15+ Types of Display Ads You Must Know for Online Marketin

Display ads have several types, and these different types provide more placement in various locations and sophistication in the display networks. 

The reports of Statista have highlighted the fact that 300*250px display ads are leading the world with 14.8% ad supremacy. 

When using display advertising, it is very crucial to know different types of ad formats and targeting strategies to grab the attention of targeted audiences successfully and have a higher engagement rate. 

Different types of display ad formats include:

1. Banner Ads

Banner ads refer to the traditional or static ads of square or rectangular shape and are generally displayed at the button, top, and side of a webpage. These are the most common types of display ads and include appealing texts, images, and animations.

These types of display ads are prevalent among advertisers. Leaderboard ads and skyscraper ads are some popular forms of banner ads. Banner ads help to generate and nurture leads. 

These are usually static graphics but also feature various transitions or dynamic components. 

Exclusive features:

• Banner ads are viral for boosting brand awareness.
• These are very easy to make and implement.
• Such types of ads can get a placement that is highly visible on a webpage.
• Banner ads can connect directly to your audiences by linking to your website or landing page. 

2. Video Ads

Video ads are another major type of display ads that consists of short clips that play before, during, and after the online video content of an application or website. Video ads are highly engaging and carry a huge amount of data quickly. 

As video ads contain visuals, movements, and audio, they are capable of grabbing the attention of potential users.

These types of display ads are non-skippable or skippable.  Video ads with audio can increase the overall visual experience of users. 

Exclusive features:

• Video ads are very engaging and help to grab the attention of potential customers quickly.
• These types of display ads are appropriate for creating an emotional appeal and storytelling.
• They incorporate a call-to-action (CTA) button for instant audience engagement.
• They also help to convey brand messages via different appealing visuals and audio.

3. Native Ads

Native ads are specially created and placed in a similar style to the website content. You might get the recommendations or promotions of native ads on different ads. They usually match the design of a specific website and offer a better user experience. 

Three types of display ads are there when discussing native advertising, and they include content recommendation ads, in-feed/in-content ads, and branded/native content ads.

These ads help you to offer a non-interruptive user experience. 

Many visitors are not much aware of the native ads and they assume that they are viewing the content on the website. Although, these types of display ads are labeled “promoted” and “sponsored” to highlight the transparency. 

Exclusive features:

• As these ads match the look and feel of the website, they offer a less disruptive experience.
• These are highly viewed as reliable and trustworthy by potential visitors.
• These types of display ads offer higher rates of click-through rates (CTR) and user engagement.
• Native display ads are highly suitable for sponsored as well as marketing content.

4. Shoppable Ads

These are referred to as the types of display ads that help to add the product to the shopping cart which are advertised just by clicking on that advertisement. These ads enable users to shop for products from the adverts directly. 

Shoppable ads add buttons or images that are clickable and lead users to the product page just by clicking on those images or buttons. 

These display ads are very popular on e-commerce sites and social media platforms.

Exclusive features:

• Shoppable display ads help you to drive the rates of sales by linking them to the product pages of your brand.
• These types of ads help you to simplify the entire shopping experience for users.
• They also allow the display of a huge number of products within a single ad.
• Shoppable ads are highly effective for highlighting new products or features.

5. Discovery Ads

These are forms of native ads that highly use machine learning to highlight the image elements in the most accurate way for the potential users. 

Discovery ads are displayed on online platforms such as Gmail, Google Discover, and YouTube. When it comes to targeting discovery ads, you should target audiences depending on their online behaviour, search intent, and history. 

These types of display ads are highly engaging and rich as compared to other discovery ads. 

Exclusive features:

• You can drive quality traffic to your website with the help of these discovery ads.
• You will get the opportunity to capture high-potential users when they are looking for new content.
• You will be able to target potential audiences depending on their online behavioural patterns and preferences.
• These ads are extremely visually attractive with the usage of catchy videos and images.

6. Social Ads

Social display ads refer to the ads that are particularly created for various social media flannels customized to fit that specific platform’s user behavior, intent, and visual style. 

The feeds on your chosen social networking sites perfectly fit these display ads. Though they can add some extra content sections new to each website, they perform similarly to display ads.

Due to its look similarity with the social media posts, the engagement rate is very high, as well as the conversion rates. 

