What Are Display Ads? A Simple Guide for UK Businesses

If you have ever browsed a website and seen a visual advert promoting a product, service or brand, you have probably seen a display ad.

Display ads are one of the most common forms of online advertising. They can appear as banners, images, videos or responsive placements across websites, apps, YouTube and other digital spaces. For UK businesses, they can be a useful way to build awareness, stay visible and bring people back to a website after they have already shown interest.

But display ads are also often misunderstood.

Some businesses expect them to work in the same way as search ads. They launch a campaign, wait for enquiries and then wonder why the clicks are cheaper but the conversions are slower. The issue is not always the platform. It is usually the expectation.

Display ads are not usually about capturing people at the exact moment they are searching for a solution. They are about visibility, audience building, retargeting and demand generation. Used properly, they can play an important role in a wider PPC strategy.

In this guide, we explain what display ads are, how they work, what the Google Display Network is, and how display ads compare with search ads.

What Are Display Ads?

Display ads are visual online adverts shown across websites, apps and digital platforms. They can include images, text, animation, video or a combination of different creative assets.

Unlike search ads, which usually appear when someone types a query into Google, display ads are shown while people are browsing online content. They might be reading a news article, checking a blog, watching a video or using an app.

A display ad could promote:

• A product
• A service
• A special offer
• A brand message
• A downloadable guide
• An event
• A retargeting reminder
• A new launch

For example, someone may visit your website, look at your services page, leave without enquiring and then later see a display ad reminding them about your business. That is one of the most common and effective ways display advertising is used.

How Do Display Ads Work?

Display ads work by placing your adverts in front of selected audiences across digital placements. These audiences can be built using interests, demographics, website behaviour, search behaviour, remarketing lists or automated signals.

In Google Ads, display campaigns can use the Google Display Network to show ads across a large network of websites, apps and Google-owned placements.

The basic process looks like this:

1. You create a campaign inside Google Ads or another advertising platform.
2. You choose your audience, budget, locations and targeting.
3. You upload creative assets such as images, logos, headlines and descriptions.
4. The platform serves your ads across relevant placements.
5. Users see, click or interact with the ads.
6. You measure performance through impressions, clicks, conversions and assisted results.

The aim is not always immediate conversion. Sometimes the goal is awareness. Sometimes it is traffic. Sometimes it is retargeting. Sometimes it is supporting a longer buying journey.

That is why display ads need to be judged against the right objective.

What Is the Google Display Network?

The Google Display Network is a collection of websites, apps and Google-owned placements where advertisers can show display ads through Google Ads.

It allows businesses to reach people outside the search results page. Instead of waiting for someone to type a search into Google, advertisers can appear while users are browsing other online content.

The Google Display Network can be used for several different campaign types, including awareness, consideration and remarketing activity.

Why Businesses Use the Google Display Network

The Google Display Network can be useful because it gives advertisers access to a wide range of potential customers across the web. For UK businesses, this can help support brand visibility in specific locations, sectors or audience groups.

Businesses often use it to:

• Increase brand awareness
• Promote offers to relevant audiences
• Retarget previous website visitors
• Support product launches
• Reach users earlier in the buying journey
• Stay visible after an initial website visit
• Drive low-cost traffic to useful content

However, broad reach does not automatically mean strong results. A display campaign still needs clear targeting, strong creative, sensible exclusions and proper conversion tracking.

Without that, spend can quickly drift into low-quality placements.

Display Ads vs Search Ads: What Is the Difference?

The main difference between display ads and search ads is user intent.

Search ads appear when someone actively searches for something. Display ads appear while someone is browsing online.

That means search ads usually capture existing demand, while display ads help create or support demand.

Search Ads

Search ads are text-based adverts that appear on search engine results pages. They are triggered by keywords and search terms.

For example, if someone searches “ppc agency in London”, an advert may appear at the top of Google. The user is already looking for a relevant service, so the commercial intent is usually strong.

Search ads are often better for:

• High-intent leads
• Direct enquiries
• Urgent services
• Local services
• Product searches
• Bottom-of-funnel campaigns

Display Ads

Display ads are visual adverts shown across websites, apps and digital spaces. The user may not be actively searching at that moment, so the campaign has to earn their attention.

