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Add a Banner

 

What This Page Does

This page lets you create banner advertisements for your site. You can upload an image or build a custom HTML banner, assign it to a specific spot on your site, and control when it appears. Use this page whenever you want to promote a sponsor, advertise a product, or display any kind of banner on your public pages.

[Screenshot: add-banner-main-interface]

How to Get Here

Navigate to Admin Panel > Advertising > Add Banner

You can also reach this page by clicking Add New Banner on the Banner Management page.

Understanding the Page

When you open this page, you will see a form divided into several sections. At the top is the page title and a row of navigation buttons that take you to other advertising-related pages such as Sponsors, Banner Management, Banner Zones, Sub-Sponsors, and Statistics.

Below that is the banner creation form, which walks you through everything step by step.

 

Note: This page works in three modes: creating a new banner, editing an existing banner, and copying a banner. The form adjusts automatically depending on which action you are performing.

 

Common Tasks

How to Create an Image Banner

Use this when you have a banner image (such as a JPG, PNG, GIF, or WebP file) that you want to display on your site.

  1. Click Add Banner from the Advertising menu.
  2. Type a name for your banner in the Banner Title field. This is for your reference only and does not appear on the public site.
  3. Select a Sponsor from the dropdown. This is the company or advertiser the banner belongs to.
  4. Optionally select a Sub-Sponsor if the banner belongs to a specific sub-brand.
  5. Select a Banner Placement from the dropdown. This determines where on your site the banner will appear (for example, header, sidebar, or footer). The dropdown shows each zone's name and recommended size.
  6. Enter the Click URL. This is the web address visitors will be taken to when they click the banner.
  7. Make sure Image Banner is selected as the banner type.
  8. Choose how to provide your image:

   - Upload File: Click the upload area or drag and drop an image file from your computer. Supported formats are JPG, PNG, GIF, and WebP (up to 5 MB).    - Hotlink URL: Paste the web address of an image hosted elsewhere, then click Check Dimensions.

  1. After providing an image, a preview appears along with the detected width and height. Review these to make sure they look correct.
  2. Adjust the Banner Settings if needed (see the Settings section below).
  3. Optionally select up to 10 Categories to target specific content sections of your site.
  4. Click Create Banner.

 

Success: After saving, you will see a confirmation message and be redirected to the Banner Management page.

 

 

Tip: The system automatically detects the width and height of your image, so you usually do not need to enter those manually.

 

[Screenshot: add-banner-image-upload]

How to Create an HTML Banner

Use this when you want to create a custom banner using HTML code, such as a rich media ad or a banner with special formatting.

  1. Click Add Banner from the Advertising menu.
  2. Fill in the Banner Title, Sponsor, Banner Placement, and Click URL fields.
  3. Click the HTML Banner option under Banner Type.
  4. Type or paste your HTML code into the editor that appears.
  5. Use %referurlhere% anywhere in your HTML where you want a clickable link. The system will automatically replace this with the correct tracking link when the banner is displayed.
  6. Click Preview HTML to see how your banner will look. The preview updates automatically as you type.
  7. Enter the Width and Height manually to match your HTML design.
  8. Adjust any other settings and select categories as needed.
  9. Click Create Banner.

 

Tip: Always use %referurlhere% instead of pasting your destination link directly into the HTML. This ensures that clicks are properly tracked in your statistics.

 

[Screenshot: add-banner-html-editor]

How to Edit an Existing Banner

  1. Go to Admin Panel > Advertising > Banner Management.
  2. Find the banner you want to change.
  3. Click the Edit button next to it.
  4. The form opens with all the current settings already filled in.
  5. Make your changes. If you upload a new image, it will replace the old one.
  6. Click Update Banner.

 

Warning: When you replace a banner image by uploading a new one, the old image is permanently removed. Make sure you have a backup if you might need the original image later.

 

How to Copy a Banner

Copying is useful when you want to create a similar banner without starting from scratch.

  1. Go to Admin Panel > Advertising > Banner Management.
  2. Find the banner you want to duplicate.
  3. Click the Copy button next to it.
  4. The form opens with all the original banner's settings pre-filled.
  5. Change the Banner Title and any other fields you want to adjust.
  6. If the original used an uploaded image, you will need to upload a new image for the copy.
  7. Click Create Copy.

 

Note: Copying creates a brand new banner. The original banner is not changed in any way. Copies start with a status of Inactive so you can review them before they go live.

