Advertising in the digital era has become more cost-effective than any time before. That’s because of the digital revolution, which has made it possible to target an audience with precision ads at a fraction of the cost. Anyone who owns a website or runs an ad on their blog can now advertise for free.
The majority of advertisers use this ability to run ads across multiple mediums so as many people see their message as possible. This is known as a standard display ad, and it is one of the most common advertising formats used on websites today.
In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about standard display ads. From what they are, how they work, and why they are such a popular choice for advertisers.
What is a standard display ad?
A standard display ad is a type of online ad that is placed on a publisher’s website. The ad may be a static image, a video, or an interactive ad. The ad appears on an individual page and often links to the advertiser’s website or social media page. These ads are the most common type of ad on websites today.
They are sometimes called “pre-roll ads” or “intra-frame ads” because they appear in between pages on the website. Advertisers who run standard display ads often use other forms of paid online advertising as well, such as video ads and native ads.
How does a standard display ad work?
A standard display ad works in the same way as an online banner ad. A publisher usually sets an ad unit on their website such as a banner or image on a web page. Advertisers purchase ad space on the publisher’s website and transfer a certain amount of money to the publisher to use this space for advertising. The ad space is often set to appear on the publisher’s home page. When someone visits the page and sees the ad, they are more likely to view the page because it is linked to the advertiser’s website.
The advertiser receives a certain number of clicks on the ad and revenue from the amount paid to the publisher. If the visitor takes action on the ad, such as signing up for a product or service, the advertiser receives revenue for that action.
Google Ads and Google’s Display Advertising platform
Google Ads is Google’s advertising platform that lets advertisers advertise on Google’s search results and across the company’s network of websites. Advertisers create and manage their ads using the Google Ads interface on their computer or mobile device. The interface lets advertisers create ads that are targeted to users searching for their product or service, using keyword research and targeting options. When someone clicks on an ad, they are taken to the advertiser’s website.
Advertisers can manage their ads on Google Ads using the same tools they use to manage their other online marketing campaigns. Google Ads is a paid advertising service, so the more people who click on ads, the more money is earned by Google Ads advertisers.
Benefits of Standard Display Ads
- Easy to set up - Unlike video ads, standard display ads don’t require any special equipment. This makes them easy to run on virtually any website.
- No cost - Standard display ads have no cost to bring them to market. This is helpful for anyone who owns a website or runs an ad on their blog.
- Wide reach - As we have discussed, standard display ads are available to a wide audience. This makes them an ideal choice for anyone who wants to reach a wide audience with a simple ad.
- Very targeted - Standard display ads let you target your audience based on specific keywords and browsing behaviors. This lets you reach a highly targeted audience with your message.
- Short ads - Because even the shortest standard display ad is just over 80 characters, you can create a simple ad that is effective without extensive copy.
- Easily track ad performance - You can easily track the performance of your standard display ads to learn what content works best for your target audience.
- No terms and conditions - Unlike some other advertising models, standard display ads can be run on virtually any website. This makes them an attractive option for anyone with a blog or other website.
- Easily manage multiple ad campaigns - With Google Ads, advertisers can easily manage multiple ad campaigns across multiple platforms.
Drawbacks of Standard Display Ads
- Display ads do not offer visitors a way to convert - Some online ads are designed to simply drive traffic to a website, but do not offer a way for visitors to convert. Google’s Ads are highly targeted because they use millions of keywords to help advertisers show their ads to the most relevant person in the world. These ads have an easy to convert landing page with a form to capture the visitor’s information.
- Display ads are not native - Similar to the issue with clickable ads, standard display ads are not interactive or able to provide additional content.
- No retargeting ads - Standard display ads do not offer any type of retargeting ads like those used by Google’s AdMob network.
- May be banned - Standard display ads are typically banned across many ad networks, including Google’s own network. This makes them an unattractive choice for many advertisers.
Other advertising formats for websites
- Pop-ups - Unlike standard display ads, pop-ups are designed to redirect users to a different website, often one that contains malware.
- Sponsored articles - Many websites publish sponsored articles written by editorial staff that are clearly labeled as advertisements. These articles show up at the top of the page, below content from publishers, and are not linked to advertiser’s website.
- Native ads - Native ads are advertisements that blend into the content on a publisher’s website. These ads often link to an advertiser’s site or link to an external website.
- Content-focused videos - Popular video hosting platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and Imgur offer a wide range of advertising options aside from standard display ads. These include content-focused video ads.
Understanding video ads
As we mentioned, video ads are a form of digital advertising that has become an increasingly popular option for brands and advertisers. These ads are longer than standard display ads and are typically played on a video player like YouTube or elsewhere on a website. These ads are similar to banner ads in that they are shown in between pages and are intended to drive traffic to external websites where people can view the ads.
They also differ from banner ads in that they are also intended for mobile devices and played in an app. While these ads do not appear in a publisher’s website, they are still a form of online advertising. They are intended to drive traffic to websites using the same targeting criteria that applies to other forms of paid online advertising.
Understanding native ads
Native ads are a type of digital advertising that blends into the content and context of a publisher’s content, often in the form of a link back to the advertiser’s website. These ads are often linked to the advertiser’s site or linked to an external website. Native ads are similar to content-focused videos in that they blend into the content on a publisher’s website and link back to the advertiser’s site or linked external content.
However, native ads often have more detailed descriptions and links to information about the advertiser’s products and services. These ads are commonly displayed on websites that offer editorial content, such as magazines and websites that cover news and politics. Native ads are also commonly seen on the ads of crowdfunding sites, where donors are encouraged to fund projects by clicking on a link to an external website.
Conclusion
Standard display ads have become very popular in the online advertising marketplace over the last few years. The reason for this is that they are easy to set up and can be displayed on virtually any website. They also offer a broad audience of potential customers and deliver a simple message. All of these factors help standard display ads to stand out from other types of online ads, making them a great choice for any advertiser who wants to reach a large audience with a simple ad.
