Online Text and Banner Ads to Attract People
to Your Website

 

If you’re willing to spend some money (typically $150 to $5,000 a month and more), you can have ads for your product or service start appearing on major search engines, social media sites and websites, potentially generating truckloads of new leads and business to you.

Paid advertising is not for the faint of heart.

But done properly, paid advertising can skyrocket your income better than just about any other tool. It’s how the rich get richer, and how so many entrepreneurs finally break through to the big time.

A typical online advertiser will generally start with a text ad on a major search engine, like Google. Then, once they’ve figured out how to get that ad making money, now they scale it… meaning, they expand it to reach more and more people, any and every way they can.

After all, if every time you pay $1, your ad generates $2 or more in profit to you, wouldn’t you want to keep expanding the ad’s reach?

• Spend $1,000 and earn $2,000…
• Spend $10,000 and earn $20,000…
• Spend $100,000 and earn $200,000…
• and so forth.

This sounds simplistic but it’s how online advertising works.

We ran an online ad for a pet supplement. Once we figured out how to generate more money than we were paying, we expanded the reach and started generating well over a million dollars. It was amazing and wonderful, but this formula has been around forever. Once you find a winning formula, you scale it bigger and bigger, so it reaches more and more people.

Here’s how you’d roll out your ads:

• Begin small, with Google text ads (or Yahoo or Bing/Microsoft), which allow you only a limited headline and text plus a link to a web page you select,
  • Once those ads are converting (bringing you enough leads or paying clients),
• Expand out to banner ads on Google’s Display network (ads on other websites);
  • Once those ads are converting (bringing you enough leads or paying clients),
• Expand to major Internet platforms that will place your banner ads on major websites, from USA Today and CNN to hundreds of high-traffic sites in specialized niches (these platforms include Advertising.com, SiteScout, AdReady, Arcamax Publishing, Clicksor, etc).

These are PPC (pay-per-click) ads, which means you pay whenever someone actually clicks on your ad (Google and the others have safeguards to help protect against click-fraud and multiple clicks by the same person – Realize, they want your ad to be successful because it means you will spend more).

As you get more sophisticated, there are other payment options that may be available, such as CPM (pay per 1,000 views), and the more coveted but expensive PPA (pay-per-action) where you pay only when someone actually converts to a lead or client.

 

Where Do These Ads Appear

To start, your text ads on Google and the other major search engines generally appear on the top and side of search results…

When you expand to Google’s Display Network, your text ads appear on other websites in their ADS BY GOOGLE sections (this is where people have signed up for a free AdWords account to make extra income from their website)…

Once you post banner ads to Google’s display network, and later to display networks (like Advertising.com, Clicksor, etc), your ads will appear on the top and side of major and niche websites that get lots of traffic…

Of course, you pay every time someone clicks on your ad, so you’d better make sure you’re making more money than you’re spending… that your ad is converting enough clicks to people who actually buy.

Once you’re able to create a profitable ad, expanding its reach can turn a small income into a huge fortune, and very quickly.

 

Spending Money to Make Money

Free and paid resources are available to help master online advertising. However, the area can be complex enough that many will opt for professional assistance, through one of the online ad agencies.

Although the best ones can be expensive, if you have a great product, working with an agency could be tremendously valuable.

For example, one of the top online media buyers in the country, Jonathan Mizel’s Cyber Wave Media (www.cyberwavemedia.com/), charges 30% of your ad spend (the amount you pay the websites for posting your ad to their site) with a $25,000 minimum retainer.

This may seem like a lot until you understand how valuable their service is. They create an ad campaign that converts effectively (generating the highest possible sales or leads). If yours is an ideal business, it can turn a profit of thousands into hundreds of thousands and even millions in a relatively short time.

Although every client and every campaign is different, through scaling, they generated 6,433,666 unique visitors and 83,988 sales for clients.

How much do you earn when 83,000 clients buy from you? If you can handle this type of growth, online ad buying, and perhaps working with a top agency, could make sense for you.

 

——–LET’S START WITH SEARCH-ENGINE ADVERTISING———

 

Search Engines – Paid Advertising

 

Unlike free (organic) listings which generally take a lot of work and time to meet the rules of Google and the other major search engines, if you are willing to pay money, you could get listed high in the search engines for hot keywords almost immediately.

Like the free (organic) listings, you’ll first need to select the best keywords to be listed on (using the Google Keyword Planner).

You’ll also want to look at the COMPETITION column because that will generally indicate which keywords are the most expensive, where the most people are competing to be listed the highest on the page. The good news with paid advertising is you don’t necessarily have to be first on the page to get great results.

