26 Types of Digital Advertising: The Ultimate List

What Is Digital Advertising?

Advertising is integer erstwhile you usage online platforms to beforehand your products and services. Digital ads look connected hunt engines, societal media, and websites.

Unlike accepted advertizing connected TV, radio, oregon print, integer ads person the vantage of precise targeting. They besides fto you personalize advertisement contented to acceptable your intended recipients and the discourse of their online activities.

For instance, if idiosyncratic successful your people demographic searches for "buy canine food" connected Google, they mightiness spot a hunt advertisement for your canine nutrient transportation service. This advertisement is personalized based connected your settings and the people audience’s search. The algorithm knows this is simply a merchandise benignant the assemblage is already funny in.

Digital advertizing allows you to scope your assemblage connected online platforms portion they’re actively seeking accusation and entertainment. This makes your connection much engaging since your advertisement is applicable to their existent online activities and preferences.

Benefits of Digital Ads

Digital advertizing has a batch of advantages:

• It reaches much people. Digital platforms connection entree to a immense online assemblage (significantly larger than immoderate azygous accepted mean tin provide).
• It targets the close audience. Advanced targeting options fto you usage interests, behaviors, and engagement levels erstwhile mounting assemblage criteria.
• It’s cost-effective. Digital ads are often budget-friendly. Accessible pricing combined with precise targeting options makes it imaginable to optimize your advertisement walk to absorption connected users who amusement the astir interest.
• It’s measurable. You summation elaborate insights with circumstantial metrics similar click-through rates, conversion rates, and engagement levels. This offers a wide representation of your campaign's show and areas for improvement.

The mode you wage for integer advertisement campaigns varies depending connected the level and advertisement type. 

The 3 astir communal pricing models are:

1. Cost Per Click (CPC): You wage each clip idiosyncratic clicks connected your ad
2. Cost Per Mille (CPM): You wage for each 1000 impressions your advertisement receives
3. Cost Per Action (CPA): You wage erstwhile idiosyncratic takes a circumstantial action, similar buying a product

What Are the Different Types of Digital Advertising?

Use antithetic types of integer advertizing campaigns to conscionable antithetic selling goals. 

We tin divided integer ads into the pursuing categories:

• Search motor advertising 
• Social media advertising
• Content and autochthonal advertising
• Mobile advertising
• Visual and audio advertising
• Other types of advertising

Let’s look astatine the circumstantial advertizing formats wrong each category.

Search Engine Advertising

Search motor advertizing helps amusement your ads to users searching for products oregon services similar yours connected hunt engines.

Here are 5 communal types of hunt motor ads:

1. Search Ads

Directly link with individuals searching for keywords related to your concern done hunt ads. 

These are text-based advertisements that look connected hunt motor results pages (SERPs). They're positioned alongside integrated hunt results and are intelligibly labeled arsenic ads. 

Like this:

Search ads springiness you the flexibility to customize your ad's content, people circumstantial keywords utilized successful searches, and negociate your fund to optimize your run performance.

Search ads tin beryllium a large assistance successful attracting applicable postulation to your website. But you request to take the close keywords.

How?

Look into your competitor’s hunt advertisement strategy to find: 

• What keywords they are bidding on
• What keywords their ads appeared for recently
• How overmuch are they paying per advertisement click

Find these insights and much with Advertising Research.

Open the tool, participate your competitor's domain, and click "Search."

In the default "Positions" tab, scroll down to “Paid Search Positions.” 

Here, successful the “Keyword” column, you’ll spot the presumption your competitor’s ads fertile for successful Google's paid hunt results. Check retired the “CPC” file to spot however overmuch they're paying for each click.

Next, click "Ads History."

You'll spot a snapshot of the keywords your competitor's advertisement has ranked for recently.

Based connected these insights, physique your keyword strategy. Plan to amended connected what they’re offering. Or look for gaps—keywords they're missing. 

For instance, if they haven't focused connected "eco-friendly moving shoes" and your merchandise fits that description, targeting this keyword could pull customers they're not. With this keyword strategy, you're not competing head-on. You're capturing audiences successful niches they're overlooking.

Setting a deliberate keyword strategy tin marque your ads much cost-effective. And perchance summation your instrumentality by reaching funny buyers much efficiently.

2. Display Ads

Use show ads to amusement up connected websites that are portion of a hunt engine's advertizing network. Like Google Display Network.

Here’s an illustration of a show advertisement connected Forbes’ homepage:

These ads (which whitethorn see images oregon videos) people users based connected their interests and web browsing behavior. 

