In 2023, the worldwide spend on display banner ads was over $200 billion, expected to grow to at least $266 billion in 2026.
That means it time for anyone working in marketing to fully understand what banner ads are and how they are so helpful to businesses, that billions are spent on them every year.
If you have any follow up questions, I'm happy to help out. Click my face below and reach out.
Sander Boesen
Content Marketing Manager / Zuuvi
No matter where and how often you’re browsing the web, you’ve most likely stumbled upon one of those rectangular banner ads (or any other shape, as banner ads are hardly exclusively rectangular any longer). Regardless, they’re absolutely everywhere on the internet. Some are great, while others could use a helping creative hand (such as Zuuvi).
They show up on nearly every website, app, and social media platform, and it’s safe to say that banner ads are thriving in the digital world of today. But what exactly are they and how do they work?
Banner ads have become a key tool for any brand and business looking to promote their services or products. But with many different varieties of banner ads, which one is the best for your digital marketing campaign?
In the following article, we’ll explore the definition of banner ads, how they can help you reach your core audience, and how you can create them yourself.
Let’s dive in!
- What are Banner Ads?
- What do Banner Ads Look Like?
- Static Banner Ads
- HTML5 Banner Ads
- Video Banner Ads
- How do Banner Ads Work?
- Are Banner Ads Effective?
- How to Create Banner Ads?
What are Banner Ads?
Banner ads are the digital, creative, rectangular advertising displays at the top, bottom, or sides of websites. You’ve definitely encountered them before while browsing the web.
Some users find them rather annoying because of, you know, they're ads, while other users find them helpful. And since they are ads, trying to grab human attention, they usually consist of creative digital elements such as images, graphics, and text, often incorporating a call to action.
Banner ads can also include videos or animations for a more entertaining effect and they can be designed in various rectangular sizes and formats, making them adaptable to live and thrive on most, if not all, digital platforms.
The main purpose of banner ads is to generate brand awareness, conversions, and leads (yay!). A purpose that many businesses can see the value in. And that is why banner ads are floating around all over the internet, making ad-blocking softwares busy.
But this doesn't change the fact that banner ads are considered a very effective advertising tool, loved by many marketers, brands, and businesses who are trying to reach their audiences online.
Not all banner ads are created equally, though. Different approaches and strategies give different results, and that’s why we’ve created Zuuvi – your one-stop shop for producing, automating, and pushing ad creatives to all digital channels.
But first, let’s take a look at how banner ads actually work.
What Do Banner Ads Look Like?
Banner ads come in various formats, each with its own unique impact on audiences. So as an advertiser, you should carefully consider which type of banner ad that best appeals to your target audience – and consider what format allows you to most effectively convey your message.
Let’s take a look at static banners, HTML5 banners, and video banners, exploring their differences and similarities:
Video banner ads feature short video content and are considered a very powerful tool in modern advertising. With video banner ads, advertisers can convey more specific messages through visual storytelling with audio, making them highly engaging compared to other types of banner ads. Businesses and brands can stand out by using video banner ads, which combine all the benefits of traditional static and HTML5 banners.
?
When a user visits a website, they will quickly see some sort of banner ad displayed in pre-designed spaces, such as the top, side, or bottom of the website they are visiting.
These banner ads are often placed through ad networks or programmatic platforms, which means the ads are automatically shown and selected to appear on the given website. This selection is based on the user’s interests, collected through their browsing behaviour (i.e. cookies).
For example, if you've recently shown interest in a product like running shoes, you may see related banner ads for running shoes on another website you visit. This is called retargeting, based on data such as demographics and your browsing behaviour.
Now let’s say the banner ad sparked your interest in running shoes and you want to know more about them. You decide to click on one of the ads, hoping to find more information about the shoes, which is a fantastic choice. When you click, you'll be directed to a landing page with information about the specific shoes, or to a page related to them, usually providing more details about the brand and its products.
Consequently, it’s of utmost importance for businesses and brands to design banner ads with visuals and messages that appeal to their target audience. If the ads are not catchy or relevant, they simply won’t generate clicks or conversions.
Luckily, businesses and brands can continuously optimise their banner ads by testing and iterating different designs and calls to action to see what works best, measured by metrics such as click-through rates and conversion rates.
Are Banner Ads Effective?
Yes, they are if they are used correctly and with consideration.
Banner ads are considered to be a very cost-effective form of advertising. They are cheaper to create and run compared to other types of advertising, such as television and outdoor print ads. Especially so if you can scale and automate your ad production (Zuuvi can help you with that).
The effectiveness of banner ads is measured by how many clicks they generate from users, along with further actions such as purchases or lead generation through form submissions or other types of interactions with the brand.
Banner ads typically operate on payment models such as CPM (cost per thousand views) or CPC (cost per click), with brands and businesses paying based on impressions or clicks. These payment models make banner ads a flexible option for marketing budgets, appealing not only to established companies but also to small businesses, including startups.
So to all the smaller entrepreneurs out there, please take note of this!
Through banner ads, small businesses and solopreneurs with lower budgets have the opportunity to reach a global audience or target local groups at a relatively low cost.
Advertisers can also control their spending by setting daily or campaign-wide budgets, allowing them to manage expenses carefully and responsibly. This means advertisers can spend the exact amount they are comfortable with.
In fact, banner ads can cost as little as a few dollars a day, as the ad networks offering banner ad slots usually have low spending requirements – particularly beneficial for small businesses.
?
Banner ads are very easy to design and create, especially with Zuuvi’s banner maker tool, which guide you through the creation process – from starting with a blank canvas to bringing them to life on the internet.
Here’s all you need to do:
Using Zuuvi’s creative studio, you can create all kinds of banner ads that engage your audience through creative content, just the way you prefer.
If you want to see the platform in action, book a Zuuvineer below for a quick walkthrough.
Design and create banner ads in various shapes and sizes, and choose the format that best suits your designs and messages. You can create anything from animated, video or social ads in Zuuvi, along with much, much more.
Find the full list of creative opportunities in Zuuvi here.
When you're happy with your new banner ads, you can download them and set them live on any desired website or platform.
Oh, and, once you’ve saved a banner template (or chosen one of our many predefined templates), you can automate and scale your ad production. This allows you to create a plethora of creative banner ads in the matter of minutes, ready to convert your target audience.
Get creative with Zuuvi’s creative studio!
