Banners
banners that do a job, not fill space
How do I create banners that communicate a clear message and drive action — instead of just filling space?
You don't have a design problem.
You have a job problem.
You design banners on what looks good instead of what they need to accomplish — appealing graphics that communicate nothing specific and drive no measurable action. Sound familiar?
You treat banners as decoration. You place images and taglines in banner slots without defining the message or action each one drives — then wonder why nobody clicks.
You run one banner everywhere. The same site-wide banner on the homepage, category pages, and checkout serves visitors at completely different decision stages with one generic message.
You're mobile-blind. You design at desktop width and never check on an actual phone — so the CTA is invisible, the text is cropped, or the banner sits three scrolls below the fold.
You have no tracking, no baseline. Banners go live and stay live indefinitely with no click data and no review — so you can't tell which are working and which are silently failing.
From decoration to compressed conversion tools
"I've got some banners on the site — a hero image, maybe a sidebar promo — but I honestly couldn't tell you what they're driving or whether anyone clicks them. I put them up to make the site look finished."
"Every banner position has a defined job: one audience, one message, one action. I have a priority matrix that tells me which banners to improve first, a production pipeline that builds all breakpoints from one master, and a monthly operations protocol that keeps everything current."
The shift: banners aren't design. They're compressed conversion tools — each one either earns its pixel space with a measurable result or gets replaced.
You don't just watch lessons.
You leave with 12 real artifacts.
Working documents you actually use — not design inspiration. By the end they add up to a message framework, a production pipeline, and a measured banner operation.
Banner Message Framework
An audience, message, and action brief per banner position.
Banner Priority Matrix
Three-dimension scoring — traffic, conversion proximity, quality gap — ranked design sequence.
Banner Specification
Dimensions, formats, responsive rules, text treatment, accessibility, and animation per position.
Directory Banner System
Dual-audience logic, category rotation, CTA placements, and trust-signal config.
Visual Hierarchy
Three-layer weight distribution with scan-path documentation and two-second test results.
Banner Production Pipeline
Masters, breakpoint adaptations, audience variants, and optimized exports.
Banner Feedback Loop
Tracking setup, performance baselines, a monthly review schedule, and an iteration protocol.
Directory Banner Performance System
Segmented tracking dashboards, rotation analytics, trust-signal test plan, campaign benchmarks.
Banner Placement Strategy
Primary, secondary, and tertiary placement maps with mobile verification.
Banner Deployment Checklist
A seven-point verification applied per deployed banner.
Banner Refresh Calendar
Performance-decay, quarterly, and campaign-driven refresh schedule.
Directory Banner Operations Protocol
A monthly execution checklist: dual-audience review, rotation, trust signals, campaign lifecycle.
Three moves: define the message → design for attention → place where it drives results
Direction
The messageWhat each banner needs to say and what action it should trigger.
- Clarify Brief audience, message, and action per position
- Craft Rank positions on a traffic-weighted matrix
- Direct Spec each CTA on six requirements
- Apply Build your directory / niche banner strategy
Design
For attentionVisual hierarchy, sizing, and messaging that commands attention.
- Structure Engineer a three-layer scan-path hierarchy
- Scale Run the master-adapt-vary-export pipeline
- Polish Set tracking, baselines, and iteration
- Apply Build your directory / niche banner templates
Distribution
Where it worksStrategic placement across homepage, landing pages, and key screens.
- Position Map primary, secondary, tertiary placements
- Regulate Verify each deployment on seven points
- Measure Set the three-trigger refresh calendar
- Apply Build your directory / niche placement map
More than videos —
a learning system
Every lesson lives in a platform built to help you actually absorb, apply, and return to the work.
AI Chat per lesson
Ask questions and pull key points, action items, and reflections from any lesson.
Searchable transcripts
The full text of every video — search it, scan it, jump straight to the part you need.
Highlights
Mark the passages that matter and filter the transcript down to just your highlights.
Bookmarks
Save the exact moments you'll want to come back to and reopen them in a click.
Notes
Keep personal notes saved right inside each lesson, exactly where you wrote them.
Playlists
Build custom collections of lessons and sequence the path that fits you.
Certificate
Auto-issued the moment you complete every lesson in the course.
Podcast mode
Listen to the course as audio in any podcast app — learn on the move.
Video controls
Closed captions, speed controls, picture-in-picture, and theatre mode — watch your way.
Favorites
Heart any lesson to pin it to your favorites for quick access later.
History & resume
Pick up exactly where you left off — your place is always saved.
Threaded comments
Discuss each lesson with other students in threaded conversations.
Is this course your right next step?
This is for you if…
- You have a platform live (or near launch) and the banner situation is "something's there" but you couldn't say what job it does.
- You've noticed banner design always gets deprioritized because it feels vague — you don't know what "good" looks like.
- You want a system, not a design opinion — a framework that says what to put where and how to know if it's working.
- You serve two audiences (visitors and members) and need banners that work for both without shortchanging either.
