Creating a Digital Advertising Banner: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a digital advertising banner can be a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be. With the right tools and knowledge, you can create an effective banner ad that will help you reach your goals. This guide will walk you through the steps of creating a digital advertising banner, from setting your campaign goal to choosing the right ad platform and ad size. The first step is to set the objective of the campaign.

This is the foundation of your entire banner ad campaign and will influence the ad platform, ad placement and web banner size you choose, as well as the advertising message and call to action (CTA). The most common objectives of the web banner campaign are to create brand awareness, generate leads and increase sales. Ask yourself what you ultimately want to achieve with your banner ad to find the goal of your campaign. Once you've decided on a goal for your banner ad, it's time to choose an ad platform.

Popular platforms include Google Adwords, Google Display Network, Annex Advertising Network, Bing Display and DuckDuckGo, as well as social media. Each platform has its own set of rules and guidelines for creating ads, so make sure you read up on them before you start creating your banner. The next step is to choose an ad placement and web banner size. Different platforms have different sizes and placements available, so make sure you research which ones are best for your campaign.

It's also important to keep in mind that people's eyes are naturally attracted to a subject within a frame, so make sure your ad has a clearly defined frame with graphics that extend to the edges of the box. If the ad is white, it is common practice to place a 1-pixel gray border around the ad. As for the file size, the smaller, the better below 150 kb, according to Google Adwords. Your ad must load quickly on a page so that viewers will scroll down and miss it. Now it's time to create your banner ad.

The designer will typically work in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop to deliver JPG, PNG, or GIF files, or in Google Web Designer or Adobe Animate for HTML5 files. Remember that Flash ads are pretty much out of date right now, so opt for these other image file formats. Animation should be done in HTML5 nowadays. For static ads, there are some “new Photoshop tricks” that can make them look sharp besides creating 100% 300 dpi. These include adding objects and animated backgrounds or turning a static design into a video by choosing from over 1 million creative assets.

Eliminate certain elements that are not working together and implement elements that are working in other banners. Once you have created your banner ad, it's time to launch it on your chosen platform. If you have an e-commerce store, you may want to include some of your products in the advertisement, for example, or if you own a car dealership, you should include some of your latest car models in the advertisement. The maximum recommended file size for a banner ad is between 10,000 and 40,000 bytes depending on the dimensions of the banner size. Finally, it's important to track your results so you can see which of your designs are the most effective and continue creating successful advertising campaigns. Thinking about what kind of message you want to portray will help you choose the colors of your advertising banner. Creating a digital advertising banner doesn't have to be difficult if you follow these steps: set your campaign goal; choose an ad platform; choose an ad placement and web banner size; create your banner; launch it on your chosen platform; track results; and adjust accordingly.

Karina Mangold
Karina Mangold

Tea ninja. Hipster-friendly coffee practitioner. Hardcore bacon fan. Infuriatingly humble burrito guru. Award-winning bacon aficionado.

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