Editing Web banner

{{Short description|Type of advertising}}
{{Internet Marketing}}

A '''web banner''' or '''banner ad''' is a [[Online Advertising|form of advertising]] on the [[World Wide Web]] delivered by an [[ad server]]. This form of online advertising entails embedding an advertisement into a [[web page]]. It is intended to attract [[web traffic|traffic]] to a [[website]] by linking to the website of the advertiser. In many cases, banners are delivered by a [[central ad server]]. This payback system is often how the content provider is able to pay for the [[Internet]] access to supply the content in the first place. Usually though, advertisers use [[ad network]]s to serve their advertisements, resulting in a revshare system and higher quality ad placement.

Web banners function the same way as traditional advertisements are intended to function: notifying consumers of the product or service and presenting reasons why the consumer should choose the product in question, a fact first documented on [[HotWired]] in 1996 by researchers [[Rex Briggs]] and [[Nigel Hollis]].<ref>Briggs, Rex; Hollis, Nigel, Advertising on the Web: Is there Response Before Clickthrough? Journal of Advertising Research, March–April 1997, pg 33-45</ref> Web banners differ in that the results for advertisement campaigns may be monitored real-time and may be targeted to the viewer's interests. 

Behavior is often tracked through the use of a [[Clicktag|click tag]].

Many web surfers regard web advertisements as annoying because they distract from a web page's actual content or waste [[Bandwidth (computing)|bandwidth]]. In some cases, web banners cover screen content that the user wishes to see. Newer web browsers often include software "[[adblocker]]" options to disable pop-ups or block images from selected websites. Another way of avoiding banners is to use a [[proxy server]] that blocks them, such as [[Privoxy]]. Web browsers may also have extensions available that block banners, for example [[Adblock Plus]] for [[Mozilla Firefox]], or AdThwart for [[Google Chrome]] and [[ie7pro]] for [[Internet Explorer]].

==History==
The banner ad played a significant role in enabling the rapid development of paid advertising on the Internet.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Revisiting online banner advertising recall: An experimental study of the factors affecting banner recall in an Arab context|last1=Khattab|first1=Lina|last2=Mahrous|first2=Abeer A.|date=2016-11-01|journal=Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research|volume=9|issue=2|pages=237–249|language=en|doi=10.1386/jammr.9.2.237_1}}</ref>

The pioneer of online advertising was [[Prodigy (online service)|Prodigy]], a company owned by [[IBM]] and [[Sears]] at the time. Prodigy used online advertising first to promote Sears products in the 1980s, and then other advertisers, including [[AOL]], one of Prodigy's direct competitors. Prodigy was unable to capitalize on any of its first mover advantage in online advertising. The first clickable web ad (which later came to be known by the term "banner ad") was sold by [[Global Network Navigator]] (GNN) in 1993 to [[Heller Ehrman|Heller, Ehrman, White, & McAuliffe]], a now defunct law firm with a Silicon Valley office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oreillynet.com/lpt/wlg/907|title=O'Reilly Network Weblogs: SLAC Symposium on the Early Web|work=O'Reilly Media |first1=Tim |last1=O'Reilly |date= Nov 26, 2001 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011222071440/http://www.oreillynet.com/lpt/wlg/907|archive-date=2001-12-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Heller-Ehrman-law-firm-to-dissolve-Friday-3193215.php |first1=Tom |last1=Abate |first2=Andrew S. |last2=Ross |title=Heller Ehrman law firm to dissolve Friday|work=SFGate|date=26 September 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110707100313/http://articles.sfgate.com/2008-09-26/business/17158078_1_san-francisco-s-heller-ehrman-legal-industry-same-sex-marriages|archive-date=2011-07-07}}</ref> GNN was the first commercially supported web publication and one of the first commercial websites.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gulib.georgetown.edu/newjour/g/msg00566.html |title=The Global Network Navigator (GNN) |date=19 Aug 1993 |first1=Brian |last1=Erwin |website=NewJour |publisher=Georgetown University Library |access-date=2012-05-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322101651/http://gulib.georgetown.edu/newjour/g/msg00566.html |archive-date=2012-03-22 }}</ref>

