Both banner and Flash ads are useful online advertising tools employed by many businesses. Both serve the purpose of promoting your business's product or service, but they have distinct differences. If you want to use one of these advertising methods, you will need to determine which one best suits your needs.

Plain banner ads are displayed exactly as their name implies. Wide, short banner ads are normally placed at the top or bottom of a Web page, and tall, narrow banner ads are usually placed along either the left or right side of a Web page.

Banner ads can be made to attract more attention by using vivid colors, catchy phrases, or special fonts. These advertisements are displayed to the user when a Web page related to the banner ad is searched and loaded onto the user's Web browser.

When the banner ad is displayed on a user's monitor, the user can click on the ad to be connected to the advertised Web site. This is known as a "click through rate."

Banner ads allow the advertiser to track the number of visitors that visit their Web site through the banner ad click through. You will be able to analyze the effectiveness of your banner ad by reviewing the click throughs initiated from specific Web pages. This will allow you to adjust either your banner ad or the Web site location for better advertising results.

Advertisements that use Adobe Flash are known as flash ads. Adobe Flash was previously known as Shockwave Flash and Macromedia Flash. Adobe Flash advertisements permit both animation and user interaction. Flash ads can definitely generate more interest in your advertisement. Videos and animation work very well with Adobe Flash, allowing you many more advertisement options.

Although Flash ads can be very vibrant and attractive, advertisements using Adobe Flash can take longer to download than plain banner ads. Viewing Flash ads does not typically require a plug-in, such as Windows Media Player or Quicktime, so every user is able to view the advertisement.

The use of Adobe Flash for advertisements is becoming more and more popular. One of the advantages of using Flash ads to promote your business is that you are almost guaranteed that users will notice your advertisement. It is difficult to look at a Web page

that has an advertisement that uses animation or video without at least looking to see what the advertisement is promoting. This can also be the disadvantage of using Flash ads.

Some people are annoyed by Flash ads that practically demand their attention. Some Web users are intent on searching their selected Web sites without any interruptions. Flash ads can be a distraction to users that are only interested in what they initially wanted to search.

Consider the demographics of your target market group. Some consumers will be more inclined to look at an ad that simply states the necessary facts in a clear way, without any added hype, as banner ads do. Other consumers prefer exciting, novel advertising, which Flash ads provide. Know your audience and choose your advertising according to their particular tastes.