Display ads are often better for:

• Brand awareness
• Remarketing
• Visual products
• Demand generation
• Event promotion
• Supporting longer sales journeys
• Re-engaging previous visitors

Search ads tend to be more direct. Display ads tend to be more supportive. Both can work, but they do different jobs.

Are Display Ads Good for ROI?

Display ads can be good for ROI, but they need to be measured properly.

If you expect display ads to behave exactly like search ads, you may be disappointed. Search campaigns often produce stronger direct conversion rates because users are actively looking for a solution. Display campaigns often influence people earlier in the journey.

That does not mean display ads are weak. It means their value can show up differently.

Display ads may contribute to:

For ecommerce brands, display ads may support product discovery and abandoned basket recovery. For service businesses, they may help keep the brand visible while a potential customer compares providers.

The key is to understand what role display is playing in the customer journey.

When Should UK Businesses Use Display Ads?

Display ads can be useful for UK businesses when there is a clear reason to reach people outside of search results.

They are especially relevant when a business wants to stay visible, introduce an offer or bring previous website visitors back.

Display advertising may be worth considering if:

• You already get website traffic but not enough conversions
• You want to retarget people who visited key pages
• You have strong creative assets
• Your product or service needs repeated exposure
• You are launching something new
• You want to reach a specific audience
• You are running search ads and want to support them with awareness

Display ads are less suitable when the budget is extremely limited and the business needs immediate enquiries from high-intent searches. In that case, search ads may be the better starting point.

A good ppc agency will look at your objectives before recommending display. It should not be added just because it is available. It should have a clear job.

The Role of Remarketing in Display Advertising

Remarketing is one of the strongest uses of display ads.

Remarketing means showing ads to people who have already interacted with your business. This might include people who visited your website, viewed a product, started a form, read a blog or landed on a key service page.

These users are often more valuable than a completely cold audience because they already know something about your brand.

For example, a potential customer might visit your website after searching for a service. They read about what you do but leave without making an enquiry. A display remarketing campaign can then show them a simple reminder or a more specific message later.

This can help move people from interest to action.

Examples of Remarketing Display Ads

Remarketing display ads might include messages such as:

• Still comparing PPC agencies?
• Ready to improve your Google Ads performance?
• Come back and complete your quote
• See how our paid media plans work
• Book a free introductory call
• View our latest case studies

These ads should be relevant, timely and useful. The aim is not to chase people around the internet endlessly. It is to give warm prospects a sensible reason to return.

What Makes a Good Display Ad?

A good display ad needs to be clear quickly. People do not study display ads in detail. They glance, recognise and decide whether to engage.

That means the creative has to be simple, visually clean and aligned with the offer.

A strong display ad usually includes:

• A clear message
• A recognisable brand
• A relevant visual
• A direct call to action
• A simple value proposition
• Consistent landing page messaging

The best display ads do not try to say everything. They focus on one idea.

For example, “Improve Your Google Ads ROI” is stronger than trying to list every service, feature and package in one small banner.

Display creative should also be tested. Different messages, formats and visuals can perform very differently depending on the audience.

Common Display Advertising Mistakes

Display advertising can waste money when it is not managed carefully.

The biggest mistake is running campaigns too broadly. Because display networks can reach huge audiences, poor targeting can lead to lots of impressions and clicks without meaningful commercial value.

Other common mistakes include:

• Weak or generic creative
• No remarketing strategy
• Poor placement exclusions
• Sending traffic to irrelevant landing pages
• Measuring only last-click conversions
• Ignoring frequency caps
• Not separating prospecting and remarketing campaigns
• Using vague audience targeting
• Running display without clear goals

A display campaign should never be left to drift. It needs regular checks, placement reviews, creative testing and performance analysis.

How Display Ads Fit into a PPC Strategy

Display ads work best when they are part of a wider PPC strategy.

For many businesses, search ads are used to capture high-intent demand, while display ads are used to support awareness and remarketing. This creates a more joined-up journey.

