While declining click through rates are undeniably tapering off from their early peak, Luddites should not be so quick to conclude that banner ads are useless. That’s because like traditional advertising, the purpose of the much-maligned banner ad is not just to generate direct sales through click-throughs, but also to build brand identification and brand loyalty.

Widely accepted in traditional advertising, branding creates awareness of a product or service, but does not necessarily result in a direct or immediate sale. For example, auto manufactures traditionally blanket the airwaves informing consumers of their latest models. Most manufactures don’t expect consumers to jump out of their chair and rush to the nearest dealership to purchase the advertised car.  But they do want to make consumers aware of the particular makes and models the manufacturer has available. The manufacture then hopes that if any consumers are or soon will be in the market for a new car, they will remember the commercials and start looking for the make and model of the advertised car.

Banner ads work in the same way. Suppose an on-line travel website advertises heavily on the web. It is very unlikely that consumers will click through the advertisement to book a vacation every time they see the ad.  However, when it comes time to plan an a vacation, chances are consumers will check the site they have seen advertised on the web.

Proponents of on-line advertising argue that measuring the success of banner ads by their click though rate is only getting part of the story. Instead, they say a more holistic approach would be to measure a change in sales during a particular on-line advertising campaign and immediately after. If sales increase significantly, it is likely the result of the ad campaign, whether or not the consumer clicked through your ad or types the website in themselves.

By David Plowman

• Banner ads. The old stalwart of web site, these are horizontal ads at the top or bottom of the website. While these ads are ubiquitous, traditionally they do not have a very high click through rate.
• Skyscraper ads. These ads are similar to banner ads, but instead of running across the screen horizontal, they are vertical.
• Square ads. These rectangular ads are generally placed in the middle of the screen and break up the text in a web site.
• Pop-Ups. No doubt you are familiar with these ads that pop-up in a new window over the site you were reading. While these ads are generally unwelcome by many web surfers, and there are several pop-up blockers that prevent most of them from appearing, surprising these ads have a relatively high click-through rate.
• Pop-under. As the name implies, these ads are similar to pop-ups, but they open underneath the current web page. You won’t know they are there until after you click off the window you’re viewing.
• Interstitial. These ads will appear after you clicked an internal site and before the new site loads.
• Overlays. These types of ads will overtake the background of the site you are looking at, replace overwrite it or hover around the sreen.

By David Plowman

While there are several ways you can develop an on-line presence through many other on-line arenas such as search engines, banner ads and pop-ups, many people forget to add their website address to their more traditional off-line forms of advertising.

When advertising in the print media, make sure to include your website. These days, advertisements look naked without  it. And with good reason, consumers now more likely to check your website than to call, mail or visit your business in person. Because of its importance, make sure your address is printed in a large font, at least as large as your address or phone number.

Your web address should be on every document you have printed, including letterhead, business cards, coupons, flyers, and shopping bags. The more ways you get your website out there, the greater chance people will log on to your site.

If you are planning to advertise on other forms of traditional media, remember to include your website. When advertising on the radio, make sure to repeat your address at least three times. Listeners are probably more likely to remember your web address than your phone number. When advertising on the TV, keep in mind that not all viewers have large screen TV’s, make sure that your site is readable even on a smaller screen.

There are several good reasons to increase your on-line presence on-line however, just don’t forget about adding to your cyberspace presence in the 3-D too.

David Plowman 

1. Get your own domain name: Unless you are planning to retire, close shop, a domain name is something that you will need for many years. Stay away from the sub domains from Geocities, Angelfire, Tripod, Bigfoot etc. The problem with sub domains is that they are difficult to find on search engines, and people don’t trust ordering from them. Stay away from domains like www.members.tripod.com/yourcompany.

It also looks more professional to have an email under your domain name such as bob@411web.com. We often see full domain name web sites not using their domain name in their email, such as johnsmith@aol.com. It is very simple to have you web designer set up a domain based email. Take the extra time to do it right

2. Load Times: Don’t get to fancy. Too many graphics, sound, flash etc. all affect load time. Most visitors to your site are still on 28.8 modem dialup. What you think is really “cool” is going to drive your customer away. It is quite surprising that when we advise our customers, so many don’t want to listen. Do you not listen to your doctor when he tells you what’s wrong and which medicine to take? Well, we often call ourselves doctors of the internet. Our recommendation is based on the “KISS” philosophy, “Keep It Simple & Stupid”.

3. Too much text: The flip side of number two above is having too much text and not enough graphics. Again it’s a sense of balance. Compare your site to a brochure or catalog of companies. Graphics help to create image and flow.

4. Market your web site: If you want new visitors, set aside a monthly budget to market your web site. The first question we always ask customers is how much they have budgeted for marketing their web site. In most instances, small businesses have not even thought about it. Working with a budget, no matter how large or small, gives a web marketer the ability to make decisions that will work for you. Part of these decisions involves the following marketing efforts:

• Search engine work.
• Affiliate programs
• Keyword purchasing programs
• Banner exchange programs

By using these five steps, you can set up an online marketing effort that will help ensure that customers come to visit the awesome new Web site you just built.

5. Make it easy for your customer to get a hold of you: It amazes me how many web sites I visit only allow guests to contact the company by e-mail. If a phone number is listed on the site, it is often difficult to find. Make sure your phone number is visible

6. Banners: Don’t put too many banners on your web site. Banners also drive customers away from your web site. Too many banners make your website look too busy. Remember, the reason you brought a visitor into your site was for you to sell them something.

External links to other sites have the same impact as banners. They chase visitors out of your site. If you do use an external link, have your web designer create a frame to help the visitor return to your web site. Frames also leave an impression that the content you have sent your customer to is yours. 411web utilizes extensive use of frames when creating content. Very little content on 411web was created by our content managers.
Chose a reliable ISP: In general, the internet is still rather unreliable. Backbones keep going down. Computers often hiccup and fail. Web services are not perfect. The Ebb and flow of traffic often impacts visibility of your web site.

8.Update information: Keep your site information current. Too often, your website is like a new toy in the beginning and you tend to pay more attention at first. When you make changes in your company, don’t forget to update your web site. Its crazy how many sites I find that company forget to update their area code on their. This is pure lunacy.

9.Keep your site simple: Too many small businesses make their web sites too busy. Background patterns to add confusion. There is also a temptation for web site owners to add sound. This slows load time and is often annoying to most surfers.

10. What are you all about? You need to get the point across in the very beginning of your web site who you are and what you do. By following these ten steps, your website will be more effective, and you will likely notice an improvement in your company’s bottom-line.

By Bob Friedenthal