“I want to know the basics of display advertising.”
“I want to understand the difference between display ads and search ads.”
Don’t you think so?
Display advertising is the second most used type of web advertising after search advertising.
By knowing the difference between search ads and search ads, you can choose the ads that are right for your company.
Therefore, if you operate web advertising, it is a good idea to be aware of display advertising.
The following is the content of “display advertising” that you can learn from this article.
If you are a web advertising operator or are new to web marketing, please read until the end.
Table of contents
What is display advertising?
Display advertising refers to images, videos, text ads, etc. that are displayed in advertising spaces on websites and apps.
Sometimes called “banner ads” or “content-linked ads.”
Display advertising is an advertisement that can appeal not only to the “active layer” but also to the “latent layer,” which includes users who do not know about the content of the service or who do not fully understand their own needs.
Since you can appeal your company to a wide range of users, it is suitable for increasing awareness and branding.
Characteristics of display advertising | |
User group that can be appealed to | Overt layer to latent layer |
Billing system |
|
ad format | text, images, videos |
Advertising position | Advertising space for websites and apps |
What is the difference between display ads and search ads?
This chapter explains the differences between display ads and search ads.
Below are the differences between display ads and search ads that we will introduce today.
Difference 1. User group that can be appealed to
Display ads and search ads appeal to different user groups.
Specifically, search ads can appeal to the “actual demographic,” while display ads can appeal to the “active to latent demographic.”
The explicit segment refers to users who have clear needs and goals, and the latent segment refers to those who are unaware of their needs and goals.
Search ads are ads that are displayed based on keywords searched by users.
Users search for areas they are interested in or things they want to know, so it is effective when appealing to the existing demographic.
Display ads, on the other hand, are displayed in the advertising section of the website the user is viewing, making it possible to display ads to users whose needs are not yet determined.
Therefore, it is possible to reach a wider range of users than search ads.
Difference 2. Positions where advertisements can be placed
Display ads and search ads differ in where ads can appear.
Search ads are displayed at the top of the search results screen after a user searches for a keyword, and display ads are displayed in ad space on websites and apps.
Display ads are ads that can be displayed without the user performing a search action.
Therefore, you can encourage more users to visit your website.
Difference 3. Advertisement display format
Display ads and search ads are displayed differently.
Search ads are text-only ads that appear in response to keywords that users search for.
Advertising text is often written based on the intent of the search keyword.
On the other hand, display advertising is a display format that uses not only text but also images and videos to appeal visually.
Therefore, users can intuitively imagine the content of products and services through images and videos.
If you want to “get people to know about your product design” or “want to convey the details of your service in an easy-to-understand manner,” you may want to consider display advertising.
How to use display ads and search ads
It is best to use display ads and search ads differently depending on the purpose of posting.
For example, if you are looking for results such as “purchasing a product or service” or “obtaining a reservation,” search advertising is recommended.
Search ads are ads that are displayed to people who understand their own concerns and needs.
Search ads that appeal to the existing demographic can encourage users to take action to achieve results.
On the other hand, if you want to increase your company’s visibility or promote branding, display advertising is recommended.
Display advertising allows you to reach potential customers whose needs are not clearly defined.
Therefore, it is possible to display advertisements to a wide range of users.
Additionally, since you can convey the image of your products and services through images and videos, it becomes easier for users to recognize what kind of products and services your company handles.
As mentioned above, the content that is easy to convey to users changes depending on the type of advertisement.
Check what purpose your company has for advertising before deciding which ads to use.
Advantages of display advertising
In this chapter, we will introduce the benefits of display advertising.
There are three advantages to display advertising:
I will explain them one by one.
Advantage 1. Can appeal to potential customers
The advantage of display advertising is that it can appeal to a wide range of users, from the actual to the latent.
The latent segment refers to users who are not yet clear about their needs and goals.
With search advertising, you can only appeal to the visible audience who are aware of your purpose.
However, with display advertising, you can appeal not only to the actual audience but also to the latent audience whose purpose is not clear.
In fact, Google says display ads reach more than 90% of internet users on its network.
This increases the possibility that your company will be known by a large number of users.
If you want to increase your company’s visibility, you may want to consider display advertising, which can appeal to a wide range of users.
reference:Developing a display advertising strategy – Market Finder by Google
Advantage 2. Visuals that easily catch the user’s attention
Display ads are characterized by the ability to use images and videos in addition to text.
By using images and videos, you can clearly express the appearance of your products and the content of your services.
For example, by summarizing the content of your service and designing it like the banner shown in the image below, you can easily understand the content.
Search ads are expressed only in text, but display ads have a wider variety of expressions than search ads.
Display advertising is suitable when you want to increase awareness of products and services that are difficult to express in words.
Advantage 3. Remarketing (retargeting) can be used
Display ads can use remarketing (retargeting) ads.
Remarketing advertising is a feature that allows you to display ads to users who have previously visited your website.
If a user visits your site once, there is a good chance that they are interested in your company.
You can display ads to users who are interested in your company, increasing the likelihood that they will visit your homepage again.
Disadvantages of display advertising
In this chapter, we will discuss the disadvantages of display advertising.
Below are the disadvantages of display advertising.
Disadvantage 1. CVR (conversion rate) is lower than search ads
Display ads tend to have lower conversion rates than search ads.
The reason is that they appeal to different user groups.
With search advertising, the user’s own goals and needs are made clear, so it is easier to appeal to the user and lead to action.
However, with display advertising, ads are shown to potential customers whose needs have not yet been determined, so users tend to be less likely to take action.
Display advertising is very effective in spreading awareness.
However, in terms of increasing conversions, it is less likely to be as effective as search advertising.
Therefore, if your goal is conversion, you should consider search ads instead of just focusing on display ads.
