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If you're thinking about using banners and just starting on the design stage, keep in mind 1 or 2 straightforward points, and you will be well on the way to a successful campaign. It is also crucial to remember that banners now come in a variety of sizes, but there are certain normal sizes that most networks and website owners will only deal with. A listing of those is available too in this piece.

Banner design tips:

1. Banner file sizes - You may have the finest looking banner in the world, but if it is too "heavy", no one is going to hang around to watch it load. Try and keep it to about 25kb, but less is better. Make sure that you put a file size cap on your design specs if you're getting somebody else to design banners for you. It has been my experience that there are many thousands of great graphics designers out there, but few who understand this side of banner development is a critical component.

2. Flash banners - Extremely pretty indeed - but is it effective? If your target is the young sector and you're promoting entertainment related products, then maybe the complicated animations that Flash offers could be handy, but as a rule, steer clear of Flash generated banner designs. The other reason I advise avoiding Flash banners is they can be rather kilobyte heavy and some sites can not run them.

3. Keep your banner design straightforward - You have little time to persuade people to click your banner, so the more complicated it is in the text and general design, the less probability of people clicking - make your point and make it fast.

4. Use animation - Animation is an essential part of banner design. Do not forget that your banner will be contesting with other elements on the sites where it is displayed. Also use animation sensibly; it should draw attention, not prompt epileptic fits. Keep it simplistic though.