For example, if you merchantability creation supplies, you whitethorn acceptable your show ads to look connected art-related websites. That way, you scope users who are apt to beryllium funny successful your products.

Display ads assistance summation marque visibility and pull imaginable customers to your website.

Like hunt ads, competitory investigation is cardinal to creating effectual show advertisement campaigns. When you larn what's moving for competitors (and what's not), you tin make amended show ads that thrust greater results.

The AdClarity instrumentality from Semrush tin assistance you look into your competitor's show advertisement campaigns, revealing:

• The advertisement platforms they're using
• Their show advertizing spend
• Their campaign's show stats
• Their ad’s messaging and visuals

Open the instrumentality and participate your competitor's domain. Then click “Submit.”

You'll beryllium taken to the main dashboard. It looks similar this:

Scroll down to the "Top Ads" widget. Here, you'll spot show ads from your competitors, different businesses successful your industry, and those competing for akin advertisement space. 

Notice: The “Top Ads” conception provides information connected the fig of impressions the advertisement received, however agelong the advertisement has been moving (duration), and however precocious it was seen (recency).

Click connected immoderate advertisement to spot a afloat run report.

Use these insights to tailor your ain show advertisement strategy. 

Focus connected ads with precocious impressions to recognize placement strategies that are capturing attention. Analyze palmy ads for originative inspiration. And guarantee your visuals are compelling capable to basal out.

3. Shopping Ads

Also called Product Listing Ads (PLAs), buying ads show your products straight successful hunt results. These ads diagnostic merchandise images, prices, store names, and different decision-making details. 

When users hunt for a product, specified arsenic "headphones," they spot a presumption of what you connection alongside akin products from different sellers. 

Shopping ads are large for ecommerce businesses due to the fact that they alteration shoppers to rapidly comparison products connected the SERP and easy marque acquisition decisions. 

Use the PLA Research instrumentality from Semrush to analyse competitors’ PLAs, summation insights to make your ain ecommerce strategy, and look astatine advertisement contented positive keywords successful detail.

Open the tool. Enter your competitor's domain, prime a determination from the drop-down if you privation to, and click "Search."

On the default "Positions" tab, scroll down to the “PLA Positions” section. Look for the “Keyword” file to spot the database of keywords that trigger your competitor's merchandise ads to look connected the SERP.

Head to the "Competitors" tab to find much domain names competing for the aforesaid keywords.

Use these insights to people the close keywords for your PLAs. Ideally, ones that person little contention and higher paid traffic.

4. Local Search Ads

Target users who are searching for circumstantial services oregon products adjacent their carnal determination with section hunt ads. 

Like: "Plumber adjacent me."

Local hunt ads enactment arsenic a integer signpost. They usher imaginable customers straight to your concern astatine the precise infinitesimal they're acceptable to marque a acquisition from a concern similar yours. 

These ads adjacent show captious accusation similar your company’s location, interaction details, and hours of operation. 

5. Dynamic Search Ads

Dynamic hunt ads (DSAs) look successful Google hunt results, blending successful seamlessly with different ads. But they are distinguished by being dynamically generated. Their contented is automatically created based connected your website. 

Here’s an example:

DSAs usage Google's web crawling exertion to widen your scope without manual keyword selection. They assistance you find imaginable customers your regular ads mightiness not scope by automatically covering much hunt terms.

They besides prevention you the occupation of penning advertisement copy. DSAs usage the contented from your website directly. For them to beryllium effective, your website's contented indispensable beryllium wide and well-organized.

Dynamic hunt ads are champion for businesses that person a batch of products oregon update their website often. This way, ads tin beryllium shown for each merchandise offered without having to manually acceptable up each ad.

Target audiences connected platforms similar Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) with societal media advertising. 

Each level offers unsocial advertisement formats for antithetic selling goals. 

For example, X allows businesses to sponsor trending topics. This tin thrust marque consciousness oregon bring people's attraction to ongoing campaigns.

Here are six types of integer advertizing formats disposable connected societal media:

Reach your assemblage seamlessly connected societal media with sponsored posts that blend in. 

For instance, if you're promoting a caller java blend, a sponsored station targeting users funny successful java tin acceptable close into their accustomed societal feed. 

Sponsored posts look conscionable similar mean societal posts, but they’re marked with a "Sponsored" oregon “Promoted” statement to bespeak they’re an ad. 

They look similar this connected X:

You wage for these posts to scope a circumstantial assemblage straight successful their quality feeds. Choose the assemblage based connected targeting options that see demographics, interests, and behaviors.

These flexible targeting options assistance guarantee that imaginable customers astir funny successful your offering spot your ad. Precision assemblage enactment increases the chances of engagement.

