When using only text links, you must have very good written skills that jump out and grab the surfer to make him want to click on the link. Otherwise, you have a text link that just sits there taking up your valuable space for great advertising.Text Links, Banners, or Both?

Your available options for getting the end surfer to your sponsors are basically 3 options:

1. Text links

2. Banner Links

3. Text and Banner Combinations

A. Text Links Only

When using only text links, you must have very good written skills that jump out and grab the surfer to make him want to click on the link. Otherwise, you have a text link that just sits there taking up your valuable space for great advertising. You have to be able to write what is actually at the site you want him to visit without telling him something that isn’t true. Why not lie you ask? Simple, the first time your surfer clicks on the link, finds out you blatantly sent him to somewhere “blind”, he is not going to trust your links in the future, and rarely, if ever, click on another of your links. I am not a fan of blind links for this reason also.

B. Banner Links Only:

When using banner links, first of all, you are using your precious bandwidth, so you need to make sure that you are using them in the best and appropriate slots combined with your pictures, stories, or links. Second, you need to realize that there are now browsers that will hide banners, so your surfers might not see them. Third, a lot of banners are used over and over again from various sponsors, so your surfers may very well have seen the same banners time and time again, and are tired of them, or do not even notice them any more. My recommendation when using banners only, is to take the time to see who is using what banners, then to use different banners than what is always being shown. Also, is to use your banners with a CGI script to rotate them if you have the capability to do so. That way you can use however many banners you would like to and your surfers do not always see the same banners time and time again on your site.

C. Banner and Text Links Combined

This is my personal favorite.

You can get around the browsers that are killing standard banners because you have your well-written text link combined with your banner. You get around the boring banner or text link only, because you have the two combined. Your surfer knows what he is getting at the site you are advertising for.

So, when you are looking at your advertising possibilities, remember to use what works for your sites, but to also use what you know works throughout most all sites. Keep your banners changing, your text links appropriate, and the combination appealing to your surfers.