Banner Usability

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by Pete Cooper

Making Banners Easy to Click

Part of the success of a banner depends on how easy it is to click on it. That may sound like a redundant concept since it's merely a graphic and you can click on it easily; however, many ads trick people into clicking or expect them to follow a short animation to understand the ad. These ideas make the banner hard to click.

One of the best ways to make sure a banner is easy to click is to make sure someone can understand what benefit it's offering them within a couple of seconds. Some credit card companies have found that their banners have been very effective because they deliver a simple message such as '0% APR for 12 months', and millions are interested in a deal like that, so they click!

Banners Must Not Be Vague or Mysterious

Arty concepts don't work with banner ads. People choose whether to look at your ad and click on it, whereas with television or radio, they're locked into the medium already. Don't push things at your Internet audience; pull them in! It's the optimal way of using the Web. People choose where to go. Make them want to choose you.

So, here's a list of what can cause people to not click on a banner:

• No interest in the offering. This is obvious and unavoidable. If someone doesn't want to click on the banner and visit the site, you can't make them.
• Banner blindness. Unheard of two years ago, banner blindness is now a major problem. Many surfers are so used to banner ads that they don't even see them.
• Bad past experiences. If a user has clicked on banners in the past and been confronted with errors or misinformation, they're less likely to click on them in future.
• Inability to work out the message. Don't be vague! If someone can't work out the message of the banner within a couple of seconds, it's useless. Clear, concise wording is key.

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