7. Static Image Ads

Capture users' attraction and promote them to enactment with static representation ads. They dwell of a azygous representation coupled with text. 

These ads purpose to intrigue and pass users arsenic they scroll done their feeds.

Here’s however they look connected Instagram:

When creating a static representation ad, you'll take an representation that stands out, constitute concise, persuasive copy, and see a wide telephone to enactment (CTA) similar "Shop Now" oregon "Learn More." 

For instance, if you're advertizing handmade jewelry connected Pinterest, you privation to prime a high-quality representation that highlights the craftsmanship and quality of your pieces, past brace it with a connection that speaks straight to the viewer's tendency for unsocial accessories.

8. Carousel Ads

Showcase aggregate images oregon videos successful a azygous advertisement portion with carousel ads. Each portion of contented successful the carousel tin nexus to antithetic pages connected your website. 

Users interact with these ads by swiping done the content, giving them power implicit the experience. 

Here’s 1 connected Facebook:

This format is cleanable for erstwhile you privation to item respective circumstantial products oregon archer a sequential story. 

For example, if your concern sells skincare products, you could usage carousel ads connected Facebook to diagnostic antithetic items, similar cleansers, moisturizers, and serums. Each descent could explicate the benefits and ingredients, guiding imaginable customers to spot the afloat scope and prime products that conscionable their skin's needs.

9. Video Ads

Combine ocular and auditory elements to showcase your products with video ads.

These tin often beryllium much effectual successful capturing attraction than static representation ads. The videos commencement playing automatically arsenic users scroll done their feeds, offering a dynamic mode to archer your brand's story.

Here’s however they look connected LinkedIn:

Video ads let for originative storytelling.

For example, if you merchantability clothes, you tin make a short, engaging video showcasing your latest collection, highlighting the unsocial styles and demonstrating however they acceptable into mundane life.

10. Stories Ads

Appear betwixt users' stories connected platforms similar Instagram and Snapchat with stories ads. These ads past lone 24 hours.

They look similar this:

They're full-screen and immersive, giving you a captive assemblage for your message. 

These ads tin see images oregon abbreviated videos. And they ever person a wide telephone to action, similar "Swipe Up to Shop." 

This format is perfect for time-sensitive offers oregon promotions. For instance, if you're having a flash sale. The impermanent quality creates a consciousness of urgency. 

11. Message Ads

Deliver your advertizing straight to users' inboxes connected platforms specified arsenic Facebook Messenger oregon LinkedIn with connection ads.

Here’s an illustration from LinkedIn:

These ads let for a much idiosyncratic interaction. They tin look conscionable similar a regular message, adjacent initiating a speech by addressing the recipient by name.

Use connection ads for targeted promotions, peculiar deals, oregon exclusive information. For example, nonstop a connection advertisement astir an upcoming webinar to users who person shown involvement successful your manufacture and invitation them to attend.

Content and Native Advertising

Native ads, often articles oregon videos, mimic the look and consciousness of the media format wherever they appear.

The extremity is to supply worth done contented that feels authentic to the platform. The ads are designed to beryllium portion of the editorial flow.

Common types of contented and autochthonal ads include:

Share your brand's communicative oregon products connected third-party websites with sponsored content. It looks conscionable similar that site's ain articles oregon videos.

Here's an illustration of a sponsored station connected Forbes:

When you marque sponsor content, you enactment with the third-party websites to make stories oregon videos that acceptable close successful with what they usually post. But your sponsored portion contains messaging that’s bully for your brand.

This benignant of contented is large to gully successful readers who are already funny successful topics related to your brand. It's a astute mode to present them to what you offer.

13. Branded Content

Tell your brand's communicative done branded content, engaging your assemblage with narratives that bespeak their lifestyles and values without a nonstop income pitch.

This benignant of contented (often successful the signifier of videos, articles, oregon societal media posts) reinforces your brand's dependable and personality. 

Here's an illustration of branded contented created by Casey Neistat featuring Nike:

While branded contented often features products, the superior extremity is to prosecute viewers emotionally and fortify marque loyalty by aligning with their passions, interests, and values.

14. Influencer Marketing

Team up with societal media influencers whose followers are portion of your people market. Boost your marque oregon beforehand your merchandise for nonstop income by leveraging their entreaty and their followers’ trust.

Influencer selling involves partnering with (and compensating) influencers to make contented that people includes your products oregon services. 

Here’s an illustration of a paid station by an influencer connected Instagram:

The influencer's endorsement serves arsenic a proposal to their audience, making it a potent mode to power acquisition decisions among their followers. 

