Best Display Ads That Actually Convert Traffic to Sales

The Ultimate Guide to Creating the Best Display Ads That Convert

In today’s crowded digital landscape, capturing your audience’s attention has never been more challenging. With the average person exposed to thousands of ads daily, your display advertising must stand out or risk being lost in the noise. Yet many businesses struggle with ineffective display ads that drain marketing budgets without delivering results.

As a digital marketing consultant who’s helped dozens of businesses transform their advertising performance, I’ve seen firsthand how the right display ad strategy can dramatically increase brand awareness and drive conversions. The difference between mediocre and exceptional display advertising isn’t just luck—it’s science, psychology, and strategic execution.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll share the proven techniques behind the best display ads that capture attention, communicate value, and convert browsers into buyers.

Table of Contents

• Fundamentals of Successful Display Advertising
• Key Elements of the Best Display Ads
• 7 Inspirational Examples of Top Display Ads
• Effective Display Ad Strategies for Different Business Goals
• Display Ad Design Best Practices
• Optimizing Display Ads for Performance
• Essential Tools for Creating and Managing Display Ads
• Frequently Asked Questions About Display Advertising

Fundamentals of Successful Display Advertising

Before diving into specific techniques, let’s establish what makes display advertising fundamentally effective. The best display ads balance art and science, combining creative elements with strategic targeting and placement.

The most common mistake I see businesses make is focusing too heavily on the creative aspects while neglecting strategic targeting. Your ad might be visually stunning, but if it’s not reaching people with purchase intent or interest in your offering, performance will suffer.

Key Elements of the Best Display Ads

What separates good display ads from truly great ones? After analyzing thousands of successful campaigns, I’ve identified these critical elements that the best display ads consistently incorporate:

• Attention-grabbing headlines that address a pain point or promise a benefit
• Compelling visuals that support the message rather than distract
• Concise, benefit-focused copy that speaks directly to the audience
• Strong color contrast for readability and visual hierarchy
• Clear, action-oriented CTA buttons that stand out from the design
• Brand elements that maintain recognition
• Responsive design that works across all devices and placements

Let’s break down how these elements work in different display ad formats:

7 Inspirational Examples of Top Display Ads

Learning from successful campaigns provides valuable insights. Here are seven exceptional examples of display ads that demonstrate best practices in action:

1. Airbnb’s Destination-Based Display Ads

What makes it effective: These ads use stunning destination photography with simple overlay text like “Live there” alongside average nightly rates for specific locations. They tap into travel aspirations while providing concrete pricing information.

Key takeaway: Combine emotional appeal (beautiful imagery) with practical information (pricing) to drive both interest and action.

2. Slack’s Problem-Solution Ads

What makes it effective: Slack’s ads often highlight specific workplace communication problems and show how their platform solves them with clean, colorful illustrations and minimal text.

Key takeaway: Directly address your audience’s pain points and position your product as the solution in a visually engaging way.

3. Shopify’s Entrepreneur-Focused Ads

What makes it effective: These ads feature success stories with real numbers and results from small business owners who use Shopify, paired with aspirational messaging about entrepreneurship.

Key takeaway: Use social proof and specific results to build credibility and illustrate potential outcomes for users.

4. Dollar Shave Club’s Humorous Approach

What makes it effective: Their ads maintain the brand’s irreverent humor with attention-grabbing headlines and simple product imagery, focusing on convenience and affordability.

Key takeaway: Brand personality can be a powerful differentiator when consistently applied across campaigns.

5. Adobe’s Creative Professional Ads

What makes it effective: Adobe uses stunning visuals created with their own tools alongside simple messaging that speaks directly to creative professionals’ workflow challenges.

Key takeaway: Show your product in action by displaying what it can help create rather than just the tool itself.

6. HubSpot’s Data-Driven Ads

What makes it effective: HubSpot often includes specific statistics and research findings in their ads, positioning themselves as thought leaders while providing valuable insights.

Key takeaway: Incorporate relevant data points to enhance credibility and provide immediate value to viewers.

7. Squarespace’s Clean Design Ads

What makes it effective: Their ads mirror the clean, polished aesthetic of their website templates, showing the quality users can expect while maintaining strict visual consistency.

Key takeaway: Your ad design should reflect your product quality and user experience.

Effective Display Ad Strategies for Different Business Goals

The best display ads align with specific business objectives. Here’s how to tailor your approach based on your primary goal:

One strategy I’ve found particularly effective for my clients is implementing a display ad funnel that serves different creative based on where prospects are in their buyer’s journey:

1. Awareness stage: Broader educational content that introduces the problem your product solves
2. Consideration stage: More specific benefit-focused ads with product information for those who’ve engaged with your brand
3. Decision stage: Direct response ads with offers and clear CTAs for those who’ve visited your site or specific product pages

This sequential approach typically increases overall conversion rates by 30-40% compared to using the same creative for all audience segments.

