This term refers to Banner Advertisements which actually appear on the web page. The very first Banners were embedded in the page. As marketers experimented with new ad formats, they wandered off the page to increase the chances of capturing viewers’ attention. Regardless of their efforts, on page Banners remain prevalent and are still widely used.

Types of On Page Banners

The different types of on page display advertisements vary mainly by their function and size. The various functionalities include animation, sound, rotation, scrolling, floating, peeling and expanding. Different sizes are given specific names such as rectangle, button, micro bar, Leaderboard and skyscraper. Further details of the different types of banners are available on our website.

Placement of On Page Banner Advertising

Studies have shown that some locations are better than others when considering click through rates and return on investment. A study by graduate students at the University of Michigan in 1997 for example showed the following:

• Advertisements next to the right scroll bar (in the lower corner) generated 228% more clicks than ads placed at the top of the page;
• Banners placed a third down the page received 77% more clicks than the top.

These findings are somewhat contradictory to what many ad networks and marketers will advise today. In terms of Banner Ad Placement, they follow patterns similar to that shown on the diagram below:

Zone Sizes & Placements from Adbrite.com

Whilst some argue above the fold placements (visible without needing to scroll) are ideal, others still claim lower ads perform better. The logic behind lower placements is that these ads can be integrated with the content, creating more interest. Advertisements just below the text are also beneficial since the visitor is exposed to these after he/she has finished reading and is, at that stage, ready to move on.

While there’s a higher chance of exposing visitors to above the fold Ads and hence why they’re more expensive, you should also be experimenting with placing Banners in the content and immediately following the main text.

Comparison with Off Page Banner Advertising

Off page ads include interstitial, popups and popunders.

Interstitials appear after the user has clicked a link. They are full page advertisements which open up while the destination page loads. Although they achieve high CPM (cost per thousand impression) rates, these types of advertisements are very in-your-face and highly annoying for users.

Pop ups open in a new browser window shown in front of the landing page. They are also highly distracting, since the visitor’s intention to visiting a specific page is disrupted. Before the visitor has a chance to see the content they are confronted with something else – a popup ad asking them to take another course of action. For this reason, some visitors shun websites with popup advertisements.

Popunders – these also open up in a new browser window, just like pop-ups, but they appear beneath the landing page. Since they allow the visitor to view the landing page, they are less disruptive than other types of off page Banners. The visitor usually doesn’t see this ad until after they’ve exited the current browser window, often making it hard to determine which site the pop-under came from. Although this format allows visitors to turn their attention to the ad after they’ve finished browsing, many don’t click since they’re sceptical of the ad’s legitimacy or origin.