For many years, [[HotWired]] was regarded as the inventor of the digital banner ad,<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Singel |first1=Ryan |title=Oct. 27, 1994: Web Gives Birth to Banner Ads |url=https://www.wired.com/2010/10/1027hotwired-banner-ads/ |magazine=Wired |access-date=8 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120053017/https://www.wired.com/2010/10/1027hotwired-banner-ads/ |archive-date=20 January 2022 |date=27 October 2010 |quote=1994: Wired.com, then known as HotWired, invents the web banner ad. Go ahead, blame us ... the first HotWired banner ad was from AT&T, prophetically asking 'Have you ever clicked your mouse right here? You will.'}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=LaFrance |first1=Adrienne |title=The First-Ever Banner Ad on the Web: It was an advertisement for AT&T in 1994, and people clicked on it like crazy |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/04/the-first-ever-banner-ad-on-the-web/523728/ |website=The Atlantic |access-date=8 April 2022 |date=20 April 2017 |quote=The banner ad that’s widely described as the first ever was a little rectangle purchased by AT&T on HotWired.com in 1994. About 44 percent of the people who saw it actually clicked on it.}}</ref> and the first web site to sell banner ads in large quantities to a wide range of major corporate advertisers. Andrew Anker was HotWired's first CEO. [[Rick Boyce]], a former media buyer with San Francisco advertising agency Hal Riney & Partners, spearheaded the sales effort for the company.<ref>Reid, Robert H. (1997). ''Architects of the Web: 1,000 Days that Built the Future of Business''. John Wiley & Sons. Chapter Seven: 'Hotwired - Publishing on the Web' (pp 300-308) {{ISBN|0-471-17187-5}}</ref> HotWired coined the term "banner ad" and was the first company to provide click through rate reports to its customers. The first web banner sold by HotWired was paid for by [[AT&T Corp.]] and was put online on October 27, 1994.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://adage.com/digitalnext/post?article_id=139964 |title=Happy Birthday, Digital Advertising! - Advertising Age - DigitalNext |access-date=2011-01-19 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110707100313/http://adage.com/digitalnext/post?article_id=139964 |archive-date=2011-07-07 }} Happy Birthday, Digital Advertising!</ref> Another source also credits HotWired and October 1994, but has [[Coors Brewing Company|Coors]]' "[[Zima (drink)|Zima]]" campaign as the first web banner.<ref>Chapman, Merrill R., ''In search of stupidity: over 20 years of high-tech marketing disasters'' (2nd Edition), Apress, {{ISBN|1-59059-721-4}}</ref> In May 1994, [[Ken McCarthy]] mentored Boyce in his transition from traditional to online advertising and first introduced the concept of a clickable/trackable ad. He stated that he believed that only a direct response model&mdash;in which the return on investment of individual ads was measured&mdash;would prove sustainable over the long run for online advertising. In spite of this prediction, banner ads were valued and sold based on the number of impressions they generated.

However, [[Time Warner]]'s [[Pathfinder (website)]], which launched on October 24, 1994,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/24/business/the-media-business-time-inc-raises-its-multimedia-profile-with-an-internet-test.html|title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Time Inc. Raises Its Multimedia Profile With an Internet Test|first=Deirdre|last=Carmody|work=The New York Times |date=October 24, 1994|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref> the same week as HotWired, but three days earlier included banner ads.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitalriptide.org/person/walter-isaacson/|title=Riptide|website=Riptide}}</ref> [[Walter Isaacson]], then President of Time Inc. New Media,<ref name="auto"/> and the ''Columbia Journalism Review'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cjr.org/business_of_news/time-inc-meredith.php|title=Who killed Time Inc.?|first=Howard R.|last=Gold|website=Columbia Journalism Review}}</ref> both credit [[Bruce Judson]], then General Manager of Time Inc. New Media, with inventing the concept of the banner ad. In an interview for Harvard's Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics and Public Policy, on the history of the Internet, Isaacson discussed Judson's contribution, saying, "It really transformed everything. Immediately, Madison Avenue decided, 'Oh my God, we’ve got to understand this. We have to hire a lot of young people.' They would send us money. It was almost like you could look out of the Time-Life Building to Madison Avenue, and watch people walking with bags of money, to dump it on our desk, or [[Bruce Judson]]’s desk, to buy banner ads."<ref name="auto"/>

