What is Display Advertising?

Display ads are a type of online advertisement that combines a call-to-action (CTA) message aimed at directing users to a specific landing page with visual elements and ad copy. Display ads are typically found at the top or sides of a website, and sometimes even within the content you are reading. Display ads are visually appealing, cost-effective, and measurable in terms of achieving a brand’s marketing objectives. Thanks to these features, display ads are of great importance for all modern media mixes.

Display ads help reach a wide audience, achieve large-scale impressions, and generate high results through targeted placements, various formats, ad creatives, and measurement tools. However, to fully leverage this potential, it is essential to clearly understand the key aspects that differentiate display ads from other types of digital advertising.

What is the difference between display ads and banner ads?

Display advertising is one of the main types of digital advertising. While people sometimes use the terms “banner ads” and “display ads” interchangeably, in reality, banner ads are just a subset of display ads. The confusion stems from the fact that display ads were initially mostly placed in banner form at the top of websites. However, display ads now come in more extensive and rich formats, including videos, interactive content, and ad formats of various sizes. Banner ads, on the other hand, consist of simpler and fixed-size images and are considered just one part of the overall display advertising. Knowing these differences can help you build a more effective advertising strategy.

How do display ads work?

Display ads may seem complex at first glance, but when properly planned, they follow a process that is easy to understand. For this reason, we have divided the process into six main stages to help you better understand how to create an effective display ad campaign. These stages include identifying the audience, selecting campaign goals and settings, creating eye-catching ad copy and design, preparing ads in appropriate sizes, delivering them on time, and tracking the results. By following these steps, you can ensure your advertising campaign achieves successful outcomes.

1. Start by identifying your audience

Begin by determining where and to whom your ads will be shown. This is a very important stage in the campaign creation process. To make your ads more effective, you can define your audience based on various data such as demographic information and shopping behavior. With retargeting, it is also possible to show your ads to audiences who have previously viewed your products. Choosing the right audience will help your ads reach users who are most interested in your brand.

2. Choose your campaign goals and settings

In the next step, define the main objectives of your ad campaign. Select the key performance indicator (KPI) that best aligns with the result you want to achieve for your business (for example, increasing audience reach or improving return on ad spend (ROAS)) and determine your campaign budget accordingly. Additionally, in this stage, you can also set other important parameters such as campaign delivery speed, ad sources, user device types, and pre-offer traffic filtering. Proper adjustment of these settings will help your ad campaign achieve more effective results in line with your objectives.

3. Create attention-grabbing copy and design for your display ad

At this stage, the copy and design of your ad are combined to present your product’s key advantages or your brand’s unique value proposition in a short, clear, and engaging way. This is where your brand's creativity and innovative ability become more apparent. By learning how to craft strong and creative display ads, you can increase the effectiveness of your campaigns.

4. Resize your display ads according to technical specifications

It is important to adapt a single ad creative to the technical dimensions required for the selected ad formats. In doing so, certain differences may arise between ads designed for mobile devices and those intended for desktop. For example, in larger display ad formats, it is possible to include additional descriptive text after the headline. In smaller ad sizes, however, it may be necessary to forgo this extra text in order to maintain a clean and simple design.

5. Deliver your display ads on time

Display ads in all sizes should be delivered to media platforms on time, in accordance with the dates specified in your media plan. Ad creatives must be finalized before the start of the campaign and submitted in a file format that meets technical specifications. Timely delivery is essential to ensure your ad campaign is launched without delay and to achieve the intended marketing results. Any delay at this stage may negatively affect the effectiveness and outcomes of your campaign.

6. Monitor the performance of your display ads

To evaluate the success of your campaign, regularly track the statistics and performance indicators of your display ads. Consider how various ad elements—such as the headline, visuals, and call-to-action (CTA)—affect campaign results. Based on the outcomes obtained during the campaign, think about what changes you can make to improve key metrics such as conversions, return on ad spend (ROAS), and click-through rate (CTR). This way, you can optimize your campaigns more effectively and in alignment with your goals.

Advantages of Display Advertising

Display advertising offers numerous advantages. One of the most important benefits is that its results can be easily measured and it is cost-effective. Additionally, display ads complement other advertising channels and serve as a flexible tool that can be easily adapted to various marketing strategies. These ads are also convenient and accessible for reaching a wide audience, thus effectively helping your business achieve its marketing goals.

1. Measurable

You can measure the effectiveness of your display ad campaign using various marketing metrics based on the call-to-action (CTA) message you use. For example, by choosing a CTA like "experience the brand," you can determine the number of clicks your ad receives and the cost per click (CPC). In addition, you can evaluate your ad’s performance using other statistical indicators such as impressions, conversion rate, and return on ad spend (ROAS). This way, you can better understand whether your ad was successful with the target audience and which factors encouraged customers to make a purchase. For instance, you can easily analyze which audience segments made the most purchases from your brand.

2. Cost-effective (affordable)

The costs of display ads can vary for different reasons, but they are among the advertising methods that are easily adjustable and affordable. In traditional advertising formats, once an ad is published, it is not possible to make changes to the text, image, or message. Therefore, if the ad does not deliver the desired results, costs increase and the budget is used inefficiently. In display advertising, however, changes can easily be made during the campaign, allowing you to manage your budget more effectively and achieve better results with lower expenses.

3. Stronger impact when combined with different channels

The visual nature of display advertising complements other advertising channels and enhances their effectiveness. For example, when used alongside channels such as social media, display ads increase overall return on ad spend (ROAS) and create an additional impact on the audience. The presence of visual elements allows customers to better recognize and remember the brand. Thus, display advertising not only boosts the effectiveness of other ad types but also positively influences customers’ purchasing decisions.

4. Flexible and accessible

Display ads allow brands to test different texts, images, and call-to-action messages and buttons (CTAs) to achieve their desired outcomes. For instance, instead of relying on a single headline, a brand can create multiple ads using the same images and CTAs but different headlines to see which message resonates more with the audience. If the brand is also using traditional methods such as TV commercials or billboards, it can first test these headlines through display ads. This approach is the best way to determine in advance which messages will be more effective in ad formats that are less changeable later on.

Display advertising is a type of digital advertising that uses visual elements to help brands reach a wide audience. These ads are measurable, cost-effective, and a flexible tool that easily integrates with other advertising channels. When properly planned, display ads not only enhance brand awareness but also positively influence sales. In modern digital marketing strategies, display advertising plays an indispensable role.