Exclusive features:

• These ads are highly targeted ads and created on user behaviour and demographics.
• Social ads provide measurable performance with in-depth analytics.
• These types of display ads allow you to encourage engagement and social sharing.
• They can also add interactive elements such as quizzes, surveys, and polls. 

7. Interactive Ads

Interactive ads are the types of display ads that help to engage users highly via various clickable elements, lead forms, and other interactive elements. These types of ads allow user participation using the HTML5 elements. 

Such ads offer embedded elements that encourage users to interact with the offered services and products instantly. 

Playable ads are a major example of interactive ads. Popular brands like  McDonald’s are using interactive ads to gain profit from their trend and boost brand awareness. 

Exclusive features:

• Interactive ads are highly popular for their increased user engagement via various interactive elements. 
• These types of ads help you to get user data via higher interactions.
• Such ads are very easy to remember and are capable of creating a very positive brand association.
• These display ads are very useful for designing personalized and exclusive user experiences.

8. Retargeting Display Ads

Retargeting display ads refers to the type of display ads that are only displayed to the audiences that have previously visited your site. These ads are also called re-marketing ads as they are specially designed for users who are already familiar with the offered services or products.

These types of ads are conversion-focused and you can personalize these ads.

Exclusive features:

• Retargeting ads help you target users who have shown high interest in your site or have already visited previously. 
• They boost the chances of targeted conversion by helping users to remember their previous experiences.
• These types of ads can be personalized depending on user intent and online behaviour. 
• These ads are very useful for recovering some items that are remaining in the shopping cart.

9. Mobile Display Ads

One of the most dominating types of display advertising is Mobile display ads. They help you in promoting your business while users are browsing online, checking their emails, or watching videos on YouTube using mobile devices and other applications.

Such types of display ads perform better on mobile devices assisting you in conveying your message to potential customers.

The standard size of the mobile display ads is 320*50 px; if you want larger ad formats, then your mobile ad size should be 300*250 px. 

Exclusive features:

• These ads are specially targeted for users of mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.
• Mobile display ads are specially optimized for screens that are smaller and have a touch navigation facility.
• These types of ads incorporate features such as app download, click-to-call or click-to-contact.
• One most exclusive features of mobile display ads is their instant user reach at any time.

10. Programmatic Display Ads

Programmatic display advertising is the type of display ad that is associated with the practice of creating digital ads and automated media buying with the application of the best marketing technology. 

These ads use data-driven audience targeting for accurate audience reach.

A survey report has highlighted the fact that ad spending on programmatic display ads increased by approximately 42%. Real-time bidding is used in this specific type of display ads. 

Exclusive features:

• These types of ads offer real-time data measurement facilities to understand different customer insights. 
• You can target your specific audiences with the help of programmatic display ads. 
• Retargeting is also possible with this kind of ads.
• Another major feature of programmatic display ads is Programmatic Direct which enables you to purchase an ad inventory from publishers directly. 
• Real-time bidding is an exclusive feature and helps to manage overall cost-effectively.
• Automated placement and buying of ads is another feature. 

11. Responsive Ads

These types of display ads are set as default ads, where you offer the basic elements such as logos, images, and texts. Then, Google automatically generates ads of different sizes and combinations to match the different responsive display ad placements for better performance and user experience. 

Such types of ads instantly adjust their format, size, and appearance just to match diverse screen sizes and different ad placements. These ads are time-saving due to their ad placement feature. They can fit into multiple ad placements. 

Exclusive features:

• Responsive ads have a higher amount of automated options. 
• These are easily adaptive to different devices of different screen sizes.
• Helps to boost audience reach just by fitting into different ad placements and spaces. 

12. Pop-up and Pop-under Ads

Pop-up ads refer to those that are generally used to highlight a specific ad unit in an informative manner, while pop-under ads refer to ads that are similar to pop-up ads and open to a new browser window hidden behind an active ad window.

Pop-up ads have higher attention as they are displayed, while pop-unders act as remarking ads. Pop-under ads open in a new window under an active window. 

These types of display ads are more effective than banner ads. Such types of ads capture the attention of users by disrupting their browsing experience. 

Different types of ad blocker software like Adblock software and different internet browsers block these types of display ads from user devices. 

Exclusive features:

• These ads are highly noticeable as they are disruptive in nature.
• These need to be more informative and visible.
• Pop-up and pop-under ads can immediately engage audiences.
• Pop-up and pop-under ads can display offers and messages with details.