With some research using the process described in the SEARCH ENGINES FREE section, you can generally find great keywords to advertise on, particularly with long-tail keywords (with more words in the keyword – so rather than “insurance” you will choose “motorcycle insurance” or the longer phrase “motorcycle insurance rates” or even longer “motorcycle insurance rates los angeles” – where the longer phrase will have fewer competitors).

Search engine paid advertising uses the pay-per-click business model, where you pay only when someone actually clicks on your ad. The amount you pay is based on an auction, where they show you what competitors are paying and encourage you to beat them, or at least pay a certain minimum amount which will ensure that you are listed on the first page of the search results.

Prices per click generally range from 20 cents to $1.50 per click, but can be as high as $50 and more for highly competitive categories such as financial services.

Once you select the price you want to pay, that becomes a ceiling. You will never pay more per click for that keyword, but you may pay less, depending on the time of day your ad appears and the number of competitors for that time slot.

There is a daily limit that you establish, typically starting at about $4 per day. This is especially valuable because it means you won’t wake up to find you suddenly spent $1,000 or $10,000 on Internet advertising, and have no results to show for it.

As a new advertiser you will generally experiment to find the best ad that gets the most people clicking on it for the least money (easily adjusting the price and other factors, like which keywords you are showing up under… they make it easy to split test – where the search engines let you run two different ads at the same time and see which one gets better response). Systems like Google’s will generally provide pretty good metrics so you can see which keywords are best. They do this because they understand the more successful your advertising is, the more likely you will spend more.

 

You Don’t Just Want Clicks – You Want Conversions

Getting clicks is not enough. The real goal is to generate sales leads and/or make sales. You should spend a relatively small amount to generate a relatively large amount.

To do that, first you want to make sure you have selected “intent-to-buy” keywords, so only real buyers are clicking on your ads. Understand that many people are searching the Internet for information with no intent to buy, but some people are actually ready to buy, if they find a supplier they like and trust. These are the people you want, and they tend to type different keywords in the search engines.

For example, an interior designer discovered the keyword “interior design” mostly got people wanting free tips, maybe after watching a home makeover TV show or reading a magazine. By contrast, people “ready” to hire an interior designer were more likely to be using keywords like “interior design companies” and “interior design firms” indicating they were searching for which specific companies were available.

With products, people using the keyword “cameras” are more likely just investigating what’s available, but people typing “go-pro pricing” are probably ready to buy.

So understanding “intent-to-buy” keywords, the ones used by someone who’s ready to buy now, can be extremely important when it comes to selecting which pay-per-click keywords you want to be listed under.

Next, make sure your ad and the web page your ad links to say the same thing. Your ad doesn’t need to be linked to your home page. It can link to any page, including one you create just for this ad.

I see people create an ad that says one thing, then the person clicks on the link and end up at the home page, where the buyer gets confused.

If you’re paying for an ad, make sure, when the person clicks the link, it takes them to a page with the same or similar headline and text at the top. The landing page (the page the person lands on when they click the link) should be a continuation of the conversation you started with the small ad.

 

Content Network vs Google’s Network

Note that when you advertise with Google, they have two places you can advertise,

(1) their own Google Network – Google’s own website or websites that use Google’s search engine, and

(2) Google’s Content Network – which posts ads on other people’s websites, through the Google Adwords program (did you ever see the headline “Google Ads” on someone’s website?).

With their Adwords program, Google targets websites it believes will help you generate sales from your ads. This means you will sometimes even show up on a competitor’s website, which can be great… catching them before they buy from your competitor.

The bad news is, there can be cheating and false numbers from the Content Network (called click-fraud), where a hacker or competitor causes you to pay for extra clicks. Google has protections build-in that prevent multiple clicks from the same person to be counted more than once. And they effectively police their own site better than sites on their Content Network. Still, when you advertise on Google’s own site, there is less abuse and you are more likely to pay for real clicks.

Remember, wants you to be successful, so every way they can, they work hard to prevent click fraud and other abuses that could hurt your results.

Still, when you start advertising, particularly on Google, you should begin ONLY with Google’s Network and not use the Content Network (a simple check box).

Once your campaign gets rolling and you’re making great profit, you’ll probably want to expand to their Content Network, but usually at a considerably lower price.

 

Banner Ads versus Text Ads

Most people starting with search engine advertising begin with text ads.

Google gives you computer code you can put on your web pages, to help you monitor which pages people click on and when they click on the BUY NOW page (it’s called “conversion”). This really helps you decide where to spend more or less money.

Once you find the ad and keywords that are converting best for you (making you money or generating actual leads), and especially once you start advertising using their Content Network, many people will start using banner ads, which can be more effective.