The first central [[ad server]] was released in July 1995 by Focalink Communications,<ref>[http://www.zinman.com/images/FocalinkPressRelease.JPG Hyperlink Advertising Explodes on the World Wide Web] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718154139/http://www.zinman.com/images/FocalinkPressRelease.JPG |date=2011-07-18 }}, company press release</ref> which enabled the management, targeting, and tracking of online ads. A local ad server quickly followed from NetGravity in January 1996.<ref>{{cite news|title=5 Tips To Reduce And Tackle HTML5 Banner Size|url=http://www.digitaland.tv/web/blog/5-tips-to-reduce-html5-banner-size/|access-date=16 July 2016|work=digitaland|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160713120710/http://www.digitaland.tv/web/blog/5-tips-to-reduce-html5-banner-size/|archive-date=13 July 2016}}</ref> The technology innovation of the ad server, together with the sale of online ads on an impression basis, fueled a dramatic rise in the proliferation of web advertising and provided the economic foundation for the web industry from the period of 1994 to 2000. The new online advertising model that emerged in the early years of the 21st century, introduced by [[GoTo.com]] (later [[Overture]], then [[Yahoo!]] and mass marketed by [[Google]]'s AdWords program), relies heavily on tracking ad response rather than impressions.

==Standard sizes==
[[Image:Standard web banner ad sizes.svg|thumb|400px|IAB standard ad sizes. This illustration has been reduced in size. [[Media:Standard web banner ad sizes.svg|See actual sizes]].]]

Ad sizes have been standardized to some extent by the [[Interactive Advertising Bureau|IAB]]. Prior to the IAB standardization, banner ads appeared in over 250 different sizes.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gehl|first1=Robert|title=Reverse Engineering Social Media|date=2014|publisher=Temple|location=Philadelphia, PA|isbn=978-1439910351}}</ref> However, some websites and advertising networks (outside the Eurosphere or North America) may not use any or all of the IAB base ad sizes. The IAB ad sizes as of 2007 are:<ref name="y2007">{{cite web|url=http://www.iab.net/standards/adunits.asp|title=Ad Unit Guidelines|publisher=Interactive Advertising Bureau|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015042304/http://www.iab.net/standards/adunits.asp|archivedate=2007-10-15|access-date=2021-03-21}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Standard web banner sizes, entries ''highlighted'' in green are part of the IAB's original Universal Ad Package.<ref>{{cite web|title=Universal Ad Package|url=http://www.iab.net/guidelines/508676/508767/UAP|website=iab.net|access-date=July 28, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705190833/http://www.iab.net/guidelines/508676/508767/UAP|archive-date=July 5, 2014}}</ref> Entries in red with a dagger suffix (†) were delisted after the update in 2011<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iab.net/iab_products_and_industry_services/1421/1443/1452|title=Ad Unit Guidelines|publisher=Interactive Advertising Bureau|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613035234/http://www.iab.net/iab_products_and_industry_services/1421/1443/1452|archivedate=2011-06-13|access-date=2021-03-21}}</ref>
|-
! Name
! Width / [[pixels|px]]
! Height / [[pixels|px]]
! [[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect ratio]]
|-
!colspan="4" scope="rowgroup"| Rectangles and Pop-Ups{{Efn|name="y2000"|This group was added around the beginning of 2000.}}
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#009e73;"| ''Medium Rectangle''
| '''300''' || '''250''' || '''{{resratio|6|5}}'''
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#d55e00;"| Square Pop-Up†
| 250 || 250 || {{resratio|1}}
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#d55e00;"| Vertical Rectangle†
| 240 || 400 || {{resratio|3|5}}
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#d55e00;"| Large Rectangle†
| 336 || 280 || {{resratio|6|5}}
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#009e73;"| ''Rectangle''
| '''180''' || '''150''' || '''{{resratio|6|5}}'''
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#d55e00;"| 3:1 Rectangle†{{Efn|name="y2007a"|Added in 2007 update.<ref name="y2007"/>}}
| 300 || 100 || {{resratio|3|1}}
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#d55e00;"| Pop-Under†{{Efn|name="y2007a"}}
| 720 || 300 || {{resratio|12|5}}
|-
!colspan="4" scope="rowgroup"| Banners and Buttons
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#d55e00;"| Full banner†
| 468 || 60 || {{resratio|78|10}}
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#d55e00;"| Half banner†
| 234 || 60 || {{resratio|39|10}}
|-
!scope="row"| Micro button
| 88 || 31 || {{resratio|88|31}}
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#d55e00;"| Button 1†
| 120 || 90 || {{resratio|4|3}}
|-
!scope="row"| Button 2
| 120 || 60 || {{resratio|2|1}}
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#d55e00;"| Vertical banner†
| 120 || 240 || {{resratio|1|2}}
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#d55e00;"| Square button†
| 125 || 125 || {{resratio|1|1}}
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#009e73;"| {{anchor|Leaderboard}}''Leaderboard''{{Efn|name="y2003a"|Added in 2003 update.<ref name="y2002">{{cite web|url=http://www.iab.net/standards/adunits.asp|title=Ad Unit Guidelines|publisher=Interactive Advertising Bureau|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20021204093610/http://www.iab.net/standards/adunits.asp|archivedate=2002-12-04|access-date=2021-03-21}}</ref><ref name="y2003">{{cite web|url=http://www.iab.net/standards/adunits.asp|title=Ad Unit Guidelines|publisher=Interactive Advertising Bureau|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20031002012859/http://iab.net:80/standards/adunits.asp|archivedate=2003-10-02|access-date=2021-03-21}}</ref>}}
| '''728''' || '''90''' || '''{{resratio|728|90}}'''
|-
!colspan="4" scope="rowgroup"| Skyscrapers{{Efn|name="y2000"}}
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#009e73;"| ''Wide skyscraper''
| '''160''' || '''600''' || '''{{resratio|4|15}}'''
|-
!scope="row" style="background:#d55e00;"| Skyscraper†
| 120 || 600 || {{resratio|1|5}}
|-
!scope="row"| Half page ad{{Efn|name="y2004a"|Added in 2004 update.<ref name="y2003"/><ref name="y2004">{{cite web|url=http://www.iab.net/standards/adunits.asp|title=Ad Unit Guidelines|publisher=Interactive Advertising Bureau|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040715013441/http://www.iab.net/standards/adunits.asp|archivedate=2004-07-15|access-date=2021-03-21}}</ref>}}
| 300 || 600 || {{resratio|1|2}}
|}
'''Notes'''
{{notelist}}

