A banner, whether it is the hero image on your homepage or an ad running across Google, Facebook and LinkedIn, has only a second or two to get noticed. Designing a set of banners for a campaign is often a multi-step job involving several people, and under deadline pressure it is easy to skip steps. Use this seven-step checklist to make sure nothing is missed.
1. Define the Goal and the Offer
Start with what the banner must achieve. Is it building brand awareness, promoting a specific offer, driving sign-ups or selling a product? Decide on one goal and one main message. Everything else, including the image, words and button, follows from it.
Tip: write the goal in one sentence, such as "Get small business owners to book a free website audit". If you cannot, the banner will try to say too much.
2. Know Your Target Audience
People pay attention to ads that feel meant for them. Define who you are speaking to: their age, location, job or interests, and the problem your offer solves for them. This decides the tone, imagery and words you use. A banner for college students looks very different from one aimed at factory owners.
3. Develop the Concept
Before designing, sketch the idea: the headline, the supporting line, the main image or video, the call-to-action button and where each sits. Decide on the visual style and collect brand assets such as the logo, colours and fonts, so every size in the set looks like part of one campaign.
Tip: keep the headline to about six words or fewer. Banners are glanced at, not read.
4. Plan Sizes and Formats
Each placement needs its own size and shape. Plan the full set up front so the design works at every size, rather than squeezing a desktop banner into a mobile slot. Common sizes include:
| Placement | Common sizes (pixels) |
|---|---|
| Website hero banner | 1920 × 600 to 1920 × 1080 on desktop, with a separate mobile crop |
| Google Display ads | 300 × 250, 336 × 280, 728 × 90, 300 × 600, 160 × 600, 320 × 50 (mobile) |
| Facebook and Instagram feed | 1080 × 1080 (square) or 1080 × 1350 (portrait) |
| Stories and Reels | 1080 × 1920 (vertical) |
| LinkedIn single image ad | 1200 × 627 |
Check each platform's current specifications before you export, as they change from time to time. For campaigns aimed at mobile users, consider animated (HTML5) or video formats, and keep text away from the edges so it is not cut off.
5. Design for Clarity
Use the space wisely. A strong banner usually has one focal image, a short headline, a supporting line if needed, and one clear button such as "Shop now", "Book a demo" or "Get a quote". Use white space to draw the eye to the message, and make sure the text contrasts strongly with the background.
- Keep file sizes small. Ad networks set limits (Google Display ads, for example, are commonly limited to about 150 KB), and heavy hero images slow your website down.
- Use real or high-quality visuals that relate directly to the offer.
- Keep your logo visible but not dominant.
6. Localise the Text
If the campaign runs in several regions or languages, plan for translation early. Translated text can be much longer than the original, so leave room in the layout. Check that offers, prices, dates and cultural references make sense for each market, and that the right currency and phone numbers are used.
7. Run Final Checks Before Launch
Before publishing, preview every size on the devices and platforms where it will appear. Check:
- Spelling, prices, dates and the link behind every banner.
- That text is readable on a small phone screen.
- File sizes and formats against each platform's requirements.
- That tracking (UTM tags or ad platform tracking) is in place so you can measure results.
Once live, compare the versions and keep improving the ones that perform best.
Common Banner Design Mistakes
- Too much text. If a banner needs a paragraph to explain itself, the concept is not clear enough. Cut it to a headline, one supporting line and a button.
- No clear next step. A beautiful banner without a call to action gets admired and ignored. Tell people exactly what to do.
- Weak contrast. Light text on a busy photo is unreadable on a phone in sunlight. Add a solid or semi-transparent background behind text.
- A mismatched landing page. If the banner promises 20% off, the page it links to must show that offer immediately. A mismatch wastes the click and your ad budget.
- One size stretched to fit all. Resizing a single design for every placement leads to cropped logos and tiny text. Adapt the layout for each format.
- Ignoring the results. Run two or three variations, such as a different headline or image, and keep the one that gets more clicks and conversions.
Need Banners Designed for You?
Our designers create website banners and ad creatives in every size your campaign needs. See our graphic design services, or let our PPC team run the whole campaign. Contact us to get started.
