How to Create Eye-Catching Banner Ads for your eCommerce Site

Banner ads are among the most widely used and effective tools for driving traffic to an eCommerce site. But capturing shoppers starts with creating an eye-catching ad design. With a strong understanding of ad copy, and some technical know-how, you can master the art of designing compelling banner ads to boost business for your eCommerce enterprise.

Here are a few tips and tricks you can use to help elevate your banner ad designs for greater visitor engagement.

Understand the Purpose of Your Banner Ad

Before you can decide what your banner should look like, you need to know what purpose you’re designing your banner for. Every banner ad must have a single clear objective, whether that’s attracting new customers, promoting a sale, introducing a new product, or increasing newsletter sign-ups. 

Understanding the banner’s purpose will help you determine how your banner will look and what it will say. For example, if the goal is to promote a one-day-only sale, your copy will focus on urgency, but if you merely want to attract new customers, you should focus more on eye-catching, appealing imagery.

Select High-Quality Images and Graphics

The quality of your visual assets will determine whether your banner ad looks professional or amateur. Blurry, low-contrast, or poorly lit images or graphics won’t compel potential customers to learn more, leading to lower click-through rates and unmet goals. 

To maximise your budget, consider editing photos yourself with a free AI photo editor like Adobe Photoshop’s online tools. Photoshop’s new AI tools like AI image upscaling and magic autofill can be used to effortlessly enhance your images and create multiple variations for A/B testing.

Composition is also key when it comes to product photography. A good rule of thumb is that product photos should be well-lit and on simple backgrounds, so you can really showcase the product. If you have an overly busy background, it’s wise to learn how to change image backgrounds in Photoshop to better allow your product to shine. Be sure to also maintain a consistent style across shoots and image edits to maximise brand recognition. You want digital audiences to be able to recognise your product and brand from every social post, banner ad, and all other campaign materials. 

Choose the Right Banner Size and Placement

Different platforms and websites will require different ad dimensions, so it’s important to design your banner ads with adaptability in mind. Before beginning your design, note which platforms and websites you’d most like to see your banner ad on, then research the specifications you’ll need to follow. 

You may need to adjust the amount of text or the size of your product images as you progress. But despite these potential adjustments, you should choose one or two core elements to use on all banners to build a recognisable brand across platforms, such as a specific font, a particular colour, your brand logo, or your slogan.

Pro tip: tools like Adobe Express provide ready-made social media templates that make it easy to optimise your banner ad designs for publication on different platforms. Whether you’re looking to post a banner ad on LinkedIn, YouTube, or your website, you can use Adobe Express to easily resize your ad designs to the right dimensions for each platform.

Keep Your Ad Copy Clear and Compelling

Space is limited on banner ads. As such, your ad copy has to be short, sweet, and to the point. Remember how we mentioned it’s crucial to understand the purpose of your banner? This is why. Your banner should tell the viewer exactly what the ad is about, whether that’s who you are or what you’re offering. 

A great way to make a strong first impression with your copy is by using action-driven verbs when possible, and avoiding jargon or run-on sentences. The focus of your copy should be what benefits customers will receive from clicking your ad. Good copy will include, at minimum, a bold (but short) headline and a call-to-action button. It will also complement images without overwhelming them.

Use Colours and Fonts that Reflect Your Brand Identity

Consistency is key in making ads instantly recognisable as yours. Ideally, the colour palette of your banner ads will match that of your brand identity, but you can also find inspiration in colour psychology. Red indicates urgency, blue implies reliability, yellow signifies energy, and green evokes feelings of freshness. 

Readable fonts are just as important as colour for improving engagement. Opt for a sans-serif font for the most important parts of your copy, and avoid mixing more than two font styles per ad.

Add a Strong Call-to-Action

Calls to action like “Shop Now!” or “Learn More” are essential to convincing potential customers to click your ad. The call-to-action button should be the most visually prominent element on your banner after the main product image. 

To maximise the button’s impact, use contrasting colours to make it stand out, and place it where the eye naturally draws. Keep the wording to just a couple of words – ones that will convert interest into action.

Optimise File Size for Faster Loading

The bigger your banner’s file size, the longer it will take to load on an app or webpage. And the longer your banner takes to load, the more likely customers are to ignore it. You can optimise your file size for faster loading by compressing images with online tools that won’t sacrifice quality. 

Pro tip: many free AI photo editors offer quick image compression that preserves details while reducing file size. Using JPG formats can also allow faster loading.

A/B Test Variations to Improve Performance

Some platforms allow A/B testing for ads. In simple terms, A/B testing is comparing two versions of a banner ad to see which performs better. You may test variations in colour, copy, imagery, or the call to action to determine which style is most enticing to customers. 

Note that even slight differences can lead to significant performance improvements. As you become more confident in your banner-making abilities, A/B testing will help you optimise constantly to create high-performing banner ads for your eCommerce site.

Key Takeaways

Banner ads can bring new customers to your eCommerce site or encourage existing customers to shop your latest sale. If a banner ad seems right for your business, then be sure to follow these tips:

• Understand the purpose of your banner ad, and let that purpose guide your design process.
• Choose the right banner size and placement for the websites and platforms hosting your ad.
• Select high-quality images and graphics, using a free AI photo editor or photoshop to perfect them.
• Keep your ad copy clear and compelling, ensuring you tell customers exactly what you want them to do.
• Use colours and fonts that reflect your brand identity and are consistent with your purpose.
• Add a strong call to action to turn general interest into active engagement.
• Optimise file size for faster loading and reduced risk of customer disinterest.
• A/B test variations to improve performance and continuously optimise your ads.

With some show-stopping banner ads catching the eye of your site visitors, you can ensure your eCommerce venture is set up to receive stronger conversions, and ultimately, rake in greater profits over the long term.