Best Practices for Display Ads: 13 Ways to Boost Performance + Examples

Display ads help you reach potential customers on other websites, social platforms, and apps through visual banner ads. Here are the best practices for display ads to help you get the best results.

From our first-hand experience, here are 13 best practices for display ads to boost performance:

1. Get your display ad targeting right
2. Create ad visuals that stand out
3. Make the value proposition clear in ad copy
4. Use a strong, clear CTA
5. Explore rich media
6. Create a sense of urgency
7. Optimize landing pages
8. Ensure ads are mobile-friendly
9. Take advantage of remarketing
10. Focus on brand authenticity
11. Test and measure your banner ads
12. Explore mobile gaming display advertising
13. Understand display ad sizing

Want to reach potential customers across over two million websites and apps?

Google Display ads help you do just that by showing your visual banner ads to relevant users on other websites, mobile apps, social media, and other platforms.

But like any type of advertising, it’s important for you to understand best practices for display ads if you want to get the best results.

We’ll cover all the basics and dive into display ad best practices with expert commentary from our very own Rachel Corak, Associate Director of SEM at HawkSEM.

13 best practices for display ads to boost performance

To make the most of display advertising and grow your business, using the latest banner ad best practices is crucial — no surprise there. Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating display ads and executing your marketing strategy.

1. Get your display ad targeting right

“One of the biggest mistakes I see people make with their display ad strategy is audience targeting… or lack thereof,” Corak says.

With the Google Display Network, you can target certain types of people or target certain moments or contexts.

When you target certain types of people, you aim to get your ads seen by that specific audience. Here are a few different ways you can do that:

• Remarketing: Show your ads to people who previously visited your brand’s site or interacted with your business.
• Affinity audiences: Target people based on their interests, even when they visit a page about something else.
• In-market audiences: Target people based on recent purchase intent who are actively considering buying products/services like the ones you sell.
• Demographic targeting: Reach people based on demographics like age, gender, household income, or parental status.
• Customer Match: Show your ads to customers based on data you have on them that you’ve shared with Google.

Contextual targeting is another type of display ad targeting. This allows you to add keywords or topics to ad groups so your ads show up on websites with content that matches your chosen keywords.

Google analyzes the webpages in the Display Network and comes up with a central theme for each website. When your keyword or topic matches the central theme of a webpage, your ad may show up on that webpage.

Pro tip: Align your messaging with your display ad targeting. Create separate messaging for separate campaigns, ad groups, and target users.

2. Create ad visuals that stand out

If you want users to see and take action on your banner ad, you need to use eye-catching visuals. Using high-quality images that convey a strong message can help elicit an emotional response from your ideal audience.

“Display ads are visual, so you want to think in terms of creative that will stand out and capture the audience’s attention,” says Corak.

Make sure the image is relevant to what you’re offering and helps to clearly communicate what your business is about. Here’s a great example from Agape Animal Rescue:

The ad uses a touching image (AKA the world’s cutest puppy) paired with a powerful call to action to appeal to the reader’s emotions.

Use A/B testing to see what elements your audience responds to most, whether it be a white background over a black one or the font you use for your text overlay. You can even test different images to see which resonates most.

3. Make the value proposition clear in ad copy

Your value proposition is what you’re promising to the user if they take action on your ad. People are more likely to click on your ad and convert if the value is clear and they understand how you are solving their problem or benefitting their life.

In other words, make sure it’s clear what users will gain from clicking on your ad. Here’s a great example from Oracle. The ad’s value proposition is to “Unlock the Daily Checklist of Top CFOs,” which is exactly what they get when they download the guide.

Want to test your copy to see which works best? You can use programmatic advertising to serve various iterations of the same copy to different segmented audiences.

4. Use a strong, clear CTA

The call-to-action is what will get potential customers to click through on your ad and take action. Whether it’s making a purchase, getting a free trial, or downloading a lead magnet, use a strong CTA that makes it clear what will happen after someone clicks the ad.

“It’s best to incorporate text overlays with strong CTAs. Because display ads are notoriously low converting, try to mitigate this by being very clear within the CTA,” Corak says.

Use specific action words in your CTA like “buy,” “download,” or “sign up.” And make sure the CTA button stands out from the rest of the ad so that it attracts attention. You can do this by using contrasting colors, adding an icon, or using a different font.

