In terms of ROI, marketers tend to view banner ads (aka “display ads”) as low on the list of online marketing tactics, but as a recent study shows, their ROI may be higher than supposed.

Of those surveyed by iProspect 37% said they ignored display ads, 9% said they did not recall seeing any display ads in the last six months, and 2% said the only banner ads they saw were for the site they were already visiting. The interesting part, however, is how the remaining 52% responded to display ads they saw.

Of the 52% that responded 31% clicked on the ad, 27% went to a search engine and searched for the product or company they saw displayed, 21% typed the company’s URL into their browser, and 9% investigated the product or company through social media platforms. This shows (more…)

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Online display ads have become increasingly popular as a part of large online marketing campaigns because their flashy eye catching design can attract customer attention. With Google AdWords and AdSense usage on the rise Google created a way to create display ads quickly without any design experience- making display ads more accessible to businesses with smaller marketing budgets.

Once you have an AdWords account set up and you have created your campaign(s) you can easily create display ads as well.
Follow the steps below to create online display ads for your business:

1. Sign into your AdWords account
2. Select one of your campaigns
3. Pick the ad group you want
4. Click on the “display ad builder” link
5. Select the template you would like to use
   Remember when selecting the template that layout is the most important thing to evaluate. You can change the colors later but the layouts and actions (flashing, moving text, etc.) are fixed. Think about which layout will best convey the message you will be sending. Some templates place more emphasis on the image and some on the message.
6. Customize the template
   You will be asked for everything you would enter for a regular text ad with the addition of color selection, click text, and an image. When uploading an image remember that depending on its placement it can be a logo or say, an image of customers using your product. Get creative! As you are customizing your template feel free to try many different combinations of colors and text and images. The ad in progress will stay visible on the page even as you navigate around to different fields and options- making it easier for you to get the perfect look.
7. Pick your bidding strategy
   • Manual CPC (cost per click) bidding
   • Calculated CPA (cost per acquisition) Conversion Optimizer
   • No bid Budget Optimizer
8. Marvel at your newly created ad

Tips to Remember:

• Once you have created your ad you will not be able to make changes to the size of the ad- size selection is done at the beginning. If you chose to have the ad created in several sizes, any changes will be made to all of the ad sizes- there is no way modify each size individually unless you create them each separately.
• You can use the “Display Likelihood” feature to get predictions on how your ad will perform. It will rank your ad and give you back a determination on the likelihood of your ad performing well that ranges from “Long Shot” to “Excellent.”
• You must have full legal rights or an authorization to use any images that you place in your display ad or you are violating Google’s advertising policies. Make sure that you can legally distribute anything you are using.

For more information visit: Google Display Ads 101

-Kate Pierce eCommerce Specialist

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Banner ads when they were introduced on the Internet changed the face of advertising. While most marketing companies were thinking in terms of print ads, the concept of banner ads with their limited space, visibility and size was revolutionary. Marketers were forced to think out of the box and innovate new designs within new boundaries. Time and research showed that their efforts were not in vain. An early study by Nielsen / NetRatings in 2000 found that the right approach to creating banner ads was successful in drawing users into actually clicking on the banner ads.

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