How to Create Quality "Display" Ads

If you haven't already, please review the Ad Creatives module. It will go more in depth into how to create great ads.

For Performance Max you need to feed in some assets, so here's a quick lesson on creating display ads.

Most people reflexively ignore display ads, a phenomenon known as banner blindness. So display ads must be visually compelling to intrigue users, regardless of whether or not they actually click on it.

Let’s take a look at a few examples and their strengths and weaknesses.

Example: The New Yorker

Here’s one from The New Yorker.

The good

• The banner’s unique peach background makes it stand out from the page’s other content.
• It features a high-contrast CTA button—black against peach, with letters in all caps.
• The illustration matches The New Yorker’s style and branding, and the logo is clearly included.

The bad

• There’s more text than necessary, like the line “For people who like to read.” Even if The New Yorker wasn’t well-known, the illustration (two monocled people holding a book and smartphone) is enough to tell users it’s some kind of a publication.
  • To avoid clutter, the ad could have read:

Get 12 weeks for $12 $6
Free tote included. Cancel anytime.

Example: Semrush

Now check out this ad from Semrush.

The good

• The text is simple and straightforward. It’s also big and uses bolding to emphasize “in Minutes,” with no other text distracting from it.
• It uses rich media, which includes video, audio, or any other clickable elements that make an ad more engaging. In this case, the animated illustration makes the ad more eye-catching than a static image, and it helps visualize what Semrush is offering (a website scan).

The bad

• This ad appeared on a white page, so it could have stood out more if it had a different colored background.
  • Most websites feature dark text on a white background. Ads with bright, contrasting colors grab attention because they create a visual pattern interruption.

Example: Casper

If you have a limited time offer, you can also promote it in your display ad, like Casper does here.

The good

• The ad features many important details, like when the deal ends and how Casper’s mattresses were called the best by U.S. News.

The bad

• Between the award, promo details, and the tiny exclusion text at the bottom, there’s a lot going on in this ad. To make it feel less cluttered, you could remove the copy “Save on award-winning mattresses”—then the award could be magnified for more legibility.

Example: StoreYa

Finally, one more example—this time, a responsive display ad.

There are a few areas of improvement:

• Part of the description repeats the headline—the “33% off” line. You should avoid using the same text for your headline and description copy so that your messaging isn’t redundant. Use that space instead to communicate another selling point.
• The image doesn’t clearly show what the business does. At first glance, you might think it’s a bridal shop rather than an ecommerce tool. The image copy helps here, but viewers still need to connect the dots.
• The ad text has a grammatical error (“Happy Merchant’s” instead of “Happy Merchants”). Though small, mistakes like this can turn away eagle-eyed customers.