There is no hiding the fact that we live in a very ad-saturated world. From the inception of the banner ad to now, advertisers have found new and exciting ways to get the product across and make people see their ads. Out of all these types of ads, three stand out. They seem very similar yet deliver different outcomes, which is why we are doing a comparison: Display ads vs Native ads vs Search ads. If you have seen them out and about but don’t know how and when each ad needs to be used, then this guide can sort it out for you.
So, let us get down to dissecting these ad types.
What are Display Ads?
Ever seen the banners of ads that are placed on the sides of your content, that you may or may not ignore at times? Yeah, those are display ads.
They are brightly colored, stand out from the rest of the content, and demand to be seen. This was an effective means of advertising at the start because the first banner ad that was released had a stunning 44% click-through rate!
But as more and more people leveraged these ads, the users developed a habit called “banner blindness”. Banner blindness is when users start to unconsciously avoid display ads because of their predictive placement.
Because of these complications, display ads typically have a low CTR rate of 0.05% across all formats. But wait, don’t feel discouraged yet about using display ads because they have their own set of advantages. More on it later.
What are Native Ads?
Remember the banner blindness problem that display ads face?
Native ads were designed specifically in such a way that they combat this problem.
If display ads stand out from the crowd and demand attention, native ads work in silence, blend with your content, and bag the engagement.
And yeah, it does work. Since these kinds of ads are displayed as sponsored posts and recommended content, there is no resistance and “blindness” from the users.
These types of ads work best on mobile devices rather than on desktops, and even on those screens, the results are not too shabby. The average CTR rate for native ads on desktop is 0.16%, and mobile gives almost 0.38%, which is double that of desktop CTR!
What are Search Ads?
And among all these visually oriented ads, there is a text type of ad for advertisers to choose if required. That is the Search Ads.
While the display ads and the native ads are only displayed on websites, Search ads have the unique capability to be presented to you in the search engine itself.
When a company wants to place a search ad for a particular keyword, it undergoes a bidding process. When they win, their ads are placed on top of organic search results, thus being the first thing a user sees.
Search ads typically have a headline, a display URL, and a meta description that provides more insight into why that link is relevant to the search query.
While display and native ads are “push” ads where marketers push these ads on you whether you asked for it or not, search ads are different. They are kind of like “pull” ads, which are displayed only when you are interested in that particular niche and keyword.
Major differences between Native ads vs Display ads, vs Search Ads
But how are these ads different from one another? What factors need to be considered when choosing an ad? Let us break it down!
| Display Ads | Native Ads | Search Ads |
| Has the lowest CTR among the three (0.05%) | Has a good average CTR of 0.38% | Has the best CTR out of the three with 3.17% |
| Best suited for products with long sales cycles | Can be used for both long and short sales cycle products | Can be used for products with short sales cycles |
| More effective on desktop | Effective on mobile | Can work well on both mobile and desktop |
| Push Marketing | Push Marketing | Pull Marketing |
When To Choose Display Ads?
Now that we understand how Native ads vs display ads, vs Search ads works, let’s figure out where to use them in your strategy to get the most impact. Here are 4 instances where display ads work best:
1. When Your Goal is Brand Awareness
Display ads, as we saw earlier, usually stand out from the rest of the content with bold and daring colors. And when a user stumbles upon a webpage with your ad, they are bound to catch a whiff of your ads as well because of this standout behavior. And since display ads are not that expensive, it can be a good choice for awareness stage campaigns.
2. When you are a visual brand
If your products lean more towards the visual aspects as their selling points, such as apparel, jewellery, or so on. Then banner ads could be the thing for you. Display ads come in different dimensions and sizes, offering you ample space to present your products in an aesthetic way and accentuate your selling points.
3. To find niche customers
If your customers are a small group of people with niche interests, then display ads can be the thing for you. Why? Because Google matches your keywords and ads to websites that have related content to them, and places your ads there. This interest-based targeting system can be a great way to reach this small set of audience that you otherwise might not encounter.
4. If your sales cycle is long
Lengthy sales cycles are an integral part of many high-value products such as automobiles, luxury products, and so on. In such cases, staying on top of your customer’s mind is very important. And display ads are a way to achieve that.
Because of the cross-channel, omnichannel, and retargeting ads options available for display ads, these ads offer various ways to reach your audience. In other words, you, as a marketer, could keep staying in front of your audience in diverse ways without overwhelming them.
When To Choose Native Ads?
Next up, Native ads! When do you use it, and how can it be useful to you? Let us dissect!
1. Works on a Tight Budget
Native ads are the cheapest out of the three because of their high CTR rates. Since these ads blend seamlessly with the content, they do not fall victim to banner blindness and manage to get the attention of their users, which translates to a high CTR. So, if you are someone who is working on a tighter budget, then these ads are something you can use.
2. Can Measure Ad Success
All types of ads usually measure the number of clicks an ad gets and attribute it to the success of these ads. But for Native ads, usually, the post-click experience is what is focused on.
This means you are more likely to see it in plain sight when your ads are working in your favor.
3. Victim of Banner Blindness
If your ads have been ignored for some time because of banner blindness, then native ads can be a fresh refresh for you. You can run your ads this way to keep getting engagement while also figuring out how to get out of the blind zone.
When To Choose Search Ads?
Search ads are the only out of the three types of ads that do not require you to have any visual content but yet produce good results. So, what instances are when you should consider these ads? Let’s see!
1. When You Want To Supplement SEO
SEO, although an amazing way to drive traffic to your website, is also a painstakingly slow process. Not to mention, you have to constantly reiterate and figure out how to make your site better while competing with the rest of the Internet. But if you are someone who wants to supplement this strategy with paid channels, then Search ads are just the thing for you!
2. When You Have A Short Sales Cycle
If your business sells a product that does not need a lot of convincing and marketing, then search ads can be a good option. Because when people search for your product-related keywords, it is already established that they are interested in your niche. Now, all your website has to do is bring them in, convince them of the value of your product, and get them to convert.
3. If Your Business Is Local
If you have a product or service that can be useful to the local community rather than the rest of the world, then you should look into search ads. Because who hasn’t gone on their search engines to search “barbers/boutiques/pharmacies near me”, right?
Display Vs Native Vs Search Ads: What Wins?
Unfortunately, there are no winners here. Because every single ad serves a unique purpose and can serve amazing results when used efficiently.
But how do you use it efficiently? By creating great ad creatives and an amazing ad copy that gently urges your audience to convert. But how do you do that?
By signing up to Predis AI, duh! With one sign-up, you can get ad creatives, ad copies, hashtag suggestions, scheduling tools, and so much more. And the best part is you can automate your complete socials with the help of one tool!
If this sounds like something that can be useful to you, then sign up today and make your life easier!
FAQ:
Display ads are best used for brand awareness because of their bold, bright presence and the way they stand out from the rest of the content. Although they have a lower CTR than other ad types, their way of grabbing attention can be useful for awareness ads.
Yes, display is great for awareness, native ads bring in higher CTR, and search ads are good for getting conversions done. Because of these qualities, many marketers use a blend of one or more types of ads in their campaigns.
Native ads are usually cheaper than the rest of these types of ads because of their higher CTR and lower CPC.
