What Are Display Ads? 6 Advantages You Should Know

Imagine having the ability to capture your audience’s attention instantly with eye-catching visuals that not only engage but also drive results. Display ads offer exactly a powerful way to showcase your brand through compelling images, videos, and animations.

By appearing across websites, apps, and social media platforms, display ads help businesses increased visibility, attract more visitors, and boost conversions. Whether you're looking to make a lasting impression or expand your reach, display ads can be the perfect tool to elevate your marketing efforts.

Let’s explore how display ads work and why they should be a cornerstone of your digital strategy.

What Are Display Ads and How It Works

Display ads are visual advertisements that appear across websites, mobile apps, and social media platforms. These ads can be images, videos, or animations, strategically placed to capture the attention of potential customers. Typically, display ads are featured as banners, sidebars, or pop-ups on pages users visit.

The power of display ads lies in their ability to be highly targeted. Through advanced targeting technology, display ads can be shown to specific audiences based on their preferences, behavior, location, and interests.

Display ads work by using data and technology to target users who are most likely to be interested in your products or services. Common targeting methods include:

Location targeting: Ads are shown based on the user’s geographical location.

Interest targeting: Ads are tailored based on the user’s previous online activity and hobbies.

Behavioral targeting: Ads are displayed to users who have shown an interest in similar products or services.

Benefits of Display Ads

Increase Brand Awareness

Display ads help introduce your brand to a larger audience by providing frequent visual exposure. The more often your ads are seen, the more likely users are to remember your brand, which can ultimately lead to higher brand recall.

Grab Audience Attention

With engaging visuals, display ads are far more effective than text-based ads at catching users' attention. Creative and eye-catching designs can set your brand apart from competitors and entice potential customers to engage with your ad.

Drive Website Traffic

One of the primary benefits of display ads is their ability to drive traffic to your website. By including a clear call-to-action (CTA) in your display ads, you can prompt users to click on the ad and visit your landing page, boosting your web traffic.

Support Remarketing Campaigns

Display ads are incredibly effective for remarketing. They allow you to target users who have previously interacted with your brand, whether they visited your website or engaged with your previous ads. Remarketing helps increase the chances of conversions by re-engaging potential customers.

Encourage Conversions

A well-designed display ad with a compelling CTA can significantly boost conversion rates. Whether you want users to make a purchase, sign up for a newsletter, or complete a form, display ads can push users toward taking the desired action.

Support Multi-Channel Campaigns

Display ads can be used across a variety of digital platforms, including websites, apps, and social media channels. This flexibility allows businesses to reach their target audience across multiple touchpoints, creating an integrated and comprehensive marketing strategy.

Advantages of Display Advertising

Visually Appealing & Customizable

One of the main advantages of display ads is the wide variety of formats available. From static images and animations to interactive videos, you can tailor your display ads to suit your brand’s needs and appeal to different types of audiences.

Professional Promotion

Display ads offer a polished and professional appearance. By incorporating sleek designs and clear messaging, these ads enhance your brand’s credibility and reputation. A professional-looking ad increases trust among potential customers.

Precise Targeting Capabilities

Thanks to advanced targeting technology, display ads can reach the right audience based on demographics, interests, and online behavior. This ensures that your ad reaches those most likely to convert, making your campaign more effective.

Measurable Results

One of the key benefits of digital advertising is the ability to track performance. With display ads, you can measure impressions, clicks, conversions, and other interactions. This data helps optimize future campaigns and fine-tune your strategies for better results.

Enhanced Engagement

Interactive display ads, such as quizzes or surveys, can encourage users to engage with your brand in a more meaningful way. Higher engagement rates lead to stronger relationships with customers and improve brand loyalty.

Reach a Larger Audience

Display ads allow you to reach a wider audience across multiple platforms. This broadens your exposure and increases the potential for conversions. The more people see your ads, the more opportunities there are for success.

Types of Display Ads

Display ads come in various forms, categorized by their format and placement. Understanding these types can help you choose the best strategy for your advertising goals and audience engagement needs.

Types of Display Ads by Placement

Banner Ads

Banner ads are the most traditional and widely used form of display advertising. These are typically static images or simple animations placed at the top, bottom, or side of a web page.

