A popular and effective format of digital advertising is display advertising. It is completely driven by the visuals it uses to attract attention and spread brand awareness across the internet.

Display ads are a lucrative method of advertising for marketers looking for ways to reach and acquire customers. They make generous use of visual media in the form of texts, images, or even videos to catch people’s attention.

You can usually spot display ads in designated corners of webpages and social media platforms, and they are usually showcased in the form of a banner ad (graphic or text). All campaigns ranging from the ones using simple text to those with attractive videos can be grouped under display advertising.

Most successful display advertising campaigns use a clever combination of images, text, gifs, and videos to stand out on the internet and send their message across to the targeted audience. Marketers can play around with language, design, shapes, and sizes of banners to create engaging display ads.

So, now that you have your answer to ‘what is display advertising?’, let’s explore the concept in-depth.

The Display Advertising Targeting Process

One of the most vital features of display advertising is its ability to target specific sections of the audience that match parameters based on the advertiser’s requirement. The display advertising targeting feature ensures that your ad reaches the right audience, and ad spend isn’t wasted on a demographic that isn’t interested in your product/service.

The multitude of options available when it comes to display ad targeting can be overwhelming; it is important to have clarity about the kind of demographic that you want to cater to, and accordingly choose from available targeting options.

Display advertising targeting is a complex process – here’s a look at some of the steps you can take to maximize this feature:

1. Define your demographic: You can segment the audience based on their basic demographic details like age, gender, interests, etc.
2. Identify target keywords: This allows you to reach the target demographic based on selected keywords as per your product or service. The display ad networkOpens a new window will match your keywords with words/phrases present in the publisher’s site where your ad will be displayed.
3. Zero-in on the topic: This feature lets you choose a group of websites that fit a specific topic/category within which your business operates.
4. Formulate the ideal placement: You can choose the website you want your display ads to run on. For example, if you’re targeting customers of a specific car variant, you can display the ads on articles related to that model, or even on a product review page.

5.Show ads based on interest: Google collects data on its users’ behavior, and depending on what users are searching for, you run display ads that resonate with specific interest areas. For example, a car enthusiast may be researching tires, car stereo systems, etc. Interest-based display ad targeting will place your ad on all relevant webpages.

6.Retarget based on past behavior: Also known as retargeting, this display ad targeting feature lets you target users who have already visited your website, thereby reinforcing the brand’s impact and recall.