Most and Least Effective Banner Ad Sizes

 

To banner or not to banner (ad) . . .
 
Since ads on web pages have been around for a decade or more, our eyes have become very attuned to the look of banner ads. Most of the time, our eyes don't even notice ads on a web page -- similar to ads running alongside an article in a magazine.
 
So how to break through the clutter if you're using banner ads?
 

Don't make your ad look like a typical banner ad

MarketingSherpa reported the results of a banner ad test of 3 sizes:
  • long vertical "skyscraper" (160 wide x 600 high) 
  • long horizontal "leaderboard" (728 wide x 90 high)
  • 300 wide x 250 "box" 
 
The "leaderboard" ad -- frequently seen at the top of web sites (so frequently that most eyes no longer notice it) -- was the least effective.
 
The "skyscraper" ad -- frequently running down the right column -- finished second.
 
The most effective ad was the smallest size ad! (It's also the ad size least likely to appear at the top of a web page.) The 300 x 250 "box" ad was 27% more effective than the skyscraper.
 
Conclusion: bigger is not always better in the case of banner ads. Make your ad look like less of ad, and more like a part of the content of the page. Create an ad that looks like an interesting involvement device or link -- and you're likely to generate more clicks.
 

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