In advertising, there are two types of audiences: those who don’t mind ads being flashy, and those who prefer a more seamless experience. That’s where Native and Display advertising come in. In this article, we’ll break down the key differences between Native vs Display advertising, the ad formats they offer, and how each can impact your website’s performance.
What Are Display Ads?
Display ads are visual advertisements, like images, banners, or videos typically used in programmatic advertising. They enhance page visibility, helping to engage with audiences and drive targeted traffic to increase conversion. Their main goal is to be more appealing to the user. They are perfect to raise awareness of a brand, product, or service.
Common Display ad formats
Banner ads
Banner ads are the most common format, they usually appear as a static rectangular image or simple graphic placed at the top or bottom, in a site.
Image-based ads
Image-based ads main focused is catching the user´s attention using a single image or a series of static visuals. Unlike traditional banner ads these are design to deliver a stronger visual message and engage with the user through design and creativity.
Video display ads
Video display ads use video content instead of static images. They usually autoplay or react to user interactions, being more storytelling-driven.
Rich media ads
Rich media ads are the most interactive format. They include animation, video, audio, sometimes even mini-games, encouraging users to interact with the content.
What Are Native Ads?
Native ads are chameleonic ad formats. They are designed to blend into their surroundings, mimicking the look, feel, and content. Traditionally static with images and text, they appear as recommended, sponsored or branded content. Unlike display ads they blend seamlessly into the content matching the media format they appear in.
Common Native ad formats
In-feed ads
In feed ads are ad formats placed within a website content feed. They’re perfectly designed to blend with a website layout. They usually appear as a product, or video ad, creating a less intrusive experience for users.
Content recommendations
Content recommendations are a form of sponsored content, that often appears at the bottom of articles, offering similar paid recommendations to what the user is currently reading.
Promoted listings
Promoted listings help products or services appear at the top of shopping sites while looking like regular results, although the sites label them as ads.
Recommendation widgets
Recommendation widgets are the most interactive formats. They are designed to be placed on websites to display suggested articles, stories, or videos. These widgets contain programmatic native ads that recommend content for other publishers or advertisers, basically mixing promotional content with organic discovery.
Key Differences Between Native and Display Ads
Appearance
Native ads: As these formats blend perfectly with the content around them they are more visually appealing and less disrupting for the user.
Display ads: Display ads are more like the pick me girl at school. They appear to be more attention-seeking than native ads, not only through their creative design but also through a specific placement within the site.
User Experience
Native ads: These formats focuses on seamlessly integration creating a better and smoother user experience.
Display ads: These format is designed to grab attention quickly, often through pop-ups and banners. However, they can sometimes feel intrusive and negatively affect the user experience.
Engagement
Native ads: Native ads are designed to provide value to users through relevant and engaging content.
Display ads: While display ads main goal is immediate visibility, their engagement is usually less than that of native ads. Users tend to ignore them, lowering their conversion rate.
Placement
Native ads: Native ads embed advertising into a website’s content by appearing in news feeds, recommended links, or sponsored articles.
Display ads: On the other hand, display ads usually appear in designated spaces throughout a website, such as top banners, sidebars, or pop-ups. In addition, they can also appear across various platforms to increase visibility and reach.
Now it is your turn!
Now that you are practically a pro on Native and Display advertising, it is your turn to choose which strategy works best for your website. However, if you still do not know where your website stands or which strategy will deliver the best results, give us a call. Our experienced team will be ready to help you every step of the way!
