Web Banner Advertising Is Not Extinct.*

This argument has been raging for awhile. In the early days of cyberspace, internet banner advertising was a hot commodity, then it moved into the not so effective stage, followed by being labeled a relic of the past, and now it has been declared dead by people "in the know". Apparently some of the major news services and mega companies online did not get the memo because they still use banner ads; and quite profitably.

A web site banner is an advertisement in the form of image and text. Though you will see banner ads placed in a variety of different areas, they are commonly used at the top of a webpage. This technique maybe considered a holdover from when internet banner advertising was in its glory days but it really serves a more practical purpose. The top of the page is where you are most likely to attract the attention of your visitors.

So why the rush to place banner advertising alongside the fossil remains of the tyrannosaurus at your local museum? Part of it is that since the internet moves at warped speed, many people figure something old as web banner advertising cannot be effective or they just never had much success even when these types of ads were in vogue. Whatever the reason, a web site banner (like any form of advertisement) can do a nice job of promoting your products or services, when used effectively. Use one or a combination of these tips to get you started.

1. Land of the Free

This word does something to all of us. Mainly it gets us to explore further. Advertise a free giveaway on your web site banner related to your target market. Offer a free ebook or helpful video that gets people curious to find out more. When they click the ad banner, you can lead them to signup page, with an opt in email form. If your initial free offer is enticing enough, then people will not mind giving you their contact information

2. Free Banner Exchange

The folks over at marketingterms.com have come up with the simplest and best definition of a banner exchange program: "I will show your ads on my site in exchange for getting to show my ads on your site." This is a very cost effective way to get your banner on hundreds if not thousands of other websites. Many banner exchanges will work hard to match your ad banner to a relevant website. Keep in mind this is not always feasible so you may get stuck putting banner ads on your site outside of your niche.

3. Paid Banner Ads

As the name implies you are paying for your banner to be advertised on other websites. The key to ensuring this method yields some good return on your investment is to make sure the website you are advertising on delivers the web traffic they promise. You also want your web site banner to be placed in an area that's clearly visible and not on the same page as ten or twenty other banner ads
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4. Free Traffic Exchange

This too has been labeled passé and ineffective but it works and banner ads are perfect for traffic exchanges. You know of course that for every site you surf you accumulate some type of credit. You can then exchange however many credits you choose for banner impressions (your web site banner displayed on another site within the exchange). Why is this so effective? On average, click thru rates of traffic exchange banners are greater than banner only exchanges. This is one of the great secrets of traffic exchanges that can boost your internet business considerably.

Web banner advertising is not extinct. Like anything else you must go about using it correctly. Offer something for free, do your homework when it comes to free exchanges and paid ads while utilizing the hidden goldmine of traffic exchanges. In the end you will find that web banner advertising, far from being a relic of the past, is still very much alive and profitable.


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