Banners - Animated or Static

[michaelday]

I'm planning to buy a 125*125 banner spot on a large portal site that is going to be put on the highly visible part of the home page.
Should I go with animated or static as far as clickthrough ratio goes?

Thanks

[JamesR]

I don't know about clickthrough rates but I know if they are not animated, I usually don't even notice them.

[michaelday]

I personally am more likely to click on a banner that looks more like a part of a site but again as you said you have to notice it in order to click on it.

[Drastic]

For better click rates, I would think animated would pull more.

If you can, I would suggest trying several different ones. See what type of clickthroughs and conversions you get with each and pick the best. Different banners can produce surprisingly different results.

[ritualcoffee]

i think it depends on the content and audience. if it is tech related go with static if it is entertainment or mainstream goods I would go with animated.

[legster]

Half my job is SEO, and other banner design. We almost never build a static ad, unless it is specifically requested.

[Brett_Tabke]

Skip the banner and go with javascript with a small form input. If it ends up on a page without a form, the click through rate can triple.

Network Sol is running a huge campaign right now. The stock banners are averaging .20ctr, while the form one is running 3.5 over on sew.

[Drastic]

Good point, Brett. Interactive is even better.