What they don't understand, however, is that they are actually driving traffic away, by making their sites unattractive and slow. The banner ads that were supposed generate income drive away potential customers.

Do you like banner ads? Now, ask yourself the question: "Why do you think, that others would feel different than you do?"

While large ads may be successful in magazines, newspapers and telephone books, what person would wants them to consume his or her bandwidth on the web? Isn't the Internet already slow enough?

Why do you think that one of the most popular sections on our website is the one that covers programs to eliminate banners and pop-up windows? Many people are sick of obnoxious, in-you-face advertising. They are fed up with the useless clutter of ads filling most websites.

No long ago, we removed all the banner ads at our site, leaving only text links. The results were that we saw dramatic increase in both traffic and revenue. Removing the banners increased both our popularity and our profits. Amazingly enough, not one person wrote back to us and complained about the banners being removed.

Now you may be asking yourself, "Why do advertisers use banner ads, if they are so unpopular with the public?"

The answer is simple: Name Recognition!

The truth of the matter is advertisers don't really care if people buy from your site as long as at some point in time, people remember the product or service and buy it.

Think about it. You annoy your visitors with dozens of ads about some dot-com, causing them to flee your site. Later on, the same visitors remember those ads and go to the site directly. The company makes a sale, and they don't even have to pay the person, who advertised it.

There are some very popular sites on the Internet with huge affiliate programs. You can find their banners everywhere. You might think that it would be a cinch to make money off such sites by simply placing one of their banners on your site, but guess again. With so many ads, people don't need your banners to find them. Most people have bookmarked them already. To effectively advertise such popular sites, you need to target your readers with custom reviews or inform people about specific sales and promotions so
that they feel compelled to click on the link immediately.

Now, I am not here to tell you that removing the banners off your site will make you an instant success. Without compelling content on your site, you still may not see any changes in traffic. A site that is nothing more than a series of ads is unlikely to be successful, regardless of what form the advertising the webmaster uses.

I am not suggesting that everyone should remove banners from their site either. Indeed, it would be foolish for the owner of a popular site to remove paid advertising that is generating income. If advertisers are willing to pay up front for banner ads, or if you have banner ads that are performing well, by all means, keep them!

What I am suggesting, however, is that if you have banner ads that aren't generating income that you expected, you might think about removing or replacing them. Consider text-based adverting with compelling reviews about the products or services. Give your readers something more than just flashy slogans or pictures of beautiful models. Provide your visitors with reasons why they actually need a product or service, so that they buy it from your site now, rather than later.

Instead of simply placing a banner on your site for a site where people can buy a product, write an informative article or review about the product, and then tell your readers where they can find a great deal on it.

About the Author:
Michael T. Smith
Webmaster, Freeware and Stuff
ginsengprod@yahoo.com
8409 Leland Rd.
Manassas, VA 20111
Phone: (703) 369-9746
Fax: (978) 231-4768
Pager: (800) 372-0709

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