Editorial Note: SiteProNews will not be published during Christmas week. The last issue this year will appear on December 21st and the first issue in the new year will be published on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2002.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our readers a Happy Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.

Banners Do Bring Traffic

Banner advertising remains one of the most effective and cost efficient means of gaining targeted responses to visit your web site.

To benefit from this form of online advertising you must have a web page. It would also be preferable, though not essential, if the traffic to your web page is already established.

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The reason is that banner exchange programs base the number of times they display your banner on others web pages based on how many times their banners are viewed on your web page.

And although a banner that belongs to someone else that is then displayed on your web site is like an exit for your visitor to leave, the positives far outweigh any possible negatives.

Here are a few tips to improve your responses and increase your visibility via banners:

1. NEVER put a banner on your main entry page unless that banner is yours! When that banner is clicked it will take your visitor to another web page within your own site.

It takes a great deal of very hard work to build a steady flow of traffic to your web site. After doing all that hard work, does it not seem foolish to allow your visitor to leave immediately? Especially if it is to someone else's web page?

If you must have a banner on your entry page, make it your own banner that will take your visitor elsewhere within your own web site. Or make it to another web site but one that provides you with a commission.

2. Feel free to put the banners on several web pages as this will provide you with additional credits from your banner service exchange choice.

3. It is a good idea to put banners close to the top of the web page because the banner will load faster and thus insure that you get credit for its display.

4. If you have access or the ability to write HTML code on your web site, then make certain to include the WIDTH="" HEIGHT="" BORDER="" numbers as this allows images to load much faster.

And while you are at it, include the ALT="" tag with a description of your banner that can then be viewed by those running with graphics turned off or by those, like the blind, that use text readers.

5. Do you have access to the web page that comes up within your own domain that shows whenever someone types the wrong URL or if one of your pages is down for updating?

You know the page I mean, the "Not Found 404" page that displays by default.

If you have access, place a banner or two on this page and increase your banner views immensely. The "Not Found 404" web page is often one of the most viewed pages within a given domain.

6. Have a banner with "Animation". Studies prove that results do increase by 26% or more over static banners. Most of the banner exchange programs will accept them so long as you keep within the total size limitations that they specify.

7. Quick load time is a must. That is why most Banner Exchanges hold their banners to a 7k maximum. People don't want to wait forever just to see what your banner has written on it.

8. Your goal is for the viewer to CLICK on the banner! A short one or two lines should be more than enough to accomplish your goal. Keep it simple but compelling.

9. Studies prove that using the words "Click Here" work better than banners with the same message but without the call for the action of "Click Here".

10. Name recognition is great, if you have it, to get folks to click on a banner. But, if you are like most people, you'll do better if you stir their curiosity to get them to come visit your not-so-well known business, etc.

11. If your URL or email is short and easy to remember, use it on the banner. Maybe they do not want to click and visit just then but will jot down the info for a future visit to your web site.

12. Test Your Banners. If one banner message or design is not performing, then try another. Keep testing different lines of text and color combinations untill you find the right mix for your individual situation.

13. Remember, banners with a combination of action phrases, such as Click Here, Submit, Press Here and graphic buttons to push, are known to result in greater response.

Here are some FREE Banner Resources:

FREE Instant Online Banner Generator

The FREE Banner Generator

MediaBuilder FREE 3D Text Maker

Additional FREE Banner Resources via Auto-Responder

FREE Banner Exchange Services:

Microsoft's bCentral (Formerly Link Exchange)

Banner Swap

Banners-R-Us

Additional Banner Exchange Services via Auto-Responder

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), and member companies DoubleClick, and MSN, released their individual studies on the effectiveness of "branding" on the Internet at a press conference in New York City, on Wednesday, July 18, 2001.

Additionally, CNET Networks, released information from a study done in conjunction with IntelliQuest, which also examined brand effectiveness of online marketing.

Each study independently reinforces the fact that online banner ads CAN BE used effectively for online branding.

And, they confirmed that banner ads are best at 468x60.