A simple paid media structure might include:

• Search ads for high-intent keywords
• Display ads for remarketing
• Display prospecting for selected audiences
• Meta ads for social discovery
• Landing page testing to improve conversion rates
• Clear reporting across all campaign types

This structure allows each channel to do its job. Search captures demand. Display supports visibility. Remarketing brings people back. Landing pages convert the traffic.

That is far more effective than expecting one campaign type to do everything.

How to Measure Display Ads Properly

To understand whether display ads are working, businesses need to look beyond clicks.

A display campaign may not always deliver the highest direct conversion rate, but it may still support the overall performance of your advertising.

Useful metrics include:

• Impressions
• Click-through rate
• Cost per click
• View-through conversions
• Assisted conversions
• Returning users
• Conversion rate
• Cost per conversion
• Branded search uplift
• Audience performance
• Placement quality

For lead generation, it is also important to track lead quality. A form submission is only useful if it has real commercial value.

For ecommerce, revenue and return on ad spend matter more than traffic volume alone.

The goal is not just more visitors. The goal is better business outcomes.

Are Display Ads Right for Small Businesses?

Display ads can work for small businesses, but they need to be used carefully.

For a small business with limited budget, display is often most effective as remarketing rather than broad prospecting. This keeps spend focused on people who have already shown interest.

For example, a local business might run search ads to attract people actively looking for its service, then use display ads to retarget visitors who did not enquire. This can be a practical way to stay visible without wasting budget on very broad awareness campaigns.

Small businesses should start with clear priorities:

• Who do we want to reach?
• What action do we want them to take?
• Have they already visited the website?
• Is the landing page strong enough?
• How will we measure success?
• What budget can we realistically test?

If these questions are not answered, display ads can become too vague. If they are answered properly, display can support a lean and effective PPC strategy.

Display Ads for B2B Businesses

Display ads can also be useful for B2B campaigns, especially when the buying journey is longer.

A B2B customer may not enquire after one website visit. They may compare suppliers, read case studies, discuss internally and come back later. Display remarketing can help keep your business visible during that process.

For B2B, display ads often work best when they promote useful, trust-building content rather than pushing for an immediate sale.

This could include:

• Case studies
• Reports
• Guides
• Webinars
• Service explainers
• Consultation offers
• Comparison pages

The key is to match the message to the stage of the journey. Someone who has only read a blog may need a softer message. Someone who has visited a pricing or service page may be ready for a stronger call to action.

Display Ads for Ecommerce Businesses

For ecommerce, display ads can support product visibility, remarketing and repeat purchase.

They can be used to show products to people who browsed but did not buy, promote seasonal offers or introduce new collections to relevant audiences.

Ecommerce display campaigns often perform best when product feeds, audience data and creative assets are well structured. The more relevant the ad is to the user’s behaviour, the more useful it becomes.

For example, showing a user the exact product category they viewed is usually more powerful than showing a generic brand banner.

Display ads should be connected to the wider ecommerce strategy, including product margins, stock availability, seasonality and customer lifetime value.

Should You Work with a PPC Agency for Display Ads?

You can run display ads yourself, but working with a ppc agency can help reduce waste and improve structure.

Display advertising involves more than uploading a banner and choosing a budget. The campaign needs clear targeting, conversion tracking, audience segmentation, creative testing, placement reviews and reporting.

A good ppc agency should help you understand:

• Whether display ads are right for your goals
• How much budget to allocate
• Which audiences to target
• Which placements to exclude
• What creative to test
• How display supports search and other channels
• Whether the campaign is producing useful commercial outcomes

The most important thing is transparency. You should know where your money is going, what the campaign is trying to achieve and how performance is being judged.

Final Thoughts: What Are Display Ads Really For?

Display ads are visual online adverts designed to reach people while they browse websites, apps and digital content. They are not the same as search ads, and they should not be judged in exactly the same way.

Search ads are usually better at capturing immediate demand. Display ads are better at building visibility, supporting remarketing and reaching users earlier in the journey.

For UK businesses, display ads can be valuable when they have a clear purpose. They can help people remember your brand, return to your website and move closer to becoming a customer. But they need proper strategy, strong creative and accurate tracking.

At Toot Marketing, we believe PPC should be clear, measurable and built around growth that actually matters. Display ads can be part of that, but only when they serve a real commercial objective.