Improving Pay-per-Click Click-Through Rates(continued, part 3)
A more dramatic call to action such as 'Keep this site free, please support our sponsors' may receive even better results if your site receives a loyal following of visitors. Keep in mind also, for pay-per-click programs where the same ad runs every time in the same spot on your site (i.e. not a banner network), you may be able to combine the power of a personal testimonial about the product to improve click-throughs.
However, what level of aesthetic and professional appeal you are looking for with your site will determine whether this type of call to action will look appropriate on your site. Again, be sure to check the terms and conditions of each program you promote, since some have strict rules against using these types of 'link-enhancers'.
4. Highlight the Ad
If the program you promote doesn't allow you to use a call to action (or even if they do), a generally perfectly legal method of improving click-throughs is to enhance your site to highlight the banner ads and make them more visible to your visitors. An example of this would be to incorporate the banners into a side border or menu on your web site, use a Drop Shadow effect in popular graphics programs such as Microsoft Image Composer or Adobe Photoshop to surround the ad with a shadow to lend visual appeal, or adding even more complicated graphics to bring attention to your ads.
A perfect example of this type of graphic treatment can be found at the Coolsig web site. Coolsig has taken the unique method of surrounding each banner ad with the graphics of a tree limb, to integrate them into the site's overall look and feel, while at the same time bringing attention to them to the visitor. (Note: you will need to click on a separate page from the Coolsig home page to see this graphic treatment).
According to Coolsig site owner Aaron Dragushan, this highlighting method resulted in an immediate tripling of his overall banner click-through rate. For more details on this method, I invite you to look at Aaron's own article on the subject.
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