiple assets. And no, that doesn’t mean you’ll have to approve a billion different combinations before getting your perfect ad!
Previews of Banner Ad combinations can be viewed after they are created so you can get an idea of what they will look like in the wild, aka the Internet.
The previews will be stand-alone and not natively within website content, so keep in mind how your audience will see these ads in the midst of website content, most likely from their phones!
Here's a peek at what a successful Banner Ad looks like:
Why Choose Responsive Banner Ads?
When it comes to visibility, Responsive Banner Ads are the way to go!
Of course, there are benefits to both Uploaded Image Banners Ads and Responsive Banner Ads but when it comes to creating awareness and brand recognition across countless formats and websites, Responsive Banner Ads are unmatched.
These ads lead the pack when it comes to driving impressions by potential customers on high-traffic websites.
Final Thoughts
If Banner Ads pique your interest and are aligned with your local business's digital marketing, and more specifically, paid advertising goals, then we're here to help!
To learn more about our paid advertising services click here. And to read up on other advertising resources, check out the content below.