Excite me, tease me, make me want to click.
By Merle
Banners are a necessity for anyone doing business online. Sooner
or later you'll want to do some banner advertising or simply
swap with another site, so you'll want to make sure you have
a few to choose from when that time comes.
There are "standard" sizes for banners, and you need
to make sure you adhere to those standards before creating them.
The most popular size by far is 468X60. Some of the others are
234 x 60 Half Banner and 120 x 240 Vertical Banner. Popular
button sizes are 120 x 60 and 125 x 125 and a micro size of
88 x 31
You'll want to make a few in a variety of sizes so you already
have the right size for the job at hand. So what do you need
to include on your banner? There are a variety of things you
can do when designing to ensure clickability.
(1) Use the actual words "click here" somewhere on
the banner as a call to action.
(2) Use some form of animation- Movement catches the eye
(3) Make sure your banner loads quickly by keeping the size
down to no more than 10K if possible.
(4) Offer Something Free
(5) Tell them just enough to pique their curiosity so they'll
want to click and learn more.
(6) Studies have shown these colors work the best Orange, Green,
Red, Blue, Black and Purple.
(7) Create a sense of urgency by stating something like "Last
Chance," or "Limited Time Offer."
So you've taken all this into consideration and you're thinking
to yourself, "I can't even draw a stick figure - how am
I going to design a banner?" Have no fear, there are many
resources online that will help you make banners quickly and
easily.
http://www.addesigner.com
I love this one and have used it many times. Make all you like
free. You'll have to register first to get a password.
http://www.animation.com
Here you can make some free or choose from a higher end variety
for cash.
http://www.quckbanner.com
Click on a banner you like and add your text
http://crecon.com/banners.html
Use the online generator or download the free templates to make
your own.
http://www.customotion.com
Make Really cool Flash banners here. Choose a template type
in your text and download it.
If you're handy with PhotoShop or any other graphics program
you may want to download some free banners and modify them to
your liking. Try this : http://katekreates.com/freebann.shtml
Remember, banners today are a dime a dozen so you need to put
forth that extra effort to get people to click. You don't need
to be a graphics designer to create your own banners. By using
the many free resources that are available to you online you'll
have a storehouse of exciting banners next time the need arises.
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Merle - http://www.EzineAdAuction.com
"Where some of the BEST Deals in Ezine Advertising are
Made" Buy & Sell Ezine Ads in a live auction setting!
Publishers sell off your excess inventory and Buyers pick up
some Fantastic bargains. Go now!
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