Comments on: What Size Banners Should an Affiliate Program Have?

By: Geno

Geno — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:56:01 +0000

Honestly, Frank, I haven’t seen too many affiliates using these, but anything that’s recognized as “standard” should definitely be included. For these particular sizes, however, I wouldn’t create more than 1-2 each.

By: Frank Anthony

Frank Anthony — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:39:51 +0000

Hi Geno,

180×150 and 300×600 are listed as 2 of the 7 Core Standard Ad Units by iab.net (as of Feb 28, 2011)

Are those sizes not used very often by affiliates?

By: Isis J

Isis J — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:56:36 +0000

Thanks so much! I actually have your book but I haven’t gotten that far yet. I’m juggling projects at the moment. The calm won’t come until mid-October but I’m gathering information when time permits. I will add those sizes to my cheat-sheet. Cheers.

By: Geno

Geno — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:51:59 +0000

It’s been nearly 2.5 years since the time I wrote the above blog post. In my newest book on affiliate program management (Affiliate Program Management: An Hour a Day) I actually have a slightly different (more updated) list of recommended banner sizes (and quantities). It may be found in Table 7.1 on page 120. Here it is for you, Iris:

468×60 px — 7-10+ (target different demographics, website categories, specials and promos)
125×125 px — 4-6
120×600 px — 4-6
120×90 px — 4-6
120×60 px — 4-6
88×31 px button — 3-4
728×90 px — 3-4
160×600 px — 2-3
120×240 px — 2-3
234×60 px — 2-3
250×250 px — 2-3
254×331 px — 2-3
100×100 px — 1-2
720×300 px — 1-2
300×250 px — 1-2

By: Isis J

Isis J — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:44:47 +0000

Sweet! It’s also great to see where some of the others mention other sizes they are seeing more requests for that I can keep in mind as well. Great blog! I find myself coming here almost daily now.

By: Geno

Geno — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:40:19 +0000

Gotcha. As mentioned in the post “the list follows this format: [banner size] – [minimum quantity]-[recommended quantity]“. So, you do have recommended quantities there.

By: Isis J

Isis J — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 20:36:14 +0000

Hi there. I sell products. So I’d be offering a percentage on sales to affiliates. I’d like to definitely offer what you have listed above. I really needed to see the recommend amount of banners to start with or I would have been tearing my hair out trying to churn out a bunch of banners that would have probably suffered in the design area. 20-40 is good. Thanks!

By: Geno

Geno — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:38:29 +0000

Isis, I’d say do a good job on the 20-40 (per the spread outlined in the above post) rather than having such an overwhelming quantity is 200+.

Having said this, much will depend on the specifics of your affiliate program. What performance are you seeking? Product sales? Service leads? Subscriptions?

By: Isis J

Isis J — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:11:51 +0000

Hi there. This article was very helpful. I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed thinking I had to create large numbers of banners for my new affiliate program. What do you think about the offering of 200+ banners from some affiliate programs? When I first saw that from one particular merchant it sounded right in my head (more is better right?) but then I thought, “who on earth is going to look through all of those?”. But maybe for Affiliates it’s worth it. I’m not sure.

By: Geno

Geno — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 01:33:59 +0000

Andrew, 1) Text links always win, and are generally most preferred by affiliates (as long as they are deep-linked). 2) As far as affiliate networks go, you've mentioned both some traditional and some CPA networks. Read about the differences here, see this comparison (I'd choose between these), and also make sure you browse through my Online Guide to Affiliate Marketing (many of your questions will be answered there).