Digital display advertising—sometimes referred to as banner ads—are a type of online advertisement that appear on websites and other digital channels. Digital display ads typically include images, graphics and text to promote a product or service, deliver an advocacy message, or build brand awareness for the advertiser.
Display ads commonly appear as banner ads at the top of a web page, inserted between paragraphs of text in a blog post, in sidebars, pop-ups, and as interstitials which are full-screen ads that cover the interface of their host app.
Digital display ads typically include images, graphics and text to promote a product or service…
According to statistica, digital display advertising, or banner ads, is the third most popular form of digital advertising behind Search Ads and Video Pre Roll Advertising.
Targeting capabilities of digital display ads
Digital display ads offer precise targeting options using the built-in features of platforms like Google and Facebook, as well as the advanced targeting capabilities of DSPs (Demand Side Platforms). Targeting includes choosing specific demographics, interests, behaviors, and geographic locations.
Interactivity capabilities
Digital display ads are most commonly static ads in appearance, with a CTA (Call to Action) in the form of a button (e.g., “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” or “Sign Up Today”) that leads a user to a landing page designed for conversion. In this case, the entire ad is a clickable element. Ads formatted as Rich Media ads offer a higher level of interactivity.
Digital ad formats
There are three formats of digital display ads: static, animated GIF and Rich Media.
- Static display ads are similar to display ads you might see in a magazine and combine text and images in a banner format. These static display ads are the most common type and the final format is a .JPEG or .PNG.
- Animated GIF display ads loop a short sequence of images to create a simple animation and are great at capturing the viewer’s attention and the format is .GIF.
- Rich Media display ads are the most interactive form of digital display ads. They can be formatted as video, carousels, multiple CTAs and more. This type of digital display ad is the most complex and requires programming skills like HTML, Java and CSS. The format is HTML 5.
Common sizes of online display ads
Display ads can be designs in almost an unlimited number of sizes and aspect ratios. That said, the industry has adopted common sizes and website publishers have designed their sites accommodate them. Some of the most common sizes of digital display ads include:
- Facebook: 1080 W x 1080 H pixels
- Instagram: 1080 W x 1080 H pixels
- Twitter: 1200 W x 1200 H pixels, 1200 W x 628 H
- Google: 300 W x 600 H, 300 W x 250 H, 720 W x 90 H
Here’s a list of the ten most popular Google display ads sizes.
Measurement and Analytics
All ad placement platforms include built-in tracking and analytics tools to measure key performance metrics. This helps advertisers make data-driven decisions that evaluate effectiveness and revise/optimize their campaigns.
Here’s a list of the key performance metric of digital display advertising:
- Impressions: the number if times your ad is shown on a search result page or other site
- Clicks: the number of times someone kicked on your ad
- Click: Through-Rates (CTR)–the number of clicks that your ad receives divided by the number of times your ad is shown
- Conversions: An online conversion occurs when your website visitor completes a desired action while on your website. This might include filling out a form or buying a product.
- Return On Investment (ROI): the profit earned from every dollar your business spends on marketing efforts
Reporting is a key component of tracking and analytics and is a key item to consider when considering ad placement services. The most effective reporting is live and includes easy to use UI’s.
Ad placement technologies and services
Digital display ads often rely on ad networks or exchanges to facilitate the buying and selling of ad inventory. Platforms, commonly known as DSPs, or Demand Side Platforms, connect advertisers with publishers, allowing ads to be displayed on a wide range of websites across the internet.
The buying and selling is facilitated by automatic bidding technology, with minimum and maximum prices set by users to automatically place the ads, among other features, this allows for very efficient control of ad spend budgets.
Ad Placement Partners is a US-based business offering a white label digital advertising placement solution for agencies. For more information on our services, contact us now or schedule a no-obligation video meeting with one of our account executives. We love sharing our digital advertising expertise.