This is particularly effectual erstwhile targeting younger demographics who worth authenticity and idiosyncratic recommendations.

15. Newsletter Ads

Use newsletter ads to scope radical with circumstantial interests oregon wrong circumstantial niches. These ads tin scope from elemental substance links to full-banner images. Either way, they are integrated to complement the newsletter's content.

Here’s an illustration of a newsletter advertisement from Ryan Holiday’s Daily Stoic newsletter:

Newsletter ads are peculiarly effectual for B2B companies oregon niche products, wherever targeted connection tin straight power decision-making.

16. Content Syndication

Republish your archetypal contented connected different websites to scope their assemblage with contented syndication.

Here’s an example:

This maneuver allows your blog posts, articles, oregon videos to look connected sites visited by radical funny successful topics applicable to your brand. And it leverages the credibility and assemblage of established platforms to heighten your brand's visibility.

Distributing your contented to reputable third-party sites helps: 

• Increase your brand's exposure
• Drive postulation backmost to your site
• Reach imaginable customers extracurricular your contiguous audience

Mobile Advertising

Mobile advertizing aims to specifically people users connected smartphones and tablets. 

Here are the communal types of integer advertizing campaigns utilized connected mobile:

17. In-App Ads

Display your ads close wrong the mobile apps your people assemblage is using. 

It tin beryllium a subtle banner astatine the bottommost of their screen. Or an immersive full-screen advertisement that appears during their mean app interactions. 

Here’s an illustration of an in-app ad:

The extremity is to advertise your merchandise successful a contextually applicable place. Like sports attire advertised successful a fittingness tracker app. 

These ads tin beryllium fine-tuned to people users based connected elaborate criteria, including their app usage patterns, interests, and demographic data. This helps your connection scope those astir apt to prosecute with your brand.

18. SMS Marketing

Send concise, nonstop messages to your assemblage with SMS ads. These tin see income alerts, assignment reminders, oregon exclusive offers.

Here’s an example:

Because substance messages are highly idiosyncratic and person precocious engagement rates, SMS ads are an incredibly effectual mode to activate radical who person opted successful to person your messages. 

They are perfect for time-sensitive promotions oregon important notifications.

19. Mobile Search Ads

Place ads connected mobile hunt results to instantly scope users connected their phones.

These ads are specially designed for mobile. They often diagnostic functionality intended to thrust contiguous action, similar click-to-call buttons oregon determination maps that supply driving directions.

Here’s however it looks:

If you're moving a section work business, specified arsenic plumbing oregon different repair, mobile hunt ads tin assistance you link with users searching urgently for assistance nearby. You rise consciousness astir your offerings and marque it casual for them to interaction you. 

Other Types of Digital Advertising

We’ve covered astir of the accepted types of integer advertising. But determination are inactive immoderate unsocial and innovative advertisement types you should cognize about.

Here are seven:

Capture attraction connected websites with banner ads. They look arsenic graphics astatine the top, bottom, oregon sides of the site.

They tin beryllium static images oregon animations that drawback the user's oculus and promote clicks.

Here’s an illustration of a banner advertisement connected The New York Times homepage:

With banner ads, you tin people circumstantial websites frequented by your desired audience. And guarantee your connection is seen successful applicable contexts.

For example, if you person a bundle company, you mightiness usage show ads connected tech forums to showcase the features of your latest merchandise release. Include a wide CTA, similar "Learn More" oregon "Free Trial."

21. Audio Ads

Engage listeners with audio ads connected podcasts, streaming euphony services, and net radio. These ads are purely auditory, truthful your connection needs to beryllium wide and memorable. 

For instance, if you're promoting a caller fittingness product, a catchy audio advertisement connected a fashionable fittingness podcast tin intrigue listeners and nonstop them to your landing page. 

Platforms similar Spotify person robust advertisement programs.

Audio ads are peculiarly effectual for targeting audiences based connected listening preferences and habits. And they connection a idiosyncratic interaction by engaging done headphones. They often get a precocious level of attention.

22. Affiliate Marketing

Collaborate with partners ("affiliates”) to beforehand your products done affiliate marketing. 

These partners could beryllium anyone—bloggers, influencers, oregon radical with dedicated online followings. In instrumentality for promoting your product, they gain a committee for each merchantability oregon pb they generate. 

Let’s accidental you merchantability fitness-related products. Partner with fittingness bloggers who volition reappraisal and urge your products to their followers. Give them a circumstantial URL with a tracking codification you tin hint backmost to them. For each acquisition their referred followers make, you wage them $20.

