Top Tips for Utilizing Display Ads in Your Marketing

Michael Peruccio

Michael Peruccio About The Author

Jun 30, 2021 10:00:00 AM

how to create display ads

Did you know that digital advertising reaches 90% of users online? Display ads are an incredibly valuable part of your marketing plan due to their capability to attract audiences easily. It's an excellent strategy that can help increase both brand awareness and customer loyalty as your business becomes more visible. Display ads encourage consumers to take advantage of everything you have to offer. Furthermore, this is a cost-effective way to improve your overall marketing reach. 

Discover How to Spend Your Digital Dollars Wisely

Are you making the most of your display ads? Display advertising is a broad category, so let’s look at several different types.  

Site Placement Advertising 

With site placement advertising, you choose the specifics for where you want to put your ads. You may choose to connect with a particular site because it has a similar target audience or because it offers products that fit well with yours. You might also use site placement advertising as you work with your media partner or another local brand in your community.  

Contextual Advertising 

Contextual advertising places ads on sites that have a similar context to yours. For example, if you offer plumbing services, you might want to advertise on a site that offers DIY home improvement tips and tricks or even to connect with a local electrician to endorse your services. 

Remarketing Advertising 

In remarketing advertising, cookies track user engagement across your website. Once they have already viewed that content, it will display ads in other places that user visits. Remarketing can help you get back with users who may have viewed your content in the past but who failed to move forward in making a purchase.  

Tips for Display Ad Requirements  

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) says that ads must be distinguishable from regular website content and the ad unit must have clearly defined borders. Display ads can come in various formats and file sizes, but they must be .jpeg, .png, or .gif files. Either square or rectangular ads are acceptable, but in general, rectangular ads perform better than square ads.  

Small banners run around 468 x 60 pixels, while leaderboard banners generally run 728 x 90 pixels. Inline rectangles, the top performer when it comes to Google display ads, are usually either 300 x 250 or 336 x 280 for maximum effects.  

Tips for Display Ads That Get Results  

Want to get real results out of your display ads? Make sure you consider these key tips.  

1. Make sure your ads are relevant to your audience.


Captivating ads are more likely to draw in customers and convince them that you have something to offer them. If your ads are uninteresting or irrelevant, consumers will quickly gloss over them or ignore them altogether.  

2. Design display ads to be accessible from all devices, especially mobile. 

These days, mobile traffic--that is, customer activity that comes straight from mobile devices, not including tablets--makes up more than half of internet traffic. If your ads don't display correctly on those devices, you're missing out on opportunities to connect with your audience.  

3. Keep your design clear and to the point.

The best display ads are straightforward and easy to follow. They make a simple point that helps connect consumers to your brand. Don't try to overcomplicate it. Display ads aren't the place for confusing graphics. Instead, offer a compelling display that draws consumers in to learn more. 

Measuring Display Ad Results  

If you want to know whether your display ads are achieving the results you had hoped for, carefully record their performance. 

You may want to track the following KPIs: 

Track New Visitors 

How many newcomers do your ads bring to your website? These should be consumers who might not have found your site through another method and who have not visited you in the past.  

Track Engagement and Bounce Rates 

Once visitors arrive at your site, are they engaged with the content? Do they stay on your site and look at more information, or do they leave shortly after? If customers bounce quickly, it could suggest that your website is not delivering on the expectations created by those display ads--and may mean that you need to alter your ads accordingly.  

Track Number of Conversions 

Keep up with the number of people who convert after seeing your display ads. You can track direct interaction if they come to your website through a specific landing page, or you can follow how conversions increase based on your display ad campaign. 

Achieve Your Marketing Goals With Display Ads

Display ads offer a valuable source of advertising for your company. From creating irresistible ads to tracking the right elements to see how your ads are performing, you can utilize these best practices to see better overall results from your ads and ensure a deeper connection to your customers. 

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