Native Ads vs Display Ads: Which One Should You Use in 2023?

Digital advertising has helped marketers immensely to reserve a space to showcase their brand. It cannot be denied that this revolutionized tactic can add more value to advertisers’ campaigns. Display ads vs native ads are the two widely used methods of advertising. Earlier display ads, often called banner ads, were the most effective.

Today, marketers are now focusing more on putting their advertising budget on native ads. But how do the two forms vary, and why are native ads so much more successful than display ads? Let us dive deep into the topic and show you curious people why you should opt for native ads today.

What Are Display Ads?

Display ads are more traditional ads that are typically displayed as banners or pop-ups. They are less likely to blend in with the surrounding content, but they can be more eye-catching and can reach a wider audience. Display ads are also more affordable to produce and can be more easily targeted. However, they can have lower CTRs and engagement rates than native ads.

Display ads are simply advertisements that appear online and look like banners, so they are also called banner ads. They are strips of clickable images that can be typically found at the top of a web page. Display ads can be placed in a variety of shapes and sizes. It includes films, interactive components, pop-up features, and more as web design becomes more intricate and imaginative. 

How Display Ads Are Used?

Instead of putting in SERP results display ads are shown on websites, apps, and social media platforms (Search Engine Results Pages). They can appear either at the top of the web page or cover a side of it. Display ads generally are static but sometimes they may pop up while scrolling through a website page or while watching movies.

What Are Native Ads?

Native ads are designed to blend in with the surrounding content, making them less intrusive than traditional display ads. This can lead to higher click-through rates (CTRs) and engagement rates. Native ads are also often more effective at driving brand awareness and consideration. However, they can be more expensive to produce and can be more difficult to target.

Native ads are integrated into a platform in a better user-friendly way. They match the layout and style of the platform. Native ads give an editorial appearance and feel to the users, with a softer selling technique. They frequently appear as sponsored content in social media news feeds and as placements in search results on search platforms.

How Native Ads Are Used?

Native advertisements are integrated into the layout and content of a website when they are created. They appear no different from the content on the website.

The use of sponsored paid content posts on websites and social networking platforms, pay-per-click in search engine marketing campaigns, magazines, and infomercials on TV are all some of the popular examples of native ads. Native advertising frequently takes the form of text, graphics, audio, videos, links, social media posts, etc naturally.

Major Differences Between Native Ads vs Display Ads: Which Is Best?

Native ads vs display ads can be considered new methods and old methods respectively. Therefore, there are some significant differences between using and deriving results from them. Even though both ways are contrasted sharply with respective websites, some features of native ads make them more worthwhile. 

The reason for being more convenient, native ads are purposefully created to blend in with the platform on which they are displayed. This is simply why they are more powerful. Here are some more comparison factors of the main differences between display ads and native ads. 

1. Match with the Site’s Layout and Style

When you start comparing display and native ads, the impacts of both on the website’s look and feel come first. Display ads cover the space at the top or side of a web page. It looks separate from the main content of the website.

Users may get distracted by the information available on the page. Display or banner ads may distract users. They can pop up on the screen anytime a user interacts with a website.

Native ads, on the other hand, give a more user-friendly appearance on a web page. Users feel less cognitive load on their minds while consuming content than from the display ads. They blend with the platform’s style and layout and do not irritate visitors to the site.

2. Selling Perspective

Display ads force users to make a hard sell. It seems like users take action forcefully, and while exiting, they may not even purchase as a result. These ads make unwanted pitches and sometimes can perform better. Yet, experts suggest not using it today, as people hate this strategy known as “hard selling.”

Native ads do not irritate users and use a soft-sell approach where they cannot derive results immediately, yet in the long term, they are considered more beneficial than the former ones. People can go through what an ad contains without having their reading flow disturbed.

3. Click Through Rates

The performance and revenue of native ads differ significantly from those of display ads. And talking about click-through rates is important when we are stating display & native ads differences. The click-through rate (CTR) for display ads is quite low, at just 0.05%. So, only five out of every 10,000 people who saw your advertisement will actually click. 

The CTR for native ads is much higher than the display advertisements, as per the statistics. Additionally, native advertisements increase website traffic by motivating visitors to read or watch material that appeals to their preexisting interests. Site visitors do not feel compelled by the ads and they work as add-on information.

4. Cost Per Click

Native ads are proven to bring more traffic and revenue, so as expected, the cost per click is expensive. The reason is simple: people do not believe it is worthwhile to click on ads while browsing a website. So more clicks will lead to your ads. Hence, you need to pay accordingly.

Display ads win here when we talk about cost per click. It is less expensive than the one mentioned above. You don’t have to empty your pocket; with a fine budget, you can place your ads on any website as a banner.

5. Performance According to Platforms 

Since native ads are more focused on making a large audience feel comfortable with the ads, they perform better on mobile. The majority of people’s time is spent on social media sites. And for that, they are provided with much better mobile apps with user interfaces. Native ads are widely used on mobile. Besides, display ads are said to perform better on desktops, so it is better to target people who use desktops to buy a space for a banner.

It is expected that you have gone through the complete article and have come to know which is better between the display vs native ads. If you are not familiar with ad campaigns and are planning to go for one to generate leads, look no further than OTT, which is a well-known SEO services company.

What to choose between Native Ads and Display Ads?

The best way to decide which type of ad is right for you is to test both native ads and display ads and see which one performs better for your specific goals.

Here are some factors to consider when choosing between native ads and display ads:

• Your target audience: Native ads are often more effective at targeting niche audiences, while display ads can reach a wider audience.
• Your budget: Native ads can be more expensive to produce, but they can also be more effective at driving conversions.
• Your goals: If your goal is to increase brand awareness, native ads may be a better choice. If your goal is to drive traffic to your website or generate leads, display ads may be a better choice.