5. Explore rich media

Unlike traditional static display ads, rich media features an element of interaction. This could be in the form of audio, video, Flash, or the ability to expand when a mouse cursor hovers over the ad.

Taking advantage of the popularity of video content and multimedia advertising can capture the attention of your audience and keep them interested in what you’re offering.

Although being more interactive comes at a (literal) price, investing in rich media can be worthwhile for your ROI if leveraged well.

When creating video ads, pay special attention to the sound. Reports show more than 66% of American web users find ads with loud audio annoying. That’s why outstream video campaigns are gaining popularity. They play the video on mute unless the viewer unmutes it with a tap.

When designing media for your display ads, make sure it provides sufficient information (such as captions or copy overlaid on the visual) without sound needed.

6. Create a sense of urgency

Your potential customers are busy. So why should they click on your ad right now? That’s the question you answer when you add urgency to the creative in your display advertising campaign.

Often, we create urgency in our marketing with limited-time offers, limited quantities, and impending price increases. But the urgency should be real (i.e. not made up just to improve conversion rates).

“An effective method in display is to use retargeting audiences for ecommerce brands and activate ads during sales periods,” Corak says.

“You can create a sense of urgency in these types of ads by including verbiage detailing the dates, using urgency copy like ‘limited time’ or even planning for different imagery depending on the day.”

“For example, the final day of a sale would benefit from custom creative that messages ‘Last Day,’ ‘Last Chance,’ ‘Final Hours’ etc.”

7. Optimize landing pages

The main goal of any digital marketing campaign is usually to increase lead generation and sales.

In addition to an attention-grabbing display that gets users to take action, make sure the landing pages you’re linking to are equally as thought-out and optimized.

The most optimized landing pages often follow a few guidelines, including:

• An enticing call to action (CTA)
• A design that’s consistent with the ad
• An easy-to-complete form
• A mobile-friendly experience

“Make sure the landing page experience post-click is CRO optimized. Visually, you want the display ad and the landing page to have a lot of synergy to minimize confusion post-click,” says Corak.

That means the landing page creative should also align with both the visual and messaging elements of the display ad. That way, there is a seamless user experience from clicking on the ad through to the conversion.

8. Ensure ads are mobile-friendly

Making your ads mobile-friendly will enable you to reach a wider online audience. In fact, Statista reports that an average of 60% of all web traffic comes via mobile devices. That means if your ads aren’t mobile-friendly, you’re missing out on a lot of potential traffic.

Designing your banner ads with smaller screens in mind will provide a great user experience for people who access the internet through hand-held devices. Not to mention, they will align beautifully with Google display ads best practices.

Your landing pages may also need to be optimized to adjust to different screen sizes. This process will go a long way in improving the customer journey and increasing conversion rates.

9. Take advantage of remarketing

We talk a lot about remarketing around here. That’s because we know it can be a highly effective tool to have in your marketing arsenal.

Even though the clickthrough rate (CTR) of remarketing isn’t comparable to paid search, it’s a smart way to stay top of mind. Not only that, but it costs pennies on the dollar.

It’s also worth noting that remarketing is evolving. With the third-party cookie phaseout in 2024, it’s wise to start focusing on alternatives to straightforward retargeting.

Google is working on an alternative to remarketing ads. It’s called Protected Audience API. This option should allow you to target previous website visitors without revealing their browsing history.

According to Google, “The Protected Audience API is a Privacy Sandbox technology to serve remarketing and custom audience use cases, designed so third parties cannot track user browsing behavior across sites.”

Statista reports 83% of marketers rely on third-party cookies for their marketing tactics. The faster you adjust to the alternatives, the more market share you can steal when the third-party cookie finally sunsets.

10. Focus on brand authenticity

To make your ads feel seamless and professional, it’s important to prioritize brand consistency. Ads that mirror the look and feel of your website and landing pages will make it easy for users to connect them with your company.

When both your brand and products are easily recognizable every time a user encounters your ads, you can create trust, promote brand recognition, and foster loyalty.

Still feel like your Google display campaigns suck? One of these reasons could be to blame.

11. Test and measure your banner ads

The importance of measuring ads cannot be denied. A/B testing different ad formats will help you identify, optimize, and serve the most effective ads to your target audience.

You can A/B test things like CTAs, images, and ad copy — just make sure to test only one element per A/B test.

As you run your campaign, take time to evaluate whether your efforts are worthwhile. Be sure to set up proper tracking at the beginning of your campaigns and have established KPIs to measure against. Use metrics like impressions, reach, click-through rate, and conversion rate.

