Internet Advertising Standards Make Online Advertising One Step Easier to Achieve
By Nancy Clark
Internet marketing first began in 1994 with the appearance of the inaugural banner ad on www.wired.com. Since then, internet advertising has exceeded all computer critics’ expectations, replacing print advertising as well as taking a good market share away from radio, TV, cable and billboard advertising markets.
Unleaded Software (www.unleadedsoftware.com) in Denver, Colorado has been recognized worldwide for its internet advertising seen on websites and even online newsletters like Corporate Apparel Magazine – The Voice for the Trade. Launched in January 2009, the twice-a month e-newsletter is sent directly to the mailboxes of 60,000 promotional products industry players – qualified resellers who design decorated apparel programs for their corporate clients.
Jeff Rundles, Publisher of the online newsletter directed to 60,000 readers in the logoed apparel industry, sees internet advertising as the newest low-cost form of advertising—one that he believes will replace some forms of print advertising as businesses build a more recession-proof model. “Online advertising in a newsletter like Corporate Apparel Magazine cuts through the clutter of large print magazines, delivers pinpoint messages hot-linked to advertiser websites for immediate commerce, and drastically lower the cost-per-thousand (CPM) of traditional advertising. Moreover, busy sales executives now turn to the web and e-newsletters more often for the critical trade information that drives their business,” said Rundles.
Standardizing internet marketing came next with the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) setting guidelines on advertising sizes with the goal of making promotions opportunities on the internet easier to understand, particularly for newbie web advertisers. Basically, the theory of the larger the ad, the more attention it receives—the same notion as print advertising—is in force on the internet.
Size does matter even in cyberspace. It has been proven to directly relate to the number of click-throughs generated—details that will affect your internet marketing strategy.
Pop-up ads literally jump out at the visitor to get his or her attention. They are often flash ads that web surfers can’t help but notice. This attention-getting device drives clicks.
Pop-Under ads (the same size as pop-ups) work the same way, except they pop up underneath the page the visitor is currently viewing so the ad is not seen until the window is closed.
Accepted standards for rectangular and pop-up and pop-under ads are based on pixels:
| Medium Rectangele | 300 x 250 |
|---|---|
| Square Pop-Up | 250 x 250 |
| Vertical Rectangle | 240 x 400 |
| Large Rectangle | 336 x 280 |
| Rectangle | 180 x 150 |
| 3:1 Rectangle | 300 x 100 |
| Pop-Under | 720 x 300 |
Just like a print banner ad, internet banner advertisements are prominently displayed, but the advantage in a web banner is that the consumer can click on it to go to the next level of information about the product or service being marketed. Banner ads are rectangular and horizontal, wide enough to display across the web page.
Animation or flash on a banner ad commands even more attention from the website visitor.
Banner and button ad size suggested by IAB:
| Full Banner | 468 x 60 |
|---|---|
| Half Banner | 34 x 60 |
| Micro Bar | 88 x 31 |
| Button 1 | 120 x 90 |
| Button 2 | 120 x 60 |
| Vertical Banner | 120 x 240 |
| Square Button | 125 x 123 |
| Leaderboard | 728 x 90 |
Skyscraper ads are vertical. More discrete than banner ads, they are popular because the website visitor isn’t disrupted from their focus on the site they want to view. Instead, the skyscraper ad offers site visitors another column of information—even if it is advertising—for the visitor to see and read.
Skyscraper ads are especially effective on sites containing hard news that guests are visiting with a specific purpose in mind.
Skyscraper ad sizes suggested by IAB:
| Wide Skyscraper | 160 x 600 |
|---|---|
| Skyscraper | 120 x 600 |
| Half page Skyscraper | 300 x 600 |
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to market your product or service on the internet. Contact Unleaded Software (www.unleadedsoftware.com) for information on internet advertising today.