In 2015, IAB announced advertising creative guidelines for display & mobile, considering HTML5.<ref>{{Cite web|title=INTERACTIVE ADVERTISING BUREAU – DISPLAY & MOBILE ADVERTISING CREATIVE FORMAT GUIDELINES: 2015 ADVERTISING CREATIVE GUIDELINES FOR DISPLAY & MOBILE – UPDATED FOR HTML5|url=https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/IAB_Display_Mobile_Creative_Guidelines_HTML5_2015.pdf|website=IAB|accessdate=2021-03-21}}</ref>

In 2017, IAB also introduced the new guidelines, featuring adjustable ad formats, as well as the guidelines for new digital content experiences such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), social media, mobile video, emoji ad messaging, and 360-degree video ads.<ref>{{Cite web|title=IAB New Ad Portfolio|url=https://www.iab.com/guidelines/iab-new-ad-portfolio/|website=IAB|accessdate=2021-03-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=IAB New Standard Ad Unit Portfolio July 2017
|url=https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IABNewAdPortfolio_FINAL_0719.pdf|website=IAB|accessdate=2021-03-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=IAB New Standard Ad Unit Portfolio Transition Guide July 2017|url=https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/IABNewAdPortfolio_Transition_Guide_2017-07.pdf|website=IAB|accessdate=2021-03-21}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"  
|+ Fixed size ad specification<ref>{{Cite web|title=IAB New Ad Portfolio Fixed Size Ad Specifications|url=https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/IABNewAdPortfolio_LW_FixedSizeSpec.pdf|website=IAB|accessdate=2021-03-21}}</ref>
|-
!style="text-align:left" colspan=2| Ad Unit Name
!colspan=3| Size (px) !! Aspect ratio !! Pixels
{{resrow|970|250|Billboard|s=97:25}}
{{resrow|300|50|Smartphone Banner}}
{{resrow|320|50|Smartphone Banner|s=32:5}}
{{resrow|728|90|Leaderboard}}
{{resrow|970|90|Super Leaderboard/Pushdown|s=97:9}}
{{resrow|300|1050|Portrait|3|s=2:7}}
{{resrow|160|600|Skyscraper|s=4:15}}
{{resrow|300|250|Medium Rectangle}}
{{resrow|120|160|—|s=3:4}}
{{resrow|640|1136|Mobile Phone Interstitial|S|s=≈9:16}}
{{resrow|750|1334|Mobile Phone Interstitial|M|s=9:16}}
{{resrow|1080|1920|Mobile Phone Interstitial|L|s=9:16}}
{{resrow|120|20|Feature Phone Small Banner}}
{{resrow|168|28|Feature Phone Medium Banner}}
{{resrow|216|36|Feature Phone Large Banner}}
|}

