Cant write ads? Spend some time learning, practicing, honing: this is probably THE best investment of your time that you can make.

5. Use your own URL

Similarly, if your ad has same URL (just different numbers) as everyone else promoting same "program" people will instantly recognise it, know they've seen it all before and not bother. Use your own ad in combination with your own URL and you are much more likely to hit inquisitive nerve.

What you really should be doing here is to get a domain - all of $13.50 per year from http://000domains.com and build your own site - with useful content. Then even if you are promoting a "program", let's hear why you use it, what is good about it, why we should believe YOU and join it on your recommendation. The standard "free website" just ain't gonna cut it.

Put yourself in shoes of reader. If you see an ad and/or URL that is same as next and a million others, which one will you choose to click? Since it will give impression, whether it is true or not, that it is just another mass-produced program-in-a- box solution, do you really think anyone will? If they do, it will only be luck and you may as well just play lottery!

You must also use your own URL and so that there is less chance of your affiliate number being knocked off end by cheaters who do you out of your referral commission. Good enough reason?

6. Don't try to sell in ads

This has got to be one of top mistakes that people make in ads. Ads too long, trying to get sale on first attempt are never going to be effective and is more likely to scare people off than attract them. Keep it short, sweet and to point. Your task in an ad is to create only just enough interest for someone to want more information.

Give 'em BENEFITS! You know, old "What's in it for me?" - a reason to click. They don't care who you are, so that's a line saved! Don't tell them your product has XYZ widgets, tell them it will make them more sexy (or whatever, so long as it's truth). Then do your selling in follow-up.

Follow these few simple rules, do your homework on ones you need to learn more about and watch your ad responses and your income rise!

Ask a question. For example, 'Can Ginko Biloba increase my memory potential? Visit Stacy's Herbal Shop to find out!' Spark interest, and visitor will click banner for answer.

Use ALT attribute in image tags of your banners. Many people surf with images turned off. The ALT attribute will describe content of banner and can bring people to your site, even if they can't see image!

Target your banner to similar websites. Your banner will pull better when associated with an appropriately key worded websites.

Do you want antique shoppers to visit your site? Choose a banner exchange for antiques. If banner implies an offer, product, or service presented within specific and targeted context, that banner will get clicked more often.

Overall, surfers refuse to click on banners because banners look like... banners.

A secret to try... make banners that don't look like banners. Make a promise with your banner ad, and deliver. Your visitor will not be irritated by being "fooled" so long as they ultimately get what was promised. If surfer doesn't get what s/he was looking for you will see a very poor conversion ratio.

Banners that look like internet interface elements (drop down menus and other elements customers are accustomed to clicking on) are known to generate high click-through rates.

Change your banners often. After a few hundred thousand impressions a banner becomes stale and it's click-through rate will drop. Be systematic. Track your banners constantly.

You need to know what works and what doesn't, and that this can change daily. Keep those banners that work well so as to rotate them back at a later date.

Banners take up valuable web real estate. Do you have high traffic pages you are failing to place ads on? What are your CGI 'on fly' pages doing? Your search pages are prime also.

You are not limited to banners. Use your favorite search engine to find button exchanges and link exchanges as well. Check out these sites for free exchanges.

http://www.123buttons.com/ http://www.go2mypage.com/bp/ http://up4u.com/ez/ http://www.popunder.com/ http://www.buttonxchange.com/ http://www.tulipxchange.com/ http://site.linkbuddies.com/ http://ban-x.com/

Let's not leave without a few tools to make our banners with. These tools can be used for other applications as well. Be creative.

MS Gif Animator http://mrzone.com/freeware/microgif.html 3D GIF Designer http://www.pysoft.com/downloads_fr.html Harm's Tiles http://www.users.qwest.net/~sharman1/stile99.htm Web Paint http://www.barentsnett.no/webpaint/

Banners are still being used, though their potency is diminishing, nevertheless haven't you seen banners and buttons that caught your eye? The limitation to using banners are yourself, but isn't this is true of anything.