Internet Advertising

Internet Advertising

Internet Advertising - Using Banner Advertising and Pay Per Click Advertising

The main thing that decides whether an internet business succeeds or fails in the online world is traffic. Without traffic, even the most heavily-invested businesses on the internet fail. In fact, simple web sites that have a steady stream of traffic can earn more than eye-catching websites that have no means of attracting visitors. With this in mind, internet advertising can play a very crucial role in ensuring that a new online business becomes profitable in the long run. Traffic can trickle and grow exponentially which is why getting the first few visitors is very critical and this is where advertising comes in handy.

While it is true that there are free ways of getting Traffic in the form of search engine optimization or SEO, this method takes time to deliver results. This is especially true when the online business is in an industry that is already very competitive in the internet. An SEO campaign can take months for any noticeable change in search engine rankings to show. Because of this, some internet marketers choose to invest solely in internet advertising.  However, the smart ones invest in both internet advertising and SEO to maximize long-term profits.

In terms of internet advertising, there are mainly two targeted internet advertising methods that have become the staple of many internet marketers – Banner Advertising and Pay-Per-Click Advertising.

Banner Advertising

Just like in the physical business world, banner advertising plays a huge role in attracting prospects and buyers. Getting a premium spot from which to install an eye-catching banner can attract hundreds of customers and lead to hundreds of sales. This is exactly why print-ad and billboard advertising are still multimillion dollar industries everywhere in the world and they are likely to stay for good. The same can also be said about banner advertising in the Internet business setting.

Banner advertising is one of the oldest forms of internet advertising. Business owners pay website owners or advertising networks to post banners advertising their products or services on high-traffic websites. The costs of a banner advertising campaign can vary depending on the payment plans set forth by the banner owner and the publisher. Payment plans can be a fixed amount per month, per impression or number of views, per click, or per action.

Factors to Consider in Banner Advertising

Banner advertising is not an exact science which is why trial and error can be very frequent in a banner advertising campaign. It can be very effective or useless depending on several factors such as:

•    Banner Design and Placement

Banners should be designed expertly to create a professional feel. They should blend well with the websites where they are displayed. Failing to do so may make visitors shy away from the banners and lead to poor conversions.

•    Banner Message

The message in the banner, whether it is an image or text, should be created in a way where the message convinces visitors to click the banner.

•    Choosing Websites

As a general rule, banners should be placed on websites that have a similar theme to the product or service offered by the banner. These websites should also have a steady stream of Traffic already in place to ensure the visibility of the banners at all times. Lastly, these websites should cater to a certain demographic especially if the product or service being bannered is based on a specific locality.

Effectiveness of Banner Advertising

Banner advertising can be very effective when all steps are done correctly. It is inexpensive and the visual impact can remain in the mind of visitors. Because of this, banners can attract a steady stream of targeted Traffic to the advertised website linked to from the banner.

Pay Per Click Advertising

Pay Per Click or PPC advertising is an online advertising method that uses customized ads that appear based on search engine queries or internet user behaviour. Pre-set ads show up depending on what the user is searching for or what they are reading.

PPC internet advertising involves the business owner bidding on the crucial virtual real estate allotted to sponsored results in search engine results pages. The bigger the bid, the higher the chance of an ad showing up first on these sponsored listings. These ads can also show on websites who have agreed to have relevant ads displayed on their websites. As always, ads that have higher bids are more likely to show and thus have more visibility. However, when placing bids it is important that they are giving value for money and are continuously monitored to ensure the best value for money.

Factors to Consider in Pay Per Click Advertising

Like banner advertising or other internet advertising methods, there can also be a lot of trial and error required in order to get the best results.  This means some losses may occur. Luckily, making necessary adjustments can turn a poor pay per click campaign into a highly-profitable pay per click campaign quickly. There are several factors to consider before running a pay per click advertising campaign.

•    Keywords

Just as in any internet advertising campaign, keywords play a critical role in a successful pay per click advertising campaign. Targeting the right keywords helps ads to attract a profitable targeted audience, allowing for better conversions with every visitor that clicks through the ads.

•    Ad Headlines and Description

Without a doubt, it is very important to prepare an effective advertising headline and description that will gain the readers interest and motivate them to click through on the ads. Even if you manage to top the sponsored listings for certain keywords, if your ad content is poor, then the readers may just skip your ad altogether and move on to the next one instead.

•    Budget

There is no denying that pay per click advertising can be one of the most expensive forms of internet marketing. You pay for every click your ads get, even if the user then bounces from your website. It is important that you have a realistic budget set to get the most click throughs possible.  It is also important that this budget is allocated correctly to ensure that the ads are being displayed to your target audience.  It is also important to make the most of all click throughs by having a properly optimized landing page.  A landing page that has a clear call to action can make it all worthwhile by converting visitors into buyers.

Effectiveness of Pay Per Click Advertising

Pay per click advertising can be very profitable especially if it is being run by someone who has experience in this field. Likewise, it can also be very risky for beginners considering the amount of money involved. However, making the necessary preparations before running a Pay Per Click campaign and making the necessary adjustments during the campaign can lead to instant improvements in site Traffic.

Other Advertising Methods to Consider

Aside from banner advertising and Pay Per Click advertising, there are also other internet advertising methods that are very effective in getting Traffic such as rich media advertising that makes use of audio or video, as well as email advertising that makes use of email messages to promote products and services. Each of these internet advertising methods has its own pros and cons but an experienced internet marketer knows how to use a combination of these things to maximise a website’s potential.   

Effective ads can be a great help when attracting visitors.  The real profitability lies in being able to convert these visitors into leads and customers. The main purpose of internet advertising is to create Traffic.  However, it also has the potential to pre-sell the products or services to increase the chances of conversion.