Display
[Industry] client
- Starting point
- [Verified baseline]
- What we did
- [Summary of work]
- Outcome
- [Verified results with timeframe]
Display advertising that builds demand without wasting impressions
Display ads can put your brand in front of millions of people across websites, apps and YouTube. Done carelessly, they buy cheap, unseen impressions on low-quality sites. We run display campaigns with precise audiences, strong creative, strict placement controls and honest measurement, so every impression has a job to do.
How display advertising works
Display advertising places visual ads (images, animations, video and native formats) on websites, apps and video platforms. Instead of waiting for someone to search, display reaches people while they read the news, watch videos, check email or browse sites related to your industry.
Most display inventory is bought through auctions. Networks such as the Google Display Network, and programmatic platforms that buy across many ad exchanges, decide in milliseconds which ad to show to which person on which page. Your targeting, bids and creative determine whether you win the right impressions at the right price.
Because people aren't actively looking for you, display usually works differently from search. It's strongest at creating awareness, introducing new products, keeping your brand familiar during long decisions and bringing back past visitors. Judged purely on last-click conversions, display often looks weak; judged on what it adds to total results, it can be an important part of the mix.
When display makes sense
- You need more people to know your brand or product exists.
- Search demand for your category is limited, so you must create it.
- You have a long consideration cycle and want to stay visible.
- You have website visitors or customers worth re-engaging.
- You're launching in a new market or category.
Where display ads can run
- Google Display Network, covering millions of websites and apps.
- YouTube, through video campaigns in Google Ads.
- Demand Gen campaigns, reaching people across YouTube, Discover and Gmail.
- Programmatic platforms, buying across multiple ad exchanges and premium publishers.
- Native advertising, ads styled to match the content around them.
- Microsoft Advertising audience ads, on Microsoft properties and partner sites.
Display is part of our performance marketing services and is often paired with remarketing.
Targeting options and when we use them
Good display targeting combines who the person is with where the ad appears. We choose options based on your goal and audience size.
| Targeting type | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Custom audiences | Built from search terms people have used, websites they visit or apps they use | Reaching people researching your category |
| In-market audiences | People whose recent behaviour suggests they are actively considering a purchase | Performance-focused prospecting |
| Affinity and interest audiences | People with long-term interests and habits | Broad awareness |
| Your data segments | Website visitors, app users and customer lists | Remarketing, upsell and exclusions |
| Contextual targeting | Ads placed by page topic or keywords rather than personal data | Relevance with fewer privacy concerns |
| Placement targeting | Specific websites, apps or YouTube channels you choose | Premium, highly relevant environments |
| Optimised targeting | The platform expands to people likely to convert, based on your conversion data | Scaling once conversion tracking is reliable |
We layer demographic, location, device and frequency controls on top, and use exclusions just as carefully as targeting: existing customers, irrelevant placements and audiences unlikely to buy.
Creative for display
Display ads compete for attention with the content people actually came to see. Creative needs to be instantly recognisable, simple to understand and relevant to the audience seeing it.
We produce responsive display ads, which let the platform combine your headlines, images, logos and descriptions to fit available spaces, alongside custom-designed banners in standard sizes where brand control matters. For video placements, we create short cuts designed to work within the first few seconds, with and without sound.
Different audiences need different messages. Someone who has never heard of you needs a clear introduction; someone who visited your pricing page needs reassurance and a reason to return. We build creative sets for each audience and stage rather than one generic ad for everyone.
Display creative principles
- Brand visible at a glance
- One clear message per ad
- Legible on small mobile placements
- Strong, specific call to action
- Several variations to avoid fatigue
- Landing page matched to the ad
Brand safety and placement quality
The biggest risk in display advertising is quantity without quality: ads served on low-value sites, children's apps, content farms or pages created mainly to generate ad impressions. These placements can consume budget while delivering little real attention, and occasionally put your brand beside content you'd never want to be associated with.
We apply strict controls from day one: content suitability settings, exclusions for sensitive topics, account-level exclusion lists for poor-quality sites and app categories, and regular placement reviews to remove new offenders. Where budgets justify it, we use curated lists of known, quality publishers.
We also monitor viewability (whether ads had a genuine chance to be seen) and signs of invalid traffic, such as unusually high click rates with no engagement afterwards.
Our placement controls
- Content suitability and sensitive category exclusions
- Account-wide placement exclusion lists
- Mobile app category controls
- Weekly placement reports and pruning
- Frequency caps to limit overexposure
- Invalid traffic monitoring
Measuring what display really adds
Display is easy to over- or under-credit. Platform reports may include view-through conversions from people who saw an ad but never clicked, some of whom would have bought anyway. Last-click analytics, on the other hand, often ignores display completely, even when it genuinely influenced a purchase.
We use a balanced approach: tracking both click and view-through results but reporting them separately, watching for lifts in branded search and direct traffic when campaigns run, and, where volumes allow, running controlled tests such as geographic holdouts or platform lift studies to estimate the incremental effect.