Disadvantage 2. Difficult to measure effectiveness
The second disadvantage is that it is difficult to analyze by measuring effectiveness.
Display ads are advertisements that combine not only text but also images and videos.
Therefore, there are many points to consider when looking at advertising effectiveness, and it takes time to identify which elements of advertising are leading to results.
When measuring the effectiveness of display advertising, we recommend forming a hypothesis and then analyzing it efficiently.
Disadvantage 3. Advertising costs are consumed quickly
Be careful with display advertising, as advertising costs tend to be consumed quickly.
Even if they are not searched like search ads, they will be visible to many users as they will be displayed while browsing a website or app.
The more users your ad is shown to, the more likely it will be clicked, and the more your ad spend will be spent.
When operating display ads, it is a good idea to target your ads to users who are likely to respond to your ads.
So far, we have explained the overview and advantages and disadvantages of display advertising.
The next chapter describes the network required for advertising.
Please understand the content and use it for your advertising operations.
Networks where display ads can be used
To use display advertising, you need a network to place ads.
The networks on which display ads can be placed are as follows.
Google Display Network (GDN)
The Google Display Network (GDN) is a network that allows you to place display ads on Google-related websites and apps.
By using the Google Display Network, you can advertise to the following users:
- Website
- Gmail
- YouTube
- mobile computer
- mobile app
You can advertise on over 2 million websites, so you can promote your company to a large number of users.
reference:Expand your reach with display ads, banners, and more | Google Ads
Display ad targeting
We will explain the targeting of display ads.
Targeting can be broadly classified into two types.
The above targeting can be set for “Google Display Network” and “Yahoo! Ads Display Advertising (Proactive)” respectively.
However, be aware that each network has different targeting methods.
Below is a summary of the targeting details for “Google Display Network” and “Yahoo! Ads Display Advertising (Proactive).”
Please take a look.
Google Display Network targeting
With Google Display Ads, you can target the following:
Targeting people (audience) | |
Targeting type | overview |
User attributes | You can set “age”, “gender”, “annual household income”, and “presence of children”. |
Affinity category | Targeting allows you to reach users who are interested in your products and services. |
Audience with strong purchase intent | Target users who are considering purchasing your company’s products. |
custom audience | By specifying keywords, URLs, and apps related to your products and services, you can display ads to users who are interested. |
life event | Targeting allows you to display ads to users who are reaching major milestones in their lives, such as changing jobs, buying a house, graduating from university, or getting married. |
Remarketing | Once you visit your site, you can display ads to users. |
Similar users | Targeting allows you to expand your reach to potential customers with characteristics similar to your existing customers or users who visit your website. |
Distribution (content) targeting | |
Targeting type | overview |
keyword | A system that allows you to place ads on websites, apps, and videos related to the keywords set in your ads. |
placement | A system that allows you to specify where you want your advertisement to appear on websites, videos, and apps. |
topic | A system that selects and distributes the content of pages to display advertisements from among existing categories. |
Key points for achieving results with display advertising
Finally, we will introduce some key points to achieve results with display advertising.
There are three key points to achieving results:
Point 1: Clarify the purpose of your advertisement
Be clear about the purpose of your advertising.
This is because operating methods such as targeting and distribution destination settings will vary depending on the purpose of advertising.
The main purposes of advertising include the following:
For example, if the purpose is branding, it is necessary to improve the awareness of your company’s products and services.
Since display ads can be delivered to a wide range of users, they can increase awareness without making detailed settings.
In addition, by placing advertisements with a narrower target audience, you can expect branding effects.
On the other hand, if the focus is on response, it is important to increase the cost-effectiveness of advertising.
By targeting users who are likely to want your company’s products, your ads will be more likely to be displayed to users who have a strong interest in your company.
It is effective to define targeting in order to avoid unnecessary expenses and obtain responses.
As mentioned above, operational measures will vary depending on the purpose of the advertisement, so be sure to clarify the purpose of the advertisement.
Point 2: Determine targeting clearly
It is necessary to clearly define the targeting of which users to display ads to.
As mentioned above, if you don’t specify targeting, your ads will be shown to users who are unlikely to see any results, which could result in wasted costs.
In order to avoid wasting money, it is important to decide which region and what kind of users you want to display your ads to.
For example, in the case of a product aimed at pregnant women, we would use the following targeting.
Gender → Female
Age → 20s to 30s
However, you can still choose not to display ads to men who do not have the opportunity to purchase products for pregnant women.
Targeting does not necessarily lead to dramatic results.
However, by excluding user groups that are unlikely to lead to results, you can efficiently increase awareness of your products and services.
Point 3: Check that the content of the link does not deviate from the content of the destination.
Check that there is no discrepancy between the content of the display ad and the link destination.
This is because if the content of the ad and the link destination are different, the user may leave the link destination.
For example, what would users think if an ad uses an image of a new product, but the link leads to a sales page for a different product?
You’ll probably feel that the product wasn’t what you wanted.
Users see ads and click on them because they are interested.
Therefore, if the user accesses the ad and the page content is not what they expected, they will leave the website.
Not only will they leave the company, but they may also lose trust in the company.
To avoid damaging your company’s reputation, be careful whether the link destination matches the content of the advertisement.
[Summary] Understand the basics of display advertising and apply it to your advertising operations
This time, we explained the basics of display advertising and how it differs from search advertising.
Display ads are ads that can deliver text, images, and videos in ad space on websites and apps.
You can appeal your products and services to a wide range of users, from the actual to the latent.
There are three differences between display ads and search ads:
Display ads and search ads appeal to different user groups.
Therefore, it is a good idea to decide which ads to run depending on what kind of results you want to achieve with your ads.
