Why do Online Advertising?
Direct – An online advert is direct; it takes people straight from the ad to where you want them to go on your site. Rather than a print advert which has to encourage people to call you, visit you, or visit (after remembering the URL of) your website; an online advert makes it much easier to get the person to your site.
Comparatively Low Cost – Although online advertising is not the most responsive form of advertising, the costs are quite low compared to other types of media (radio, newspapers, etc); and you can potentially set up ads that pay out only when they get results.
Flexibility – Online advertising is flexible, you can use various sizes and positions for your ads, and you can change the ad image and where it goes on a regular basis.
Tracking – You can track the results of an online advert much more easily than with other forms of advertising; from simply checking how many more visits you get, to dedicated tracking software that can tell you the precise results from an ad.
How Should You Choose Where to Place an Ad?
There are numerous factors that you need to take into account when you decide where to place online ads. These affect the cost as well as the potential response (and who will be responding).
The main issues you need to look at are:
The Site – Obviously, you need to make sure that the site you are advertising on matches the needs of your advertising. If you sell office supplies you will find little benefit advertising on a music site (unless it deals with music businesses that have offices!); so find a site that is likely to be visited by people you wish to attract. In general, the more specific a site’s audience is, the more expensive the ad space; as you will get more relevant viewers per booking. Sites with a very general audience are likely to be much cheaper, but will provide a much less targeted audience.
Size of Ad – Naturally, the size of the ad you are booking will have a huge effect on its price. Below are some examples of standard ad sizes in pixels, although there are many more than this. Note: The names often vary:
MPU | 
Skyscraper |
Half Banner 
Micro Banner 
Half Skyscraper |
Article Index
1. Online Advertising - Why and Where?
2. Pricing of Your Online Advertisement - Where to Place It?
3. Creating and Booking Your Online Advert
4. Monitoring the Results of Your Online Ad