You can then use the data you collect to regularly optimize your targeting and ads to improve overall performance.

Pro tip: Experts suggest spending about an hour a week analyzing ad performance. Don’t have the time? Partnering with an agency might be your best bet.

12. Explore mobile gaming display advertising

Mobile gaming continues to experience a significant rise. These days, active gamers span nearly all ages, genders, and occupations.

With the number of gamers exceeding 3 billion worldwide, exploring gaming ads can help you reach a wider audience. The formats of in-game ads are similar to regular online advertisements. They include static ads, video ads, image ads, and audio ads.

13. Understand display ad sizing

Whether you’re leveraging RSAs or static image ads, knowing how each renders will streamline the campaign creation and launch process.

As Google explains, image ads appear just as you upload them. That means they won’t modify or adapt to different ad slots — rather, they’ll be just as you provide them.

RSAs, on the other hand, will automatically adjust in size to fit the ad space they’re featured in. Since these ads are more controlled by Google’s machine learning features, the Display Network will work to adapt these ad assets to ensure they get the best possible performance.

What are display ads?

Display ads are a visual-based form of online paid advertising showcased on different online platforms. You usually see these ads on websites, apps, and social media platforms.

Also known as banner ads, display ads typically feature a photo or designed graphic along with ad copy. The ad encourages users to take actions such as making a purchase, visiting a landing page, or filling out a lead form.

To reach customers through display ads, you’ll need to work with a display ad network. Google has its Google Display Network, but there are dozens of other options, including Facebook Audience Network, Apple Advertising, and Yahoo! Network.

Display ads vs. search ads

The main differences between display ads and search ads are targeting and placement. Display ads use interest-based targeting to reach users while they are already browsing on other sites, social media, or apps. The ads show up based on topics that interest the user.

Here’s a great example of a display ad from Mailchimp at the top of a Time article.

Search ads target users based on their search queries. These ads show up based on terms the user types into the search engine, and they appear at the top of the search engine results page.

And here’s an example of a Mailchimp search ad that appears at the top of the Google SERP when you search for “email marketing software.”

These differences mean that display ads and search ads are generally used for two different purposes. Display ads nurture long-term brand recognition, and search ads are used for immediate conversions.

The benefits of display advertising

Display marketing offers tons of business benefits. The visual nature of these ads helps capture the attention of your audience in a way that resonates. And putting your brand in front of a large audience can improve brand awareness.

Display ads also help you reach a targeted audience. They allow advertisers to target specific demographics, locations, and even behaviors. With more targeted reach, you can optimize your ad spend.

Display advertising also has a lower cost per impression than other types of ads. You get to choose your budget and pricing model, giving you control over your ad spend.

Common types of display ads

When creating and running a display ad campaign, you’ll have to choose the ad type and format that will have the greatest impact. Take advantage of several types of display ads:

• Banner ads: Ads that appear in a specific location on the website, mobile app, or social media platform. They come in static, animated, interactive, and video formats.
• Interstitial ads: These pop up to cover the entire page or app screen. Users need to interact with the ad to proceed further by closing the ad or clicking the CTA. Ad types include text, images, videos, and rich media. (Google restricts certain interstitial ads on mobile pages because they interfere with satisfactory user experience.)
• Remarketing ads: Ads that appear on websites, apps, and social media pages that visitors go to after they leave your website or mobile app.
• Lightbox ads: These ads appear small at first but expand on the screen once the visitor engages with them. They’re great for improving user experience without the frustration of aggressive ads.
• 360–degree video ads: Ads that provide an immersive experience by responding to mobile phones’ gyroscopes. A user can interact with the ad by rotating the phone or moving.
• Responsive display ads: Also called RSAs, these are a dynamic type of text ads that serve up a different variation of headlines and descriptions based on a Google search inquiry.

Regardless of your type, the key here is to understand your target audience. This way, you can opt for the ad type that’s most likely to encourage engagement.

The takeaway

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it provides a few tips that you can use to ensure you’re running successful display ads for your brand.

With the many opportunities display advertising offers, it’s worth trying out different techniques for your campaigns and seeing which ones perform best. You may be surprised by the ROI you can achieve.

Need support with your display ad campaigns? Book a free consultation with us. We’d love to help you improve visibility and performance.

This article has been updated and was originally published in July 2020.