Banner ads are visual ads, usually with an image and/or text in a box. The image and/or text can be static or moving, although most banners have static images. The banner ad links to a page on your website which you select.

Banner ads with movement are created using animated GIF images, often with simple movement, or the more sophisticated Flash Animation, which can contain full-blown animation or even video (without sound).

Banner ad size is measured in pixels to accommodate for different computer screen resolution, magnifications and other factors. Free pixel rulers can be downloaded through www.cnet.com or are otherwise readily available online.

 

Sample Banner Ad (original web size 468 × 60 pixels, file size: 42 KB – enlarged for display here)

 

Banner ads can be vertical, horizontal or square of different lengths and widths, depending on the page that’s displaying it. Pages that allow banner ads specify which sizes are acceptable for display on their pages. 

Many search engines include an easy-build section where you could make your own banner ads. However, getting them professionally made will generally provide more options and better graphics.

A simple search will uncover many professional banner ad creators available for hire, or lower cost ones can be found on sites like www.fiverr.com.

Courtesy of http://monstertut.com/

Courtesy of www.fuzionagency.com/

In each search engine’s ad section, they typically list the sizes they accept for banners in their network. For example, here are recent technical requirements for Google’s Display Network (always check the most current specs):

 

Non-animated image ads
File type	.JPEG .JPG .PNG .GIF
File size	150 KB or smaller
Image size	Vertical rectangle: 240 x 400 Mobile leaderboard: 320 x 50 Banner: 468 x 60 Leaderboard: 728 x 90 Square: 250 x 250 Small square: 200 x 200 Large rectangle: 336 x 280 Inline rectangle: 300 x 250 Skyscraper: 120 x 600 Wide skyscraper: 160 x 600 Half-page: 300 x 600 Large leaderboard: 970×90 Large mobile banner: 320 x 100 Billboard: 970 x 250

 

Animated image ads
File type	.GIF
File size	150 KB or smaller
Image size	Banner: 468 x 60 Leaderboard: 728 x 90 Square: 250 x 250 Small square: 200 x 200 Large rectangle: 336 x 280 Inline rectangle: 300 x 250 Skyscraper: 120 x 600 Wide skyscraper: 160 x 600 Half-page: 300 x 600 Large leaderboard: 970×90 Large mobile banner: 320 x 100 Billboard: 970 x 250
Animation length and speed	Animation length must be 30 seconds or shorter Animations can be looped, but the animations must stop after 30 seconds Animated GIF ads must be 5 fps or slower

 

Flash ads
File type	.SWF (Flash)
File size	150 KB or smaller
Image size	Banner: 468 x 60 Leaderboard: 728 x 90 Square: 250 x 250 Small square: 200 x 200 Large rectangle: 336 x 280 Inline rectangle: 300 x 250 Skyscraper: 120 x 600 Wide skyscraper: 160 x 600 Half-page: 300 x 600 Large leaderboard: 970×90 Large mobile banner: 320 x 100 Billboard: 970 x 250
Animation length and speed	Animation length must be 30 seconds or shorter Animations can be looped, but the animations must stop after 30 seconds Flash ads must be 20 fps or slower
Flash version	Important AdWords currently supports only Adobe Flash Player versions 4 through 10.1. If your ad uses any other version (such as 10.2), it cannot be uploaded. Including these parameters can cause Flash ads not to work in some cases.

Keep in mind

Some image ad sizes are available only in some regions.

Here are more image ad sizes that you can use, depending on the region where you show your ad. These ad sizes are available for non-animated image ads, animated image ads, and Flash ads.

Image ad sizes by region
Ad type	Dimension	Size limit	Regional use
PL billboard	750×100	150 KB	One of the more popular ad sizes in Poland
PL double billboard	750×200	150 KB	One of the more popular ad sizes in Poland
PL triple billboard	750×300	150 KB	One of the more popular ad sizes in Poland
Vertical rectangle	240×400	150 KB	One of the more popular ad sizes in Russia
Panorama	980×120	150 KB	One of the more popular ad sizes in Sweden
Top banner	930×180	150 KB	A popular ad size in Denmark
Triple widescreen	250×360	150 KB	One of the more popular ad sizes in Sweden
Netboard	580×400	150 KB	One of the more popular ad sizes in Norway

Courtesy Google Adwords: https://support.google.com/adwordspolicy/answer/176108?hl=en

Here’s a chart showing the different sizes based on previous IAB recommendations (not actual size – displayed to show differences)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Standard_web_banner_ad_sizes.svg

 

 Important Rules for Search-Engine Pay-Per-Click Advertising

– Remember, you are paying for traffic

– The price of a click determined by bid auction

– Paid search position and ranking are based on the quality, relevance, and bid price of your ad. (If more people are clicking on your ads than others, Google will position you higher even if you didn’t pay for the higher position)

– Advertise on Google, Yahoo, and Bing/Microsoft…

– Also advertise on Facebook (which can be valuable because of the lower costs and better targeting), LinkedIn and other key sites

– Pay-Per-Click is harder than it looks, and can chew through your budget in the blink of an eye.

