Display Advertising.

Display advertising is the oldest form of online advertising: the banner at the edge of a news site. Today it is traded almost entirely automatically. Through the Google Display Network, booked in Google Ads, ads appear on millions of websites and apps that work with Google. Alongside it there are programmatic platforms and direct bookings with Swiss publishers.

The fundamental difference from a search ad: someone who searches has a need. Someone reading an article has a different goal. Display ads are therefore clicked less often and are usually billed per thousand impressions (CPM) or very cheaply per click. Responsive display ads are assembled automatically from uploaded images, logos and copy and adapt to any ad slot.

An example: a further education provider shows display ads only to people who have visited the page of a particular course in the last 30 days. The ad is a reminder of the registration deadline. This form, retargeting, is the most common sensible use of display for SMEs, because it reaches interested people again rather than interrupting strangers.

Display becomes a problem with broad delivery and no control. Ads then end up in gaming apps or on loosely related sites, and the clicks are often accidental. Anyone using display should review placements regularly, exclude unsuitable apps and measure success by enquiries rather than clicks. The same applies to display campaigns as to search ads: without conversion tracking you cannot tell which placements bring enquiries. Whether display belongs in the mix is something digital marketing consulting can clarify.