Things to consider about your banner advertisements before ordering:

1) Good Point of Sale
Take the time to think about what your banner is trying to sell.. You may have 20 incredible features or services you would like to tell the world about, but try and sum it up in one to three "Excellent One Line Sale Pitches."

2) Ockam's razor in advertising
Keep things as simple as possible. The competition is fierce on the web and time is minimal to make an impact. Studies have shown the average web-surfer to stay on a page for about 10 seconds before clicking somewhere on the page and leaving. This means your banner should download and present your message quickly.

3) Static or Animated?
Animated banners get more clicks than static banners as a rule. Animation will grab the eye opposed to a flat image just sitting on the page. Although, static banners can be presented in the form of a button, product cover, or as a badge of certification. There are times and places to use each.

4) Logo and web URL
I advocate using both a logo and the web site URL on your banner ads. Just think, if they don't click on your banner they might just remember your URL. If it is not on the banner there is nothing for your potential consumer to remember ...except how great your product is.

5) Call to Action
It may seem obvious what the surfer should do when they see your banner and want to know more, but a call to action still drives more clicks than those without. It has become a standard to put "Click Here" - "Get More Info" or "Apply Today" to get a reaction from a potential customer. I would suggest having some form of "call to action" on your future banner ad to entice the surfer to click through to your site.

6) Oh, so many colors!
Please give some thought the colors that will go on your banner. Using colors that are consistent to your web site is a good idea, but think about what the color scheme is on the web site(s) and/or pages where your banner will be shown. Do the research. Know where your banner ads will be displayed and have them designed accordingly.

7) What is on your banner?
Try to keep your banner content related to your product or service or you may end up with lots of clicks producing few sales or leads. Using people in your ad can help lend the feeling of the human element, but should be done in good taste.

8) Campaigns
Unless you know your target audience extremely well it would be beneficial to have several banners ads to experiment with. 4-10 should allow you to collect enough data to see what is working and where. Keep track of clicks on different sites and/or pages and every few weeks rotate your banners around. This will help you see what's working and what's not. Don't be afraid to experiment, it will make all the difference.