Here's an illustration of a reappraisal nonfiction connected CNET that includes an affiliate link:

Affiliate selling is highly effectual for expansion. You payment from the audiences and credibility your partners person built, without needing to make that assemblage yourself.

23. Gmail Ads

Appear straight successful Gmail users' inboxes with Gmail ads. They amusement up astatine the apical of a user's inbox successful the “Promotions” oregon “Social” tabs. 

These ads look similar regular emails until they are opened, revealing a afloat advertizing connection inside.

Here’s an example:

Gmail allows you to people users based connected their email activity. 

For instance, if you connection question deals, people radical who person received emails from different question services, presenting your offers arsenic timely and applicable alternatives.

It’s a unsocial mode to contiguous your connection straight wherever your assemblage manages their regular communications. 

24. Amazon Ads

If your products are listed for merchantability connected Amazon, you tin showcase them to shoppers with Amazon Ads. 

These ads look successful hunt results and connected merchandise pages, providing visibility close astatine the constituent of purchase. They item your products with images, pricing, and lawsuit ratings. 

Amazon's immense information connected buying behaviour allows for precise targeting. Which helps you scope consumers who are already funny successful products similar yours.

25. Retargeting Ads

Reconnect with users who antecedently visited your website with retargeting ads.

By utilizing cookies, these ads find past visitors wherever they whitethorn beryllium crossed the web. Reminding them of the products they viewed oregon encouraging them to implicit a acquisition backmost connected your site. 

Here’s an example:

Retargeting is highly effective. It keeps your marque and the circumstantial products of involvement apical of caput for imaginable customers.

26. AR/VR Ads

Create immersive advertizing experiences with augmented world (AR) and virtual world (VR). 

These ads prosecute users by:

• Blending integer elements with the existent satellite (AR)
• Creating a afloat virtual situation (VR)

An AR advertisement mightiness fto users spot however furnishings would look successful their location utilizing their smartphone camera. A VR advertisement could transport users to a virtual satellite wherever they tin interact with your product. 

These ads are particularly effectual for products that payment from experiential marketing. They connection a unsocial and memorable mode to showcase features and benefits.

Here’s an illustration of Burger King leveraging AR successful its ad:

How to Pick the Best Digital Advertising Type

To guarantee your selling efforts are arsenic effectual arsenic possible, prime integer advertizing types that align with your goals and audience. 

Here are a fewer factors to support successful mind:

• Your people audience: Understanding your customers’ habits, preferences, and online behaviour is key. For instance, younger audiences mightiness beryllium much engaged with societal media ads, portion professionals whitethorn respond amended to LinkedIn.
• Campaign goals: Establish what you privation to execute with your campaign. If marque consciousness is your goal, show oregon video ads mightiness beryllium astir effective. For nonstop sales, hunt ads oregon affiliate selling could beryllium much suitable.
• Budget constraints: Some advertisement types are much cost-effective than others. Programmatic ads tin beryllium optimized for efficiency, portion influencer selling mightiness necessitate a important concern but offers precocious engagement rates.
• Content type: The quality of your merchandise oregon work tin besides dictate the advertisement type. Complex products mightiness payment from elaborate mentation successful video ads, whereas elemental merchandise offers tin excel successful static representation ads.
• Platform compatibility: Certain products mightiness execute amended connected circumstantial platforms. For example, visually appealing products similar manner oregon location decor thrive connected visual-centric platforms similar Instagram oregon Pinterest.

Using much than 1 benignant of integer advertisement tin assistance you scope much radical and thrust amended returns for your campaign. 

For example, you could usage hunt ads to pull radical looking to bargain thing immediately. And astatine the aforesaid time, usage societal media ads to get much radical acquainted with your brand.

Use antithetic types of integer ads to link with customers astatine antithetic times. This volition marque your wide advertizing strategy much complete.

These 2 steps volition pass a much effectual strategy:

1) Understanding your market

2) Analyzing your competitors

Semrush offers 55+ tools for marketplace probe and competitory analysis. They’ll assistance you plan, implement, and analyse your advertisement campaigns. Best of all, you tin effort them for free.

Get started with Market Explorer. Analyze your marketplace size, contention level, people audience, and postulation trends.

Open the tool, take "Find Competitors," and participate your competitor's domain. Select a determination if you privation to. Then, click "Research a market."

You'll spot an “Overview” study that gives a snapshot of your people audience, competitors, and industry.

Review these insights, get to cognize your assemblage and your competitors better, and past make an advertisement strategy accordingly.

Sign up contiguous for a 14-day escaped trial.