Two of the main types of marketing banners are traditional and rich media. Selecting which type to use on a web page depends on the website's purpose, design and advertisement goals. Marketing banners are business tools that need to carefully fit a website's overall strategy and not just be randomly selected and placed. The overall look and feel of the web page with the marketing banner should be pleasing to the eye while grabbing the visitor's attention without being considered an annoying distraction.
Traditional marketing banners show either a static image or text without audio. These banners are typically available in five formats: full banner, half banner, square, button and skyscraper. Most banners are available in standard pixel sizes, making it easier for designers to strategically plan advertisement placements around the website's content. These banners tend to be the easiest to integrate into a website's design, are less distracting and usually load quickly.
Rich media banners enhance the viewers experience with animation, audio or video. While these banners do add to the user's experience if the user is interested in what is being marketed, they tend to be unwelcome by visitors if they feature repetitive animations, sounds that begin when the page loads or videos that start without being manually activated. Overuse of rich media banners on a web page can result in an increased bounce rate, and the page may become too slow to load, making it less functional for the end user.
Selecting the type of marketing banner to use depends largely on the design of the web page and the purpose of the website. Marketing banners should gain the user's attention, yet not be too distracting from the web page's content. For instance, if a viewer is trying to read the website's content with a flashing animated graphic banner in the sidebar, he may quickly become annoyed and leave to find the information or product elsewhere. The purpose of the website should also be considered, as an informational website without graphics may benefit from the effects of rich media, such as advertisements featuring related videos.
Marketing banners generally are the most useful when placed "above the fold" on the webpage, or in the space initially visible to the end user before scrolling. This allows visitors to view them quickly upon first landing on a page. If the webpage already features rich media content, then it may be more beneficial to have traditional banners displayed so there is a lower chance of the banners delaying page loading.
