Most people who have surfed the web have been exposed to display ads. They’re a huge piece of what funds the free websites you see, such as news sites, blog sites, and most search engines.

For businesses, display advertising is a method of attracting the audience of a website, social media platform, or other digital mediums to take a specific action. 

But very often, they are overlooked when compared to search engine ads. That’s why in this article, we will take a look at the best types of Display advertising to promote your business in 2020.

What Are Display Ads?

While ads in the Google Search Network are restricted to just a few basic text lines, Display Advertising offers a variety of formats and sizes. Display advertising can be made up of text, images, or video advertisements that entice a user to click-through to a landing page and take some action.

Like most online advertising campaigns, display ads are charged on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis. 

This system means that every time a person clicks on your ad, you’ll get charged a few cents, or a few dollars, based on your overall bidding strategy.

Retargeting with Display Ads

Another considerable benefit of display advertising is that it can be used for retargeting campaigns. Retargeting is where ads are served to users who have already visited your specific website. 

By showing them your brand or offer again, you are retargeting them again. This reminder helps encourage them to return to the website to take some action.

8 Types of Display Ads to Test

The best thing about display advertising is the variety of ad types you can test out.

A business can choose between standard display ads like banner ads, or a range of rich-media alternatives. Rich-media ads use the latest online technology to deliver advanced features such as video, audio, expansion, or polling features. 

These rich-media display ads can offer a more engaging experience to capture your target audience’s attention and drive conversions.

Business owners need to experiment with new types of Display Ads that can capture the target audience’s attention. Here is a list of the best types of display ads you can incorporate into your next online marketing campaign.

1) Static Banner Ads

A banner is the most straightforward type of display ad that you have likely seen many times. It usually contains a single image file with no audio, video, or additional features.

In the early days of the Internet (from 1994-1999), banner ads had very high click-through rates, but today in 2020 is about 0.46%, which means that less than one person out of one hundred will click on the ad.

2) Animated Ads

Animated ads are a step up from static banner ads when it comes to capturing the attention of your target audience. 

Animations on a display ad create a sense of movement that naturally catches the eye and works against banner blindness, prompting target audiences to investigate your creativity. 

Animated display ads can also be combined with audio to create long-form ads that give more complex explanations about a product or service and the problem they solve.

3) Video Ads

Video advertising has risen in popularity because a lot of people have online access through mobile phones.

YouTube is the second-largest search engine on the Internet, and people spend 33% of their online time engaging with video content. 

For this reason, videos also perform as advertisements. Recent studies show that marketers have achieved higher engagement rates with video than with traditional image ads.

While video ads are primarily served through Netflix, Twitch, and YouTube, they can also be distributed through display ad networks and social media ad networks.

4) 360-Degree Video Ads

While video display ads tell a story from a specific angle and perspective, a 360-degree video ad can offer a virtual reality experience. The ad invites your target audience member to play a more active role in engaging with the promotional content. 

Similar to 3D and panoramic photos on Facebook, 360-Degree video ads respond to the gyroscopes in mobile users’ phones. This effect gives users the feeling they are interacting with the ads by rotating their phones or moving through space.

While you will need some specialized equipment to create these types of ads, but they offer great potential for creating high-performing display campaigns with 360-degree video.

5) Interactive Ads

Interactive display advertisements provide embedded features that allow the audience to interact with the product or service immediately.

An excellent example of an interactive display advertisement is playable ads. Display ads for mobile video games are often play-able, allowing users to test out a small demo of the game interface embedded directly into the ad. 

Playable ads are often seen in other mobile games and are popular on gaming websites. Some larger brands like McDonald’s have produced their playable display advertisements to grow engagement and increase brand awareness.

Other interactive ads can ask users to fill out a lead form or respond to a poll to access exclusive content.

6) Expandable Ads

Expandable display ads are still a lesser-used format but are available on both desktop and mobile display networks. 

An expandable display ad is a rich media advertisement that can be expanded beyond the ad unit’s original size. Expandable ads can be designed to expand automatically when a page loads. Others will expand when a site visitor clicks on them.

Expanded ads start off in an invitation stage, where they display a small ad on the webpage. After a user interacts, the expandable ad moves into the expanded state and takes up more space on the page.

Some people might consider expandable ads as too disruptive to the user experience. Still, at the same time, they can be a solution to ‘banner blindness’ and have been proven to perform better than standard banner ads.

7) Lightbox Ads

Lightbox Ads are a type of expandable display ad that is available on the Google Display Network.

Lightbox Ads begin similar to a standard display ad and then expands into a full-screen canvas takeover ad that can include video, audio, animation, and other features. 

To reduce accidental engagements, Google has designed the ads so that users must hover their mouse over a lightbox ad first least two seconds to trigger the expansion.

Lightbox ads provide an immersive experience that brings users away from the web page they were browsing and into a full-screen advertising experience. Some people find these ads disruptive and annoying, so be sure to test their effectiveness. 

8) Interstitial Ads

Interstitial display ads are have grown in popularity with the rise of mobile technology.

Interstitial advertisements are full-screen ads that temporarily cover the user’s screen. They appear during transition points that naturally occur while users engage with the app.

Interstitial ads are commonly featured in free-to-play mobile games. Each time players complete a level, they must sit through a loading screen before starting the next level. 

Interstitial ads are also often presented during these loading screens. Users on free versions of apps may be required to view ads for a set time frame. 

Always Test and Measure Results

The most important aspect of using Display ads is to test different formats and then review the results after a short period. Some display advertisements may work well for a specific type of website or mobile app, while others will not. 

Also, be mindful of your cost per acquisition, as very often running display ads can seem cheaper than traditional pay-per-click, but it may not bring the actual results in terms of revenue. 

Looking to try out some online display advertising? Brandastic is a digital marketing and advertising agency with offices in offices in Orange County, Los Angeles, and Austin. We specialize in PPC, web development, SEO, and social media advertising. Contact us to ignite your potential and grow your business today.