– For Google – the average click price is $0.30 to $0.80

– Highly competitive markets, like auto insurance and financial services can be as high as $30-$50 per click

– Monthly PPC budgets can easily reach $1,500/month ($50/day).  Make sure you measure and achieve an ROI.

– Buy regionally and locally – you can also buy time of day, day of week

– Start low, 20 – 30 cents per click. It’s easy to change your prices quickly and/or stop a keyword or a campaign.

– Although most people start by choosing a single price for all their keywords (say 20 or 30 cents, then inching it up to make sure you are on page 1 of Google), you can actually pay different prices for different keywords – Google shows you what people are paying and what will get you (a) to page 1 and (b) to the top of page 1.

– Set your daily limit low. Remember $4/day x 30 days = $120/month.

– Raise your daily limit as revenues increase.

– Test, test, test. Make sure you are earning ROI from your ads.

– Use Google Analytics. Measure click through rate (conversion)

– Focus on “intent to buy” keywords.

– Separate Content Network from Google Network!!!

– Begin with Google Network – then pay half or less for
Content Network.

– Don’t always follow Google’s suggestion to spend more.

– #1 position is not always essential– but 1st page is.

– Track ROI of each keyword.

– Only a small percent of clicks buy – it’s about mass numbers.

– Google page rank is how they make sure buyers get what they really want. This means they look at the time people spend on your landing page they get to from your ad, and the relevance of what you are offering to the keyword.

 

——————ONCE YOU HAVE A PROFITABLE AD——————-

 

Major Ad Platforms – Paid Advertising

 

Once you have a banner ad that’s profitable, particularly on Google’s Content Network, now you could expand to the larger ad networks, to multiply your income even higher.

If you’ve ever advertised on Google, you’ll probably find advertising on the other networks quite familiar, as the process is similar. The main difference is that additional payment options may be available, such as CPM (pay per 1,000 views), and the more coveted but expensive PPA (pay-per-action) where you pay only when someone actually converts to a lead or client.

Also, you may have to work with an ad rep rather than placing your ads self-serve.

Here’s a list of some of the more popular ad networks, with some details about them:

• Advertise.com (www.advertise.com/)
  Decent quality traffic and low minimums – $100 minimum
• SiteScout – previously AdBrite (www.sitescout.com/)
  Lower quality network with fewer ad restrictions and less expensive traffic. Watch sites you appear on carefully and avoid CPM (pay-par-view) buys
  – $100 minimum.
• MediaTraffic (http://mediatraffic.com/)
  Targeted domestic and international media, ability to target competitors’ keywords, one of the best ad platforms – $200 minimum
• AdReady (http://adready.com/)
  Expensive but high quality inventory, incredible easy-banner-ad-builder, media buying across display, social and mobile, best-in-class targeting
  – $300 minimum
• Arcamax Publishing (www.arcamax.com/advertising/solutions.html)
  Great display ad publisher including targeted HTML (graphic) newsletters and cartoons – $500 minimum
• Clicksor (www.clicksor.com/)
  Great contextual targeting (matches content to ad), wide selection of ad types including text ads, rich media, display, pop-unders, interstitials, layer ads, and search boxes. no minimum deposit and low CPV prices – $0.
• Ad Marketplace (www.admarketplace.com/)
  Smaller but very high quality network – minimum $100
• Pulse360 (www.pulse360.com/)
  High quality publishers like Gannett, NBCSports.com, Comcast, MSNBC, and USA Today, not self-serve (you need to buy ads through a sales rep) – minimum $100
• Conversant Media – previously ValueClick (www.conversantmedia.com/) Huge high-quality network of websites, huge inventory of ad space available, includes cross-device ads – so they also show up on SmartPhones, not self-serve (you need to buy ads through a sales rep)
  – minimum $2,500

 

Whether you use an online ad agency or do it yourself, expanding to the larger ad networks can dramatically increase the number of people exposed to your product or service, multiplying your income like no other marketing format.

 

SEE ALSO

MEDIA AND METHODS — Page 137 – BANNER ADS and PAY-PER-CLICK

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