Fortunately, that is not the case, and through banners you generate both sales and increased awareness of your product or brand. With Google's latest implementations of technologies such as AI and machine learning, display advertising can become even more effective, as ads are tailored to the user's behaviour and interests in real time.
What is display advertising?
Display advertising is a form of digital marketing where visual ads – often banners – are shown on websites, in apps and on video platforms such as YouTube. The purpose is to create awareness, increase brand recognition and drive traffic to your products or website.
There are various ways to buy and place these ads:
- Programmatic advertising: Ads are bought and placed automatically via real-time auction systems.
- Direct media buying: Ads are purchased directly from specific websites or ad networks such as Facebook Audience Network or Adform.
One of the most widely used methods, however, is Google Display advertising, which we will focus on here.
Google display ads
The Google Display Network provides access to millions of websites, apps and platforms such as YouTube and Gmail, where ads can be shown to potential customers. This reach makes Google Display advertising an extremely effective tool for reaching a wide audience with a targeted message. Display ads can appear on a range of platforms where Google has a presence, including:
- Websites
- Apps
- Mobile sites
- YouTube
- Gmail
Achieve greater brand awareness
Display advertising is a sound investment if you want to promote new products, offers or services and reach new customer groups. It can help you create increased awareness around your brand and build customer loyalty. Google Display advertising also makes it possible to use cross-device tracking, meaning users can be exposed to your brand across devices – from mobile to desktop and tablet. In this way, you can follow customers' journeys through multiple touchpoints.
Segmentation and targeting of display ads
One of the most common complaints about banners is that people find them irrelevant. It is therefore crucial that your display advertising is set up correctly so that the right audience is exposed to your message. With Google Display advertising, you can precisely target your ads based on demographic data and interests.
You can segment by:
- Demographics (gender and age)
- Placement
- Keywords
- Interests
Remarketing is also an effective method, where ads are shown to users who have previously interacted with your website.
The effective display ad
The primary purpose of a display ad is to invite the reader to click through to your website. Behind this intention lie several parameters that can be adjusted to find the best result. Think carefully about the visual expression of the banner as well as the message you want to convey. If the ad or banner is plastered with dense text that explains in long sentences why the customer should click, it will never happen. Instead, consider how you can get your message across in just a few words, and which layout will appeal to the group of buyers you are targeting.
A more recent development in display advertising is dynamic ads, which tailor content to each individual user based on their behaviour. This means users see ads featuring products or services they have previously shown interest in. This form of personalisation significantly increases the chance of engagement, as the ads feel more relevant and personal.
Once you have got customers to click through, consider where you are sending them. It should be easy to do business with you, so it is a good idea to send customers directly to the landing page containing the products you are advertising – rather than to the homepage, for example. Show them what they expect when they click on the display ad.
Ad blockers and privacy – worth keeping in mind
Although display advertising is effective, you should also be aware of the challenges that come with it – including the use of ad blockers and the increased focus on privacy. The challenge of ad blockers has grown, as many users actively block ads, which reduces the reach of traditional display ads. At the same time, privacy regulations such as GDPR and Apple's App Tracking Transparency have made it more difficult to collect data for targeting purposes.
Google's upcoming phase-out of third-party cookies in Chrome further intensifies this challenge. To address these changes, businesses can focus on first-party data and contextual advertising, where ads are tailored to the current content rather than the user's behaviour. In addition, privacy-first technologies such as Google's Privacy Sandbox can enable anonymised targeting without compromising privacy. These approaches make it possible to still reach relevant audiences in a sustainable and data-protective way.
