Online adverts are a form of advertising that appears on the Internet - i.e. they appear online! These adverts are a specialist form of advertising and can serve both static and interactive uses. So, for example, a static advert simply works like a standard advert in that it gives/show a message and has a call to action. An interactive online advert gives/shows the message but the viewer can use the advert itself (usually by clicking on it) to move to the next stage.
Since the early days of online advertising this sector has moved on and there are now multiple ways that an individual or business can advertise over the Internet either via email or via web pages. The most popular ways of doing this include:
- Banner adverts - a banner advert will show you some information and will lead you to a website when you click on it. These adverts can be static or animated/use video and can run across the page or appear horizontally to the side (where they are known as skyscrapers).
- Pop ups - these adverts open up in front of the web page that is being looked at.
- Pop unders - pop unders send the advert behind the web page that is being looked at.
- In text advertising - here a word/words in a piece of text will be highlighted and underlined. When the reader moves the mouse over the word(s) then an advert will appear on the screen.
- Rich media adverts - these adverts may use hi-tech techniques to grab attention (such as animation, sound and video).
- Floating adverts - these adverts can be set up to float over content or to move across the screen.
- Trick advert - these adverts are designed to look like error messages.
- Interstitial adverts - these adverts will appear as you go through the pages of web site.
Given the technology in use with online advertising many people that want to use this form of advertising will use a independent specialist agency to help create and place their adverts. In some cases sites that sell these kinds of advertising on their own web sites will help with the design and creation of adverts for advertisers.
In general terms there are various ways that advertisers pay to have adverts appear on the Internet. They may, for example, pay on a Cost Per Impression (CPM) basis where they pay per 1000 impressions. Or, they may pay on a Pay Per Click (PPC) basis where they pay for every user that clicks on an advert that leads to their website. And, they may pay on a Cost Per Action (CPA) basis where they only pay if a visitor uses the advert to access their site and then buys or does something specific.