11 Banner Ad Best Practices for Great Conversions
Learn how to make banner ads that get both clicks and sales.
Many businesses use banner ads to rake in more online sales. But, there are a ton of really bad banner ads out there!
Banner ads on Google and websites have earned the reputation of being scammy, clickbait and “in-your-face.” Don’t you hate scrolling through an article while dodging fat burning banner ads?!
You’ve got 1 second and a few hundred pixels to capture their attention and get them clicking.
Let’s explore how to get better banner ad conversions while still maintaining the integrity of your business.
Ideal Banner Ad Sales Funnels
Your banner ads should be just one part of your entire online marketing strategy. If sales are currently lacking, there may be an issue at any step in the sales funnel process.
Before we focus solely on what to write in a banner ad, let’s look at the ideal sales progression your customers should take. After all, even a great banner ad won’t get you sales if the rest of the funnel… sucks.
The Progression:
They see your banner ad on websites they visit. It captures their attention because it’s visually appealing with great copy. It’s targeted exactly to what they like to buy.
They click on your banner ad. Yay! A huge success. You’ve earned their trust and interrupted what they were doing.
They land on your landing page. It could be a sales page or product description. Either way, it needs to be really clear what you’re offering. This landing page should relate to what they saw on the banner.
They take your CTA. From your landing page, they hit “Buy Now” or “Sign Up.” If someone lands on your landing page and doesn’t buy, there’s an issue with the messaging on that page.
They convert. Banner ad clicks are important, but its more important to get sales from banner ads. If you get way more clicks than conversions, the messaging on your banner ad and landing page probably don’t match up.
It’s important to understand the ideal scenario when someone sees your banner ads.
If you’re not seeing this with your ads, then either the banner ad or the sequence has issues that need to be addressed.
Before you start creating banner ads, read these banner ad best practices.
Banner Ad Best Practices: 11 Tips to Boost Conversions
Banner advertising can be really lucrative for your online business — as long as you create banner ads successfully!
#1 - Avoid Clickbait
Never lie to customers. Clickbait ads get clicks, but then customers fall off immediately.
Bad Clickbait Banner Ad Examples:
See naked ladies. (Unless you’re an erotic adult brand.)
Free Cadillac. (And it happens to be a foster kitten named “Cadillac.”)
Earn $1M every month. (Too-good-to-be-true offers still trick people.)
#2 - Promise and Deliver It
The banner ad offer should fit exactly with what they get. Don’t leave out certain information to intentionally mislead a customer.
Misleading Banner Ad Examples:
80% off storewide. (When only certain items are 80% off.)
1-hour flash sale. (When these prices are indeed offered all the time.)
Free shipping this week. (When there’s a dollar minimum or if shipping is always free.)
#3 - Show a Clear CTA
The CTA on your banner ad should be really clear where it goes. If they don't know where the link will take them, people fear a scam or a confusing site.
Good CTA Examples for Banner Ads:
Shop now. (Goes to a shop page.)
Learn more. (Goes to a page with information, not just a short product description.)
Sign up. (Goes to a page where they need to input information.)
#4 - Avoid Redundancy
Every word counts on a tiny banner ad. If you’re using dynamic banner ads with 3 frames, use every frame to deliver a different, but important message.
Don’t say the same message 3 times on a 3-frame banner ad. Here’s an example of 3-frame banner ad messaging:
Scenario: You own an online beauty retail store. You offer eco-friendly products that also help your complexion the more you use them. For the next month, you want to offer 40% off your products.
3-Frame Banner Ad Messaging: Here are the concepts for each frame, not the exact copy to put there.
— Frame 1: Eco-friendly beauty products
— Frame 2: Heals your complexion with extended use
— Frame 3: 40% off deal
In the banner ad example above, it has 3 different messages. All these things are important to a customer. So, no matter which frame they see first, they’ll be reading a benefit to consumer.
#5 - Put a CTA on Every Frame
In most cases, you’ll want to have a CTA button on every frame of your banner ad. That way, people don’t have to wait until the dynamic banner ad cycles through to click into your ad.
#6 - Keep It Positive
While you may want to hit on pain points of the customer, try to sound positive.
Positive messaging is welcoming and less scammy than an ad that blatantly points out problems.
Instead, show them what positive transformation they’ll get from your product or service.
#7 - Use as Few Words as Possible
If you can say the same message in 5 words — rather than 7 — go with the 5-word phrase. Always.
Words will always look crowded on a banner ad, so reduce the messaging by half over and over again.
#8 - Put Messages on Your CTA
If you’re concise, you may be able to avoid extra words on your banner ad all together. Just have a CTA with 2-3 words of important messaging.
This can be really useful in dynamic banner ads. Frames 1-2 use messaging and then frame 3 just needs a CTA.
Examples of Banner Ads Using CTAs to Replace Other Copy:
Shop 40% off
Get free shipping
Access now
#9 - Be Compelling
Think about what your customer needs to hear to click your banner ad. (Easier said than done, of course!)
How do you catch their eye with colors and visuals? What do you say to get them to buy?
Think about your usual elevator pitch. What points do you make if you only have 20 seconds to talk to someone?
Banner ads only have about 1-2 seconds to get noticed, so you’ll have to really hack away at your elevator pitch to break it down for banner ads.
#10 - Get the Point Across
It’s one thing to be short and concise, but it’s a whole other thing to actually get the message across.
Read your banner ad copy out loud over and over again. Does your message actually make sense? Is any essential information missing?
Remember: You know your brand like the back of your hand. Your customers don’t know what you know. They need more clarity.
#11 - Make Every Frame Stand Alone
If you’re using dynamic, multi-frame banner ads, every frame should be able to stand on its own.
You never know which frame a customer will see first, so each frame needs to be clear to them.
If they watch all frames, then the customer gets an even clearer, more compelling message, but otherwise 1 frame should do it.
How to Ensure the Best Banner Ad Conversions Possible
There’s no doubt these little banner ads are difficult to do right!
That’s why you’ll want to hire professionals to help make sure you’re getting the best conversions possible.
What You Need:
Awesome banner ad copy from a digital copywriter… I’m one! Contact me for banner ad creation.
Inviting design from a graphic designer.
Great targeting from market research and a clear customer persona.
Conversion insights from a web data analyst.
Ready to get more online sales? Before you go, check out how to quickly close more online sales.
