- Ensure that banners are stored on banner exchange server. They will not tell you this, but you can find a site which uses their service and check "Properties" of banner. The image needs to be stored on their server so that it cannot be changed unless it goes through their manual checks for suitability.

- Be sure it will not cost you anything.

- If I had any interest in these programs, I would look for one that supported buttons (88 x 31) and even text links. This allows for faster load times. Text links also generally have a higher click-through ratio.

- A good set of reports so you can monitor how well exchange is doing.

If you do sign up for one of these programs, be sure you check statistics regularly. You need to look for two things:

- How many visitors have you received from program?

- And how many visitors did you lose from program?

If you consistently lose more visitors than you gain, then leave program fast. This means you have a negative return on investment.

Here is a small selection of banner exchange services. In current internet advertising environment, it is important to note that these services can come and go very quickly. Thus, this list may become obsolete in short order (I have found that I need to edit it about once per quarter to remove/modify over half list).

123banners http://www.123banners.com/ 123banners has a 2:1 ratio and supports an odd-size, 400x40 banner which must be 10k or less in size.

ASInet http://www.theasi.net/index-be.shtml These guys have a 2:1 ratio.

Bannerexchanges http://www.bannerexchanges.com/ Allows 468 x 60 pixel banners with a ratio of 2:1. They allow 25k size banners as well as animation.

BannerExpress http://www.bannerexpress.com/ These guys don't state their ratio in their FAQ. They support an odd size banner (400x50) and banner must be 10k or less in size.

Banner-X-Change http://banner-x-change.net/ This program allows four different banner sizes - 468x60, 400x40, 120x60, and 88x31. They also give 2000 free impressions of their banner is shown at top of page, and they have a referral program.

Beseen http://www.looksmartclicks.com/ One for one banner exchange program. This is one of larger banner exchange programs (they claim over a million sites), which could result in lots of exposure.

Cybergate Banner Exchange http://www.plustat.com/exchange/ A banner exchange program with a 3:2 ratio. Get 500 free credits when you sign up, and they have a referral program.

Exchange-It http://www.exchange-it.com/ These guys have a 2:1 ratio and support 468 x 60 banners.

Free-Banners http://home.free-banners.com/ Free-banners has a 2:1 ratio with a 3 tier referral program.

Xlinkx http://www.xlinkx.com/ They have a 3:2 ratio and have a program for general as well as adult sites. They allow 400x40, 400x50, or 468x68 banners, which must be 12k or less.

Additional Information

Banner Creation http://www.internet-tips.net/Advertising/Bannercreation.htm You have many tools available to create banners

Banner Services http://www.internet-tips.net/Advertising/Bannerservices.htm You need to create some banners? Here are some services (free and paid) for you to check out.

Banner Sizes http://www.internet-tips.net/Advertising/Bannersizes.htm Here are standard sizes for various banners. This is a general agreement among advertisers.

Banner Tips http://www.internet-tips.net/Advertising/Bannertips.htm This page includes some tips to help you with your banner campaigns.

The ins and outs of banner advertising http://www.internet-tips.net/Advertising/Banners.htm Join a free or for pay banner exchange program to get people to visit your site.

Sins of internet - Banners http://www.internet-tips.net/Legal/sins_banners.htm Banner ads not only look terrible, increase load times and cause site failures, they don't even work.

You Can Do Better Than Banner Exchanges http://www.internet-tips.net/Advertising/Bannerexchanges.htm Think you want to join a banner exchange to get people to visit your site? Think again.

Some take up such an offer, of course, but I'll bet most don't. Why? Because it's not really free! It's what I call "free...but".

The point has now been reached, I think, where few "free" offers can be trusted. And, I think it's about time that marketing pundits particularly took note of fact that free really does mean free.

Oh...there are no free lunches, you say? Apart from creation of cosmos perhaps, you're right. But, if a seller insists on offering a "free...but" product, that seller should make sure prospect knows that before prospect clicks through. What's so hard about that?

Look, it comes down to this: If a seller wants me to do a sell job, then pay me. Don't offer me a book, software or whatever "free", and expect me to blab about a product or offer when I haven't even read or tried it yet.

Now, if you think I'm wrong, then go ahead...keep doing other guy's job and keep running risk of being accused of SPAM. It's your website and reputation that's on firing line...not mine.

As for me...I don't buy that type of "free" anymore. It's getting to be too expensive. ;-)