13. Rich Media Ads

Rich-media display ads refer to interactive ads that incorporate audio, clickable elements, and videos into your ads, providing a better experience for your targeted audience. Rich media ads are highly engaging. 

You can add some engaging features like surveys, quizzes, and forms within the ad directly. These types of ads allow you to collect customer data for sales without making the users leave the webpage. 

Through different multimedia content, these ads highly engage users.

Exclusive features:

• Rich media ads add highly interactive features such as quizzes, surveys, and games.
• These ad types monitor real-time user engagement for higher user insights.
• Due to their multimedia integration feature, these types of display ads boost the storytelling capabilities and visual appeal of a campaign. 

14. Interstitial Ads

Interstitial ads are a particular form of display ads and these are mainly full-screen sized ads. These usually cover most of the interface of the host application. 

These types of display ads are gaining popularity due to the emergence of mobile technology. 

Full-screen ads that cover the UI of a host web application are known as interstitial ads. They appear at transitional moments that naturally arise when users engage with the app.

They appear while a page is loading or between the levels of a game. Such ads are highly effective methods for monetizing mobile applications and games.

Exclusive features:

• Higher engagement rates are produced as a result of these interstitial ads.
• These ads are easily closed or skippable by users.
• These are full-screen ads that grab the complete attention of users.
• These types of ads are highly recommended for special offers or promotion of app downloads.

15. Contextually Targeted Ads

Contextually targeted ads refer to the display ads that are personalized and delivered to potential users depending on their preferences, online behavior, their insights, and demographics. 

These ads fit the web content on which they appear.

The intent behind this display advertising is to capture the attention of users and encourage a specific action, like a click or conversion, by making them highly relevant and appropriate for them.

Exclusive features:

• Such ads are more relevant to content and boost overall user engagement.
• Enhances the entire click-through rate (CTR).
• These ads blend easily with the content of the webpage.
• They target audiences depending on the consumed content.

16. Animated Ads

Animated ads refer to the cut-out of banners while you are talking about grabbing the attention of a higher number of target audiences.

The movement created by animation prevents banner blindness, captures targeted audiences, and encourages them to try out your creativity with the ads. Audio and animations are highly used to design long-form ads that offer in-depth or detailed explanations of a topic, product, or procedure.

Such types of display ads are specially designed as HTML5 files or GIFs, they have the power to display different frames, allowing more deeper messaging and narratives.

Exclusive features:

• More sharable than a typical banner due to its humor and fun features.
• These ads are highly recommended for product demonstrations and storytelling.
• They add call-to-action buttons.
• These types of ads add eye-catching features with animations and movements.

17. Expandable Ads

Expandable ads instantly change their format and size when they interact with their potential clients. This specific format offers extra placement for interaction and messaging, boosting overall user engagement without keeping an extra screen by default.

Such types of ads occupy very small screen spaces until expended, offering value to the initial space of the users. These ads are called disruptive due to the disturbed user experiences while they also help to recover banner blindness. 

Exclusive features:

• These types of ads offer various interactive elements to engage your targeted users highly.
• These are highly recommended for detailed message delivery.
• These types of ads highly engage users with interactive elements, too.
• There are slideshows and videos as multimedia elements of the expandable ads.

18. Floating Ads

Floating ads refer to the type of display ads that slide or flow into the main webpage using catchy animation. A delay can also be set prior to the sliding of the ad and helps you to set the position of the ad on the main page.

The flexible close button option is another major feature of floating ads, which makes this ad less complex and disruptive than other types of display ads.

Exclusive features:

• Floating ads have a close button, offering users some flexibility. 
• These ads promote higher engagement rates and visibility.
• Extended visibility while users are scrolling through the webpage is it’s another major feature.
• Your potential users can also close these ads if they find it interruptive.
• If you are looking for urgent messages or short-term promotions, then this floating ads are highly recommended to you.

19. In-App Display Ads

In-app display ads refer to the ad strategy that allows developers to monetize their web applications by enabling advertisers to prepare their ads for targeted users. These types of ads are specific types of display ads within a mobile app.

The formats of In-App display ads are banners, videos, interstitials, and native ads, which are specially designed to match the app’s features. 

Exclusive features:

• Reach target audiences through mobile apps directly.
• These types of display ads are highly recommended for in-app purchases or app installations.
• These ads are highly targeted ads depending on the usage data of apps.