Standard web banners included into the IAB's Universal Package and Ad Units Guidelines <ref>{{cite web|title=Ad Unit Guidelines|url=http://www.iab.net/guidelines/508676/508767/ad_unit|website=iab.net|access-date=July 28, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729190410/http://www.iab.net/guidelines/508676/508767/ad_unit|archive-date=July 29, 2014}}</ref> are supported by major [[ad serving]] companies.<ref>{{cite web|title=IAB Rolls Out 'Universal Ad Package'|url=http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/1701372/iab-rolls-out-universal-ad-package|website=clickz.com|date=11 December 2002|access-date=July 28, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410191908/http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/1701372/iab-rolls-out-universal-ad-package|archive-date=April 10, 2014}}</ref> This is particularly relevant for IAB members such as [[Adform]], [[AppNexus]], [[Chitika]], Conversant, [[Epom Ad Server|Epom]], HIRO, [[Mixpo]], [[SpotXchange]], [[Zedo|ZEDO]], and many others.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.iab.net/member_center/1521/1534 | title =IAB General Members | url-status =live | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20150727192351/http://www.iab.net/member_center/1521/1534 | archive-date =2015-07-27 }}</ref> Additionally, ad serving providers may offer other, non-standard banner sizes and technologies, as well as the support of different online advertising formats (e.g. [[Native advertising|native ads]]).

However, standard banner ad sizes are constantly evolving due to consumer creative fatigue and banner blindness. Ad companies consistently test performance of ad units to ensure maximum performance for their clients. IAB has updated its guideline bi-annually. Some publishers that are known for their unique, custom executions include [[BuzzFeed]], [[CraveOnline]], [[Quartz (publication)]], [[Thought Catalog]], Elite Daily, [[Vice Media, Inc.]], [[Mic (media company)]], and many others. According to media research firm eMarketer, such types of custom executions through publisher direct buys are on the rise, with [[Native advertising]] spending to hit over $4.3 Billion by the end of 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title=Marketers Expect Healthy Native Ad Spend Growth|url=http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Marketers-Expect-Healthy-Native-Ad-Spend-Growth/1011620|website=eMarketer|access-date=24 November 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141125024241/http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Marketers-Expect-Healthy-Native-Ad-Spend-Growth/1011620|archive-date=25 November 2014}}</ref>

==Other types==
[[File:Banner on Wikivoyage.png|thumb|Banner on Wikivoyage]]
The use of web banners is not restricted to online advertising. Website designs often use non-advertising banners, also known as "hero images" or "hero headers"<ref>{{cite web |title=Optimization Glossary: Hero image |url=https://www.optimizely.com/optimization-glossary/hero-image/ |website=[[Optimizely]] |date=7 July 2021 |access-date=9 May 2023}}</ref> for aesthetic reasons. Hero images are represented by large photos, graphics, or videos that are placed in the prominent sections of a website.<ref>{{cite web|title=Exploring the Hero Image Trend in Web Design|url=http://marketblog.envato.com/trends/exploring-hero-image-trend-web-design/|website=marketblog.envato.com|access-date=July 28, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118060517/http://marketblog.envato.com/trends/exploring-hero-image-trend-web-design/|archive-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=12 Outdated Web Features That Need to Disappear in 2014|url=http://mashable.com/2014/01/14/outdated-web-features/|website=mashable.com|date=14 January 2014|access-date=July 28, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727111213/http://mashable.com/2014/01/14/outdated-web-features/|archive-date=July 27, 2014}}</ref>

A "live banner" is a banner ad which is created dynamically at the time of display, instead of being pre-programmed with fixed content. Live banners usually employ animation together with text, images, graphics, sounds and video to catch the viewer's attention. Depending on the banner design, any of these multimedia elements may be defined as dynamic and therefore variable. Formerly, they were built using technologies such as [[Adobe Flash]], [[Java (programming language)|Java]], or [[Microsoft Silverlight]].{{cn|date=April 2025}}

==See also==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Advertising network]]
* [[Cost per impression]]
* [[Digital display advertising]]
* [[Hover ad]]
* [[Digital marketing]]
* [[Pay-per-click]]
* [[Pop-up ad]]
* [[View-through rate]]
* [[Web analytics]]
* [[Web badge]]
{{Div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Web Banner}}
[[Category:Digital marketing]]
[[Category:Online advertising]]
[[Category:Web 1.0]]
[[Category:Web analytics]]