• by March 9, 2001

Just in case you missed it, the Advertising Council this week presented a study titled "Secrets of Highly Clickable Banners," which defines several important guidelines for increasing Web banner click-through rates.

A frequent Internet Top 20 advertiser (think, "Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires,") the Ad Council submitted 93 banners to be analyzed in terms of factors that influence a user to click on a banner advertisement.

And, according to the study, a banner ad that adheres to four significant components -- drawing the eye, engaging the mind, creating a desire for more and facilitating action -- will experience a much higher incidence of user click-through.

According to the study, in order to encourage a viewer to click on an ad banner it must draw the viewer's eyes away from the Web page and to the banner itself.

Researchers found numerous ways in which this can be achieved, but the most effective method is the utilization of motion or animation. Of the 93 Web banners analyzed, only one in the top click-through group was static. In comparison, 35% of the least clicked group were motionless.

The study also found that relevance is an important component of creating a successful banner. Results indicate that as many as 82% of ads that receive high levels of click-through promise a relevant benefit.

In contrast, less than half of the ads with the lowest level of click-through, offer a benefit.