Despite their simplicity, banner ads remain effective for increasing brand visibility and driving traffic to websites or landing pages. Their success often lies in eye-catching design and clear calls-to-action (CTAs).

Rich Media Ads

Rich media ads go beyond static visuals, they include interactive elements such as video, audio, animation, and hover effects. These dynamic ads respond to user actions like scrolling, clicking, or hovering.

This format boosts engagement and improves conversion rates due to its immersive experience. Examples include expandable banners, floating ads, and lightbox ads.

Interstitial Ads

Interstitial ads are full-screen ads that appear during transitions on a website or app such as when a user navigates from one page to another.

These ads are highly visible and ideal for campaigns focused on conversions or product launches. While effective, they should be used carefully to avoid disrupting the user experience too much.

Interactive Ads

Interactive display ads allow users to engage directly with the content. This could include quizzes, games, surveys, or swipeable carousels.

The key advantage is increased dwell time and deeper engagement. Interactive formats make the ad feel less intrusive and more like part of the content experience.

Video Ads

Video display ads are short clips shown before, during, or after online video content, especially on platforms like YouTube or streaming services.

With both visual and auditory appeal, video ads are powerful tools for storytelling, product demos, and emotional branding. They’re especially effective in retargeting campaigns and awareness-building strategies.

Types of Display Ads by Placement

Site Placement Advertising

Also known as managed placements, this type allows advertisers to select specific websites where their display ads will appear. For example, a fashion brand might choose to run ads exclusively on fashion blogs or e-commerce sites.

This approach ensures that your message reaches a relevant audience already interested in related content or products.

Personalized Ads

Personalized display ads use data collected from user behavior like search history, browsing patterns, and interests to deliver tailored messages.

This level of personalization increases relevance and click-through rates (CTR), making it a powerful tool in performance marketing and customer retention.

Contextual Advertising

Contextual display ads are served based on the content of the webpage a user is currently viewing. For instance, travel-related ads may appear on blog posts about vacation destinations.

By aligning with the user’s current interests, contextual ads provide a seamless and non-intrusive advertising experience.

Remarketing Ads

Remarketing display ads target users who have previously interacted with your website or app but didn’t convert.

These ads help keep your brand top-of-mind and encourage users to return and complete a desired action, whether that’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading an app.

Tips for Creating Effective Display Ads

Creating high-performing display ads requires strategic planning, creative execution, and continuous optimization. Here are some expert tips to boost your campaign results:

Define Your Campaign Goal

Before designing your ad, clarify your objective such as 'are you aiming for brand awareness, lead generation, traffic growth, or direct conversions? A clear goal helps shape your message, visuals, and call-to-action (CTA)'.

Know Your Target Audience

Tailor your messaging and design to resonate with your audience’s demographics, interests, behaviors, and pain points. The more personalized the ad, the higher the chance of engagement.

Use High-Quality Visuals

First impressions matter. Use professional images, clean layouts, and brand-consistent color schemes. Avoid clutter and ensure your visuals support your message, not distract from it.

Craft Compelling Copy

Your text should be concise, persuasive, and benefit driven. Use strong headlines, highlight value propositions, and end with a clear CTA like “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” or “Get Started.”

Optimize for Platform & Device

Different platforms such as Google Display Network, social media, mobile apps, have different ad specifications. Make sure your display ads are responsive and look great across desktop and mobile devices.

Choose the Right Ad Format

Select a format that matches your campaign goals. For example:

Use rich media or interactive ads for engagement.

Use video ads for storytelling.

Use banner ads for cost-effective reach.

Test and Analyze Performance

Run A/B tests to compare variations in design, copy, CTAs, and targeting. Monitor metrics like impressions, clicks, CTR, and conversions to refine your strategy over time.

Display advertising is a powerful tool for increasing brand awareness, driving traffic, and boosting conversions. By using targeted, visually appealing ads, businesses can effectively engage with their audience across multiple platforms.

Whether you're looking to promote a product, service, or brand, display ads can deliver measurable results. Ready to harness the power of display ads for your business? Get started today with DigiAds by Telkomsel Enterprise, a comprehensive digital advertising solution that helps businesses reach millions of users through popular apps and websites powered by Telkomsel’s vast network.