What is banner advertising?

Banner advertising is the method of online advertising whereby you place your own images (or banners) on other websites. Users will be directed to your website if they click on one of your banners. Banner advertising is normally charged at a set price per number of impressions (usually stated as CPM - Cost per thousand impressions.)

Banner advertisements are normally not as highly targeted as contextual advertising and don't tend to pull as many clicks but they are great for establishing your brand since they are highly visible.

How can I start a banner advertising campaign?

Start by looking at other websites in relevant categories. Often there is a section with information on how to advertise on the site. If you can't find such information then send an email to the administrators or sales reps of the site, asking for their prices and advertising policies.

clickXchange.com provides a convenient way to engage in banner and text advertising. The clickXchange network contains a large number of professional web publishers that are willing to display your banners on their websites for a set fee per 1000 impressions or per click. There is no need to purchase or install expensive software but you must generate at least $42 of commissions per month to stay in the programme.

Commission Junction is the king of banner advertising but is not suitable for small advertisers because they require a $2250 activation fee and a minimum of $500 per month in commissions. Commission Junction has an enormous number of quality web publishers to place your advertisements on. You can search for websites that match specific themes and accept or deny individual publishers and websites.