What Is Display Advertising?
Like paid search ads, display ads are part of the PPC (pay-per-click) stable. But while search ads appear alongside SERPs (search engine results pages) display ads are embedded right into website pages. Don’t confuse them with “native ads,” which blend with the web page they appear on to decrease disruption to the user experience. Display ads are meant to interrupt, distract, and divert the visitor’s attention away from the web page they appear on and lead them into your sales funnel.
Banner ads, rich-media columns, and auto-play video advertisements are all forms of display ads. They’re bright, attractive, disruptive and pushy. You’d be forgiven for thinking no one enjoys having their user experience interfered by display ads. But you’d be wrong. They’re especially effective with re-targeting campaigns, increasing conversions by up to 70 percent.
The reason they work so well is that they don’t just appear at random. They serve to a well-targeted audience. Display ads can hook a consumer at any point on their journey, from brand awareness raising at the top of the funnel down to the final decision-making at the point of sale. While intrusive, a good display ad campaign is a welcome intrusion because of its relevance and leads smoothly to clicks and conversions.
Which Display Ads Network?
While other ad networks are out there, there’s no escaping the fact that Google is the giant in the industry, with a 90 percent outreach on the web. Others don’t compete, although they may prove useful for micro-niche targeting via social media and forums. But your main campaign fund is best spent on the Google Display Network, like it or not. Google also has a state-of-the-art suite of reporting and data analysis tools which take much of the dog work out of refining your campaigns and boosting your ROI (return on investment).
All Things Bright and Beautiful: Introducing the Many Types of Display Ads
Display ads come in many flavors. They vary by size, media, content, target differentiation, and placement. You can mix and match to your heart’s content to find what works best for your campaign.
Display Ad Size Matters
The dimensions of the ads served makes a lot of difference. You can make size responsive so that your ads have most impact and effectiveness whether on a desktop device, mobile, or tablet. The top-performing overall display ad size on the Google Network is the medium rectangle set at 300 by 250 pixels.
Display Ad Content
Together with the size of your ads, you must design their content. You can mix and match between text, graphics, and rich media (video, GIFs, animation, etc.) Keep your content as clear as your message is targeted. Text should always have a clickable header and only two or three lines of copy. Make sure your graphics are brand-consistent and intriguing. If your budget runs to video, use it. Video boosts click-through and conversions, especially in a re-targeting campaign.