The aim is a realistic view of return, so you can decide with confidence how much display deserves in your overall media budget, and which audiences deserve most of it.
What we report
- Reach, frequency and viewable impressions
- Click and view-through conversions, separately
- Cost per conversion and return by audience
- Branded search and direct traffic trends
- Placement quality summary
- Incrementality test results where available
Business benefits of display advertising
Used for the right jobs, display adds reach and demand that search alone can't.
- Wide reach at relatively low cost per impression.
- Demand creation for new products and less-searched categories.
- Brand familiarity that improves search and social performance.
- Re-engagement of visitors and customers who haven't converted yet.
- Visual storytelling that text ads can't provide.
Our display advertising capabilities
Planning, buying, creative and measurement handled together.
Display strategy
Goals, audiences, channels and budgets aligned with your wider media plan.
Google Display and Demand Gen
Campaign setup and optimisation within Google Ads.
YouTube advertising
Video campaigns for awareness, consideration and action.
Programmatic buying
Access to wider exchanges and premium publishers where scale requires it.
Audience strategy
Custom, in-market, first-party and contextual targeting.
Creative production
Responsive assets, custom banners and short video cuts.
Brand safety
Suitability settings, exclusion lists and placement audits.
Frequency management
Caps and sequencing to avoid overexposure.
Conversion tracking
Tags, consent-aware measurement and CRM integration.
Incrementality testing
Holdouts and lift studies to measure real impact.
Landing pages
Pages matched to each audience and message.
Reporting
Clear dashboards connecting display to business outcomes.
Why choose MarquixAd for display advertising?
Expertise
Specialists in Google, YouTube and programmatic display.
Strategy
Display planned as part of your full media mix, not in isolation.
Technology
Audience, contextual and placement tools used together.
Data
Honest measurement that separates real impact from inflated credit.
Execution
Creative produced for each audience and stage.
Optimisation
Weekly placement pruning and bid adjustments.
Reporting
Reports that show reach, quality and business impact.
Communication
Clear explanations of what display can and can't do for you.
Scalability
Campaigns scaled carefully as results are proven.
Our display advertising process
We define the job display should do before choosing targeting or formats.
Discovery
Goals, audiences, past results and how display fits your funnel.
Strategy
Channels, targeting, budgets, frequency and success measures agreed.
Tracking
Conversion tags, audiences and consent settings tested.
Creative
Asset sets and banners for each audience and stage.
Launch
Campaigns go live with brand safety controls in place.
Optimise
Placement pruning, audience and bid adjustments, creative refreshes.
Measure and scale
Incrementality checks inform how much to invest.
What you receive
A documented plan, then regular optimisation and transparent reporting.
| When | Deliverables |
|---|---|
| Month 1 | Display audit or opportunity review; strategy and media plan; tracking setup; creative sets; brand safety configuration; launch |
| Weekly | Placement reviews, exclusions and optimisation |
| Monthly | Creative refreshes; performance and placement quality report |
| Quarterly | Measurement review, incrementality results and budget recommendations |
Relevant project experience
Selected display and programmatic projects will appear here, showing the audience, creative approach and verified impact on reach, leads or sales.
Display advertising: frequently asked questions
Unsure whether display suits you? Request a free review.
What is display advertising?
Visual ads, such as images, banners, video and native formats, shown on websites, apps and video platforms, usually bought through auction-based networks.
Is display advertising effective?
It is effective for awareness, demand creation and re-engagement when targeting and placements are controlled. It's usually less effective than search at capturing people ready to buy right now.
How much does display advertising cost?
Costs per impression are generally lower than search clicks, but vary by audience and placement. We set budgets based on the reach and results you need.
What is the Google Display Network?
Google's network of websites and apps that show Google ads, which advertisers can reach through Google Ads display campaigns.
What is programmatic advertising?
Automated buying of ad impressions across many ad exchanges and publishers, usually through a demand-side platform, with detailed targeting and placement control.
How do you stop ads showing on bad websites?
With content suitability settings, sensitive topic exclusions, placement exclusion lists, app category controls and regular placement reviews.
What are view-through conversions?
Conversions from people who saw an ad but didn't click it. They can indicate influence but may include people who would have converted anyway, so we report them separately.
Should we use display for lead generation?
It can work, especially with in-market and custom audiences plus strong offers. Lead quality should be checked closely, since display leads can be less qualified than search leads.
What sizes and formats do we need?
Responsive display ads cover most placements from a set of assets. We add custom banners in standard sizes and short vertical and horizontal video where useful.
How is display different from remarketing?
Remarketing is one type of display (and social) targeting aimed at people who already know you. Display also reaches new audiences. See our remarketing service.
How long before display shows results?
Awareness metrics appear quickly. Effects on searches, leads and sales usually need several weeks of consistent activity to judge fairly.
Do you run YouTube ads too?
Yes. YouTube campaigns are often part of display planning, especially for awareness and consideration goals.
Reach more of the right people, not just more people
Get a free review of your display campaigns or opportunity.