The challenge for every agency and marketing manager is to avoid tunnel vision in regards to linking. We all know that links (call them "inbound links", "external links", or "backlinks") make up the backbone of the Google ranking algorithm. But let's not react too strongly to the abuse of link swapping in the past. There's a temptation to hone in on what we would consider an "ideal link" for search ranking value and discard all pursuit of the rest.

A conversation with a long standing client/friend a month ago reaffirmed this idea in my mind. He is pretty well informed when it comes to PPC and SEO. He wanted to do some additional work, but made sure to point out that he was VERY satisfied with the traffic he received from a well-placed banner ad.

He'd gone out on his own and paid for a banner ad to be placed on a site that would appear to have no similarities. But the key is that the target customer is the same. Readers of that online magazine were exactly the people he wanted visiting his site. We could have approached the webmaster and attempted to negotiate some sort of deal where an optimized text link was placed somewhere prominently on the home page. But instead, he had his well-designed creative placed right smack dab in the top center. And that add sent hundreds of qualified visitors to his website every month.

Imagine that. A link that sends traffic. Remember those? Back in the day, banner ads were the very definition of internet advertising. They offer no ranking value in the search engines. But there they are, bigger than life, and if you can combine compelling creative with just the right placement/location, you're going to get traffic. They won't reach you through Google or Yahoo!, but targeted traffic is targeted traffic.

When you talk to your interactive marketing agency, be sure that they see the big picture. Qualified traffic is the goal, regardless of the source. If some method of advertising/marketing can deliver results, it needs to be a part of the conversation.

Budget will always be a natural selector. Consider the cost and potential return on banner/paid advertising and consider it as a viable option. A banner ad functions similarly to paid search ads. The stigma surrounding them stems mostly from SEO specialists who simply don't encourage anything that doesn't generate more business for them. You want to partner with professionals who will approach your business needs without biases that could cost you valuable opportunities. Food for thought. 

Daniel Dessinger, MarketNet SEO