comScore (Nasdaq: SCOR) just released a new report researching the impact of banner advertising. Traditionally, banner ads have been tracked using click-throughs (the number of times a site visitor clicks on a banner and is directed to an advertiser’s website).
comScore has found that banner ads actually have similar impacts to print ads. The report states that readers are 46% more likely to visit an advertiser’s site within four weeks of seeing its ads online than if they did not see the ads. The percentage of site visits are higher the closer it is to the date of ad viewing.
The data also pointed out that web surfers are 38% more likely to search for an advertiser’s name with a search engine like Google within four weeks of seeing an online ad. Even without clicks, display ads are driving traffic to an advertiser’s website.
This in turn means that banner advertising are actually more effective than previously thought. This is good news for both publishers and networks as they seek to improve the value of their product.