Display Ad Design Best Practices

The visual execution of your display ads significantly impacts their performance. Follow these design best practices to create ads that capture attention and drive action:

Visual Hierarchy and Layout

• Position your most important elements (headline, CTA) in the most viewed areas
• Create clear paths for the eye to follow from message to call-to-action
• Use size, color, and contrast to establish importance
• Maintain sufficient whitespace to prevent cluttered appearance

Color Psychology in Display Ads

Strategic use of color can significantly impact the emotional response and effectiveness of your ads:

Typography Guidelines

• Limit to 1-2 font families per ad
• Use sans-serif fonts for better screen readability
• Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background
• Maintain hierarchy with font weight and size variation
• Keep body copy at a minimum of 14px

Image Selection Tips

• Use high-quality, authentic imagery that represents your target audience
• Feature humans looking at your product or text to direct viewer attention
• Test product-in-use photos against standalone product shots
• Ensure images are properly optimized for quick loading

Remember that different display networks have various size requirements and specifications. Always create versions of your ads that conform to the most common display ad sizes:

• 300×250 (Medium Rectangle)
• 336×280 (Large Rectangle)
• 728×90 (Leaderboard)
• 300×600 (Half Page)
• 320×50 (Mobile Banner)

Optimizing Display Ads for Performance

Creating great display ads is just the beginning. Continuous testing and optimization are crucial for maximizing return on ad spend. Here’s my proven process for improving display ad performance:

A/B Testing Framework for Display Ads

1. Identify one variable to test (headline, image, CTA, color scheme)
2. Create two versions with only that single variable changed
3. Split traffic equally between variations
4. Collect statistically significant data before drawing conclusions
5. Implement the winning version and begin testing another element

Key Elements to Test in Display Ads

Placement and Targeting Optimization

Even the best-designed display ads will underperform if shown to the wrong audience or in inappropriate contexts. Optimize your targeting by:

• Regularly reviewing placement reports to exclude low-performing websites
• Refining audience segments based on conversion data
• Testing different contextual targeting categories
• Experimenting with time-of-day and day-of-week scheduling
• Creating separate campaigns for different devices based on performance

In my experience, most advertisers can improve display ad performance by 30-60% through systematic testing and optimization over a 3-month period. The key is maintaining a structured approach and making data-driven decisions rather than subjective judgments.

Essential Tools for Creating and Managing Display Ads

Having the right tools in your arsenal can make creating and optimizing display ads significantly easier. Here are my recommended tools for different aspects of display advertising:

Depending on your business size and technical capabilities, you might also consider investing in a comprehensive marketing platform that integrates display advertising with your other marketing channels for improved attribution and campaign management.

Frequently Asked Questions About Display Advertising

What’s the difference between display ads and search ads?

Display ads are visual advertisements (images, animations, or interactive elements) shown on websites across the internet, while search ads are text-based advertisements that appear in search engine results. Display ads are primarily used for brand awareness and remarketing, while search ads target users actively searching for specific terms related to your product or service.

How much should I budget for display advertising?

Your display advertising budget should depend on your overall marketing goals, industry, and competitive landscape. For small to medium businesses, starting with $1,000-$3,000 per month allows for sufficient testing and optimization. Enterprise-level campaigns often range from $10,000 to $100,000+ monthly. I recommend starting conservatively, establishing baseline performance metrics, and scaling budget for campaigns that demonstrate positive ROI.

What are the most effective targeting options for display ads?

The most effective targeting typically combines multiple strategies: retargeting (showing ads to previous website visitors), custom intent audiences (targeting users based on their search behavior and online activity), similar audiences (finding users similar to your existing customers), and contextual targeting (placing ads on websites with relevant content). The right mix depends on your specific business goals and audience.

How do I measure the ROI of display advertising?

Measuring display ad ROI should include both direct and indirect contributions. Track direct conversions through proper UTM parameters and conversion tracking, but also consider view-through conversions (people who saw your ad but converted later through another channel) and brand lift metrics. Implement multi-touch attribution models to understand how display ads contribute to your overall marketing funnel.

How often should I update my display ad creative?

Creative fatigue is real in display advertising. As a general rule, plan to refresh creative every 4-6 weeks for active campaigns. However, monitor performance metrics closely—if you notice declining click-through rates or conversion rates before that timeframe, it may indicate earlier creative burnout. Always have new versions ready to test against current ads.

Are animated display ads more effective than static ones?

It depends on your objective and audience. Animated ads typically capture more attention and can communicate more information, potentially increasing engagement by 15-25%. However, they can also be more intrusive and may perform poorly on some placements. The key is testing both formats with your specific audience and use case.

Ready to Create the Best Display Ads for Your Business?

Creating truly effective display ads requires balancing creative design with strategic targeting and constant optimization. The best display ads don’t just look good—they deliver measurable business results while enhancing your overall brand presence.

As we’ve explored throughout this guide, successful display advertising isn’t a one-time effort but an ongoing process of testing, learning, and improving. By implementing the strategies outlined here and remaining committed to data-driven optimization, you can develop display ads that capture attention, communicate value, and drive action.

If you’re ready to take your display advertising to the next level but don’t have the internal resources or expertise to implement these strategies, my team and I are here to help.