Banner Ads - How effective are they?

How effective is banner advertising

[amythepoet]

Hi,

I'm perplexed as to the banner ad dilemma.

Is it profitable? If I was to place a banner in a highly visible spot in my niche, would it be worthwhile?

Thanks

[JohnRoy]

You can't be certain until after you tested.
Some work, some don't.
Spend a little, Analise the results.

[celgins]

Some banner ads can be very effective. Depends on your niche, banner placement, page content, etc.

Over the past 5 years, "ad blindness" has diminished the lucrative days when cool banners were clicked at a rapid pace. But they can still be beneficial if used correctly.

[amythepoet]

Yes, thank you. Well, I would want to be on the home page of the site that I advertised on and at a great spot, preferably, top right or very top of the page

It's just a question of whether people will have clickitis or will they take the time to look at the banner and say, hey I want one of those and then click it

hard to figure, plus the prices are unreal

It's a hard nut to crack and I don't want to throw good money out the window, bu I know I have to do something, so I thought I would put my foot in the water and try a little bit

waht do you think?

good idea?

[markwelch]

> "I would want to be on the home page of the site that I advertised on" <

That's a huge mistake in many situations. If you sell widgets, and you're advertising on a site that reviews many different products, you'd really only want your ad to appear on "widget" pages. Clickthrough and conversion rates are MUCH HIGHER for narrowly-targetted placements.

[jdancing]

Banners still work well brand new innovative sites whose targeted audience would hardly ever search on the main keywords - yet.

Once the product becomes mainstream and the site well known you will face diminishing returns.

[amythepoet]

The thing is what I sell is specialized and I want people to notice it, so I naturally thought the first page would be best.

I have been searching for a directory to advertise in and it is not easy to find. Especially because my category is not easy to locate.

It's a tough nut to crack.

If I was on an inside page of a big directory, I would fear that no one would see the ad.

[amythepoet]

Ok, you convninced me to try a banner, now I just need to find a designer and so far not having so much luck.

[John_Blake]

They are long dead! People find them intrusive and annoying, of course there is an exception to every rule.

[amythepoet]

Yes, I know that.

I'll think about it. I was trying to target a special group and thought a banner might get their attention.

Thanks

[BriGuy20]

Google is apparently putting a show online (don't recall the specifics), I think one of the inferred reasons was to combat ad blindness (and move unsold/unprofitable inventory, of course).

[CannonFodder]

I guess the question is, who are you asking? As a publisher, banners work. I make money form them. My text type ads work better however. The click through rate of banners is a shadow of the past. Perhaps its a sign of banners fading away.

As a publisher though, what would you put on your site. I wouldn't want a format that takes away from the whole site. Banners are non-intrusive, to a point. Creatives that expand over my content are not welcome and when I surf, I hate dealing with them.

Banners are here for now. There are better things, but for wide spread acceptance, what's easier?