With new business models emerging from the online world daily, many traditional sites have opted to investigate alternate revenue streams. Despite this fact, a great number still rely heavily on their advertisers for at least part of their income.
The Rate Card Report and Ad Dimensions report, released this week by the AdRelevance division of Media Metrix, reveals a number of trends that may be important to your business.
The report revealed that while it is clear that more Web sites are carrying multiple types and sizes of online advertisements, 97 percent of all Web sites still carry standard 468 x 60 banner ads.
“Amidst claims that the banner is ‘dead,’ it’s interesting to note that we’ve seen a slight upward shift in the number of sites using full banner ads – they have become the defacto standard,” said Marc Ryan, director of media research for the AdRelevance division of Media Metrix.
In addition, the report revealed short and vertical banners are showing largest increases in average price.
A negative trend noted in the report was a slight decline in the average cost of placement from $33.22 to $30.52 per thousand impressions (CPM).
The good news for sites relying on advertising for part of their revenue stream, however, remains that all popular ad dimensions are showing strong growth in terms of usage by sites, including all types of banners and buttons.
B2B, health & fitness and home & garden sites were shown to be the most expensive online advertising venues, while community and incentive sites are least expensive.
The AdRelevance Rate Card and Ad Dimensions Report analyzed non-negotiated rate card prices between January and June 2000 for banner and button advertisements on more than 400 of the most highly visited, popular and influential Web sites.