What are display ads?: A complete guide for marketers

Digital advertising makes up over half the total ad spend in the United States, with advertising technology budgets continually increasing year after year. Remaining competitive requires an effective and diversified digital marketing strategy, including display advertising.

Advertisers place display ads on various websites to visually capture consumer attention and link them to a webpage with more information about the advertised product or service. Effective display ads drive awareness to your brand by targeting relevant demographics, making them especially appealing to businesses looking to engage potential customers. Increase your own brand awareness by learning how to use Microsoft Advertising to create engaging display ads.

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What is display advertising?

Even if you aren’t already familiar with display ads, you’ve likely stumbled across them at some point. Display advertisements appear on third-party websites, apps, and social media, often combining video, images, and creative copy to boost brand awareness or direct viewers to a page.

Display ads typically appear at the top, bottom, or side of a webpage and can remain static or move as the user scrolls down the page. Most display ads are rectangular or square, with content that aligns with the website it appears on or the desired audience demographics. Internet users view this common form of digital advertising on a daily basis, whether they’re browsing an online newspaper, scrolling their feeds, or playing a free mobile game, making them a popular and effective form of digital marketing.

How does display advertising work?

Display ads have existed for many years, but more recent advancements allow marketers to use technology to target specific audiences. By tailoring your business’s display ads to an explicit demographic, you ensure the ad reaches people who are most likely to be interested in your product or services.

Display ads, like many forms of digital advertising, rely on cost-per-click advertising. An advertiser pays for display ads based on the number of clicks from potential customers that each ad receives.

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Benefits of using display advertising

Its unique benefits make it a popular choice for many different types of businesses.

Reaches A Large Audience

Based primarily on visuals and easy to create, display ads make an impression on anyone who views them, even as they’re scrolling through a page. A display ad has a reach as broad as traditional advertising, like print and radio ads, while being less disruptive to the viewer.

Easy To Create And Set Up

Display ads don’t require complex integration into a website compared to other types of digital advertisements. They can be displayed on any site that’s a part of the advertising network you choose.

Improves Brand Awareness

Immediate conversion may be lower for display ads compared to other forms of digital advertising, but click-through rate, shouldn’t be the only metric you consider. By familiarizing your audience with your brand, display ads can increase search ad conversion and lead to organic traffic in the future.

Cost-Effective

Because display ads function primarily to increase brand awareness and often have a low click-through rate, they can also be a more cost-effective option compared to other digital advertising options, like search ads.

Types of display ads

When creating display ads, consider your business and its unique advertising goals. Choose from these various display ad options to introduce a powerful addition to your digital marketing strategy.

Banner ads: As one of the most common and oldest forms of digital advertising, banner ads appear at the top, bottom, or sides of a webpage in a banner format, typically reaching from one side of the screen to the other. Strong banner ads include clear branding or logos, high-quality visuals, and relevant keywords to grab the attention of the viewer.
Interactive ads: These ads include elements like video, audio, buttons, and other clickable items. Typically, interactive ads have higher performance rates and can even increase brand recall. They range from animated visual ads to playable game formats or surveys.

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Interstitial ads: Unlike other types of display ads, interstitial ads appear to website visitors before they view the page they clicked on. They typically appear in front of the webpage content or in between at natural breaking points. Although other types of display ads may be showcased on mobile, interstitial ads are the most compatible option across devices.
Video ads: Consider incorporating video marketing in your display ads to grab the attention of your audience. Like interactive display ads, adding video elements to your display ad can improve engagement and recall.

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General best practices for creating display ads

Creating an effective display advertising strategy maximizes the impact of your ads. Follow these best practices for more effective advertising.

Engaging Ad Copy

While display ads rely on images and other visual elements to grab the attention of your audience, including engaging ad copy remains equally important. Good ad copy conveys what your business is and why your target audience should learn more about it.

Ad copy typically includes headers, descriptions, and calls to action. All writing should be creative, engaging, and free of grammatical errors. Your call to action, such as “buy,” “get,” and “learn more,” should encourage visitors to click through to your website, whether it is the homepage or a specific product or promotional page. Calls to action should use persuasive, engaging language and focus on the benefits to the visitor if they click through.

Using The Right Ad Sizes

Depending on the type of display ad, devices used to view, and the advertising network you work with, your display ad will need to fit a specific dimension to be supported on the page. Find out more about display ads creative specs to ensure they fit properly.

Effective Design

Effective display ads rely on strong visuals, making your ad design essential to getting your message across. Less is more: Don’t attempt to pack a ton of information into one ad. A display ad that is easy to read and understand is more effective than an ad that includes as many elements and details as possible. Grab the attention of your audience with a simple design and concise copy.

Having A Display Network

While you can purchase and place them directly on websites, consider joining an advertising network that supports display ads. One like Microsoft Audience Network provides a large, unique audience to see your ads. Display networks target specific demographics to drive highly personalized engagements. Targeting specific audiences can also increase click-through rates, as the people viewing your ads are most likely to be interested in your business.

Get started on display ads with Microsoft Advertising

They provide a cost-effective solution for marketers looking to increase brand awareness. When paired with best practices and creative approaches, Microsoft Advertising can help your business create effective display ads. Enhance your advertising strategy by learning more about display ads for online marketing.