Banner Advertising Rates
New 07/11/2001
New admin section for customers to track impressions and click throughs.
Since launching milehighclub.com in November 1996, the feedback received on the site’s content has been overwhelming. We attribute our sustained level of web traffic to our marketing efforts in radio and print, as well as being chosen Yahoos! Pick of the Week (12/1/96), Playboy’s Pick of the Week, and rated one of the “200 Best Aviation Web Sites.” We’ve also been honored with a listing in Yahoos! Cool Sites Index (under Entertainment). For additional information, send a note to phil@milehighclub.com.
Based on daily and month-to-date server statistics, traffic at the MHC is quite consistent. On average:
- The site delivers 9,000 page views or “impressions” each day (over 300,000 each month). Almost half of these impressions come from the Tales Section, where folks spend time reading the various stories.
- Our home page averages 25,000 impressions each month.
- Visitors originate from 57 countries across the globe; with over 25,000 new visitors per month.
- Visitors spend from 5 minutes to more than 30 minutes at the site before leaving.
Ad rates at milehighclub.com are priced per thousand impressions (CPM), with banners rotating through specific pages depending on the Level purchased:
| Banner Rotation |
Page Name | CPM | Minimum Purchase |
Cost |
| Level I | MHC Home Page All About Mile High Club · Founding Member · Rules and Regulations · How To Become a Member Tales of the Mile High Club (Disclaimer!) Captain’s Log Flight Referrals Web Links |
$25.00 | 5,000 Impressions |
$125.00 |
| Level II | Tales Pages (Stories) |
$20.00 | 5,000 Impressions |
$100.00 |
“Real-Time” Stats
Mile High Club advertisers can check the performance of their banner at any point during the campaign. Once an insertion order is processed, advertisers receive a unique ID that allows them to view:
- The number of impressions purchased, used, and remaining.
- The number of click-thru’s (and ratio) of their banner ad.
Banner Specifications
Per the standards set by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), banner size is 468 pixels wide by 60 pixels high, and must not exceed 10k in size. For best performance, we do not accept ads that incorporate Java, Shockwave, Future Splash, video, sound, or any other multimedia format other than GIF 89a animation.
Internet Advertising FAQ’s
What do the terms impressions, hits, and click-thru’s mean?
Impressions are the number of times a visitor sees a page and/or banner advertisement on a web site. Often times folks will boast about the “hits” to their site. “Hits” simply refer to the number of times the web server is accessed. It’s a technical term and is meaningless to advertisers, since every graphic, page and page element is recorded by the server as a “hit.” Advertising decisions should be based on impressions.
A click-thru occurs when someone clicks on a banner ad, taking the visitor to the advertiser’s web site. A “click-thru ratio” is determined by dividing click-thru’s by the total number of impressions. The quality and content of an ad can greatly affect this number.
What kind of click-through ratios can I expect for Internet banner advertising?
These ratios vary depending on a number of factors: product, audience, creativity of the banner ad, etc. However, the industry-wide average is around 2%.
You sell banner space on an impression model, while some sites charge a flat monthly rate. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
Impression based advertising has become the standard on the Internet. An advertising “run” lasts as long as it takes the impressions to be used, and is not limited to a time frame. This model is far more equitable to the advertiser, as web site traffic varies from month to month. Those offering “monthly rates” can only suggest a level of exposure based on past statistics, whereas impression based programs are driven by real-time traffic.
In our opinion, impression based rates are a “win-win” solution for our advertisers!
What can I do to improve the effectiveness of my banner ad?
Web advertising experts say a strong call to action and message are the most important elements of an effective banner. Though it may seem obvious, simply adding “Click Here” to a banner can increase response rates two-fold. Other enticing words include “Press Here,” “Enter,” or “Free.”
Analysts indicate banner ad response rates can also be increased by:
- Banner Animation – Shown to improve banner response rates 30 to 40 percent.
- Picking the right Color – Avoid nondescript colors like beige and gray that fade into the background. A recent study by DoubleClick reported that bold colors, such as green and yellow, out perform black and white.
- Rotating Ads – The life span of a banner is short — response rates can drop by one-half from the second to third time someone sees an ad. To avoid this, advertisers should rotate banners and remove bad performers.