 

Settings and Options

Banner Settings

Setting What It Does Recommended for New Users
Width The width of the banner in pixels. Usually filled in automatically. Leave as auto-detected unless you need a specific size
Height The height of the banner in pixels. Usually filled in automatically. Leave as auto-detected unless you need a specific size
Weight Controls how often this banner appears compared to other banners in the same zone. A higher number means the banner shows more often. Start with the default value of 100
Start Date The date the banner should start appearing on your site. Leave blank to start immediately. Set this if you are preparing a banner ahead of time
End Date The date the banner should stop appearing. Leave blank to run indefinitely. Set this for time-limited promotions
Status Controls whether the banner is currently showing on your site. Set to Active when you are ready for it to go live

Status Options Explained

Status What It Means
Active The banner is live and showing on your site right now
Inactive The banner is turned off and will not appear on your site
Scheduled The banner is set to go live on a future start date
Paused The banner has been temporarily turned off but can be reactivated

Category Targeting

You can assign up to 10 categories to a banner. When a visitor is browsing a specific category on your site, only banners assigned to that category will appear. This lets you show relevant ads to the right audience.

  • Check the boxes next to the categories you want to target.
  • If you do not select any categories, the banner can appear on any page in its assigned zone.
  • You cannot select more than 10 categories per banner.

 

Warning: If you try to select more than 10 categories, the last selection will be removed and a warning message will appear.

 

How Banners Appear on Your Site

Once a banner is saved with an Active status, it will begin appearing in the placement zone you selected. Here is what to expect:

  • Image banners display as clickable images in the assigned zone.
  • HTML banners display as rich content in the assigned zone.
  • All clicks on banners are automatically tracked so you can see performance in the Statistics page.
  • If multiple banners are assigned to the same zone, they rotate automatically. Banners with a higher weight appear more often.
  • If you set start and end dates, the banner only appears during that time window.

Tips for New Users

 

Tip:
  • Give your banners clear, descriptive titles so you can easily find them later in the Banner Management list.
  • Always preview HTML banners before saving to make sure they look right.
  • Use the Scheduled status to prepare banners ahead of time for upcoming promotions.
  • Start with the default weight of 100. Only adjust weights when you have multiple banners in the same zone and want some to appear more often than others.
  • If a hotlinked image stops working later, consider uploading the image directly instead. Hotlinked images depend on the external server staying online.

 

Troubleshooting

The banner is not appearing on my site

What you see: You saved the banner but it does not show up on any page.

How to fix it:

  1. Go to Admin Panel > Advertising > Banner Management and check the banner's status. It must be set to Active.
  2. Verify that the banner is assigned to a placement zone that exists on your site pages.
  3. If you set a start date, make sure today's date is on or after that date.
  4. If you set an end date, make sure it has not already passed.

 

I get an error saying required fields are missing

What you see: A red error message appears when you try to save.

How to fix it: Make sure you have filled in all of the following: Banner Title, Sponsor, Banner Placement, and Click URL. For image banners, you also need to upload an image or provide a hotlink URL. For HTML banners, you need to enter HTML content.

My uploaded image is not accepted

What you see: An error about file type or file size.

How to fix it:

  1. Make sure your image is in one of the supported formats: JPG, PNG, GIF, or WebP.
  2. Make sure the file is no larger than 5 MB. If it is too large, resize or compress the image before uploading.

 

What you see: You entered an image URL but the dimensions could not be detected.

How to fix it:

  1. Double-check that the URL is correct and starts with http:// or https://.
  2. Try opening the URL directly in your browser to make sure the image loads.
  3. Some external servers block dimension checking. If this happens, simply type the width and height manually.

 

My HTML banner preview looks wrong

What you see: The preview does not match what you expected.

How to fix it:

  1. Make sure all your styling is written directly in the HTML (inline styles). External style links may not work inside banners.
  2. Keep any scripts simple and inline.
  3. Try simplifying your HTML to isolate the issue.

 

I see a message about demo mode

What you see: A red banner at the top of the page says demo mode is active, and you cannot save changes.

How to fix it: Demo mode is enabled by your system administrator. Contact them to have it turned off if you need to create or edit banners.

The page says my session has expired

What you see: An error about an invalid token.

How to fix it: Refresh the page and try again. This usually happens if the page has been open for a long time without activity.

Page When to Use It
Banner Management View, manage, and organize all your existing banners
Banner Zones Create and configure the placement zones where banners appear on your site
Sponsors Management Add and manage the sponsors (advertisers) that your banners belong to
Sub-Sponsors Set up sub-brands or secondary sponsors under a main sponsor
Statistics View click and impression data for your banners

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