- You want to produce all 12 artifacts and have a live, measured banner operation before the next course.
This is NOT for you if…
- You're looking for banner design inspiration or aesthetic guidance — this is strategy and production, not visual style.
- You already have a documented message framework per position, a priority matrix, and a live feedback loop.
- You want to skip to paid advertising — this covers on-site banners you control, not paid display campaigns.
- You want a shortcut — the 12 artifacts take 8–12 hours of real work, not watch-and-learn.
Be one of the first to tell your story
These courses are brand new. Once you've done the work, tell us how it changed your thinking — your words could be the first testimonial featured right here.
"Here's how this course changed the way I…"
your story here
"The part that surprised me most was…"
your story here
Three ways to go deeper
This course is one piece of a bigger system. Here's the whole map — and where you are on it.
University
Learn at your own paceThis course — full University access is $80 on its own.
Launchpad
Get the tools to execute-
Ebook$10narrative deep-dive
-
Checklists$15self-assessment diagnostic
-
Journal$20reflective application + AI prompts
-
Workbook$25full execution tracker
One of each — the full toolkit for this course is $70 on its own.
You're buying the University piece — the course, its platform, and the artifacts you produce. Bundle all three and save — see pricing below. Each column is also available à la carte: University $80, Launchpad $70, Events $280. See how we build →
Everything. Course price.
Lock in the full bundle today. Every piece ships to your account as it's built — and the price only goes up from here.
$430 value when complete
Everything, for the price of just the course.
- 12 lessons + AI Chat, transcripts, highlights, bookmarks
- Ebook + Checklists + Journal + Workbook shipping soon
- Workshop + Sprint + Challenge access shipping soon
- Certificate on completion
- Clinics included free — $20 each on their own
The price goes up as content ships — the founding price never comes back.
Not ready to commit? Attend our live workshops, sprints, and challenges for free — just show up. No signup, no credit card. If you like what you experience, the founding price locks in everything permanently.
Every piece below ships to your account as it's built — free, at your founding price:
- Banners — 12 lessons Digital$80 valueLive now
- Ebook Digital$10 valueIncluded
- Checklists Digital$15 valueIncluded
- Journal + AI Prompts Digital$20 valueIncluded
- Workbook Digital$25 valueIncluded
- Workshop Events$40 valueIncluded
- Sprint Events$80 valueIncluded
- Challenge Events$160 valueIncluded
- Total value when complete$430You pay $80
↑ as the tools ship, the price rises
↑ as the live events go up, it rises again
Full $430 value, fully builtWhat ships when?+
- Week 1: Workshop Part A (courses 1–3) + Ebook ships.
- Week 2: Workshop Part B (courses 4–6) + video lessons go live + Checklists ship.
- Week 3: Sprint recordings + Journal ships.
- Week 4: Challenge recordings + Workbook ships.
Or start bigger — the same deal at every scope:
Course
1 course + tools + events
$80Pod
All 6 Config courses
$320Pillar
All 36 Framework courses
$960University
All 324 courses
$4,320Same deal at every scope — everything included, price goes up as content ships. See How We Build →
Prefer one piece? Single University, Launchpad, or Events access. · See How We Build →
Founding Access — Banners
Full bundle (University + Launchpad + Events) · $80 · pre-sale founding rate
[ Simplero checkout / order-form embed renders here ]
Wire this to the Simplero Founding bundle product for this course.
The final step of the Config journey
Banners is course 6 of 6 — the last of Config. With menus and footer structure locked, Banners attaches strategic visual messaging to those surfaces. With it shipped, the platform is fully configured. Next group: Structure.
You are here — attach the messaging.
You're not doing this alone
Every lesson has a discussion where you share your work and read how others approached the same prompt — so you see the patterns, not just your own answer.
“Post your experience, read two others, and notice the patterns.”
Per-pillar discussion forums are coming as the community grows.
Before you decide
Aren't banners just decoration to make the site look finished?+
That's the trap. A banner with no defined message or action drives no clicks. Every position here gets one audience, one message, one action — or it gets replaced.
Can't I run the same banner across the whole site?+
One banner everywhere serves visitors at completely different decision stages with one generic message. The strategy maps the right message to each page and audience.
Do I really need to check banners on mobile?+
Yes — on a real phone, not a preview. Mobile is where CTAs go invisible, text gets cropped, and banners sink below the fold. Placement verification covers it.
How do I know if a banner is actually working?+
You set tracking and a baseline before it goes live, then review on a schedule. The refresh calendar retires decaying banners instead of letting them run forever.
How much time does it really take?+
8–12 hours across 7–10 days. Let the message framework sit 24 hours before visual design — the gap between Direction and Design is intentional.
What do I actually walk away with?+
12 working artifacts — from a Banner Message Framework and Priority Matrix to a Production Pipeline and Placement Strategy.
How do I use banners to communicate clearly and drive action — without cluttering the experience?
Stop placing banners as decoration. Give each one an audience, a message, and an action — then measure it.