Todd Wasserman of Mashable reports that banner ads may be experiencing big growth this year, they’re not getting any more effective. Only one person in 1,000 actually clicks on banner ads, despite attempts to make them more inviting.
However, the Google report, which comes out this week, found that the format of a display ad can make a difference. A 250×250 pixel ad using Flash got the highest CTR of any format — 0.26%. The worst performers were vertical 120×240 banners with Flash and a full (468×60) banner with Flash, which both got rates of 0.05%.
The study also found that most banner ads (54%) served through DoubleClick used Flash, while 28% were image-based ads. Ads using Flash for auto advertiser had the best CTRs at 0.13%. Half-page ads also had the best CTRs overall at 0.18%.
Of course, a banner’s value or lack thereof, is not entirely click dependent. No one clicks outdoor boards either, but that doesn’t stop companies from plastering the highway with them.
