If you have been considering various elements of an online advertising campaign, then most likely your thoughts have shifted at one time or another to the importance of aesthetics and how they impact functionality in a given advertisement. With plenty of professional assistance available and the flexibility for an advertiser to create their own images, there is no limit to what you can do with any particular campaign. There are however certain aspects that should always be a constant variable in your imagery; we have outlined five of the most important elements that should never be forgotten.

Size

While there is no fixed size that a particular ad will have to be, there are elements to consider when forming a banner ad. The ad in question does need to be in a rectangular format, but that is not the only aspect of size about which to worry. The file size is hugely important; the average amount of time a person spends looking at an advertisement is approximately 3-5 seconds, so you want to make sure that the banner ad loads up as quickly as possible. If it is too big, then the person who is supposedly seeing the advertisement actually ends up scrolling down the page or clicking on another page before it loads.

Linguistic Creativity

Unlike other aspects of managing your site, you do not necessarily have to worry about pinging for SEO when wording your ad. You do, however, need to incorporate a certain amount of creativity that will catch the reader’s eye. Keep in mind that you will most likely be competing with other advertisements; the most creative and eye-catching ones generally get the most attention. Using words that invoke bold imagery is a definite must-have for any banner ad.

Keep It Short

While this may seem somewhat in contradiction with the prior requirement mentioned, you need to strive to be both creative and brief when it comes to your wording in banner ads. Remember that you are not pinging for SEO, so the only keywords that pertain to banner ads are the ones that catch the eyes of readers. Idealistically, you should be able to sum up your advertisement in 45 characters or less.

Pictures Say A Lot

You should be using graphics in your banner ad that say enough so that the prior mentioned character limit fits well with the overall theme. A picture speaks volumes and when used in the appropriate context, may speak more than the words on the ad itself. You want to convey a sense of clarity and desire that will intrigue the reader and make them more likely to click-through.

Avoid Obnoxiousness

While you need to attract the reader’s eye, you do not want to appear to be spamming your message. People are generally put off by flashing banners or contrasting colours that hurt or strain the eyes; you can accomplish the goal of being noticed by following the steps above rather than being completely obnoxious. You can probably think of hundreds of ads you have seen that are tacky, too in-your-face and that do not really compel you to click on it.