26 Dec Types of Online Advertising: How Many Exist and Which Ones Should You Invest In?
Index of contents
Digital advertising has become a key element for any business that wants to stand out online. From search engine ads to social media and remarketing, there are multiple strategies to attract customers and increase conversions.
Search Engine Advertising (SEM)
SEM (Search Engine Marketing) is ideal if you want to attract users who already have purchase intent. These are the ads that appear in the search results on Google or Bing. You’ve surely seen them: they’re labeled as “Ad” or “Sponsored” and appear at the top or bottom of the results page.
Advantages:
- Attracts high-intent users, since it’s based on keywords relevant to your products or services.
- Allows real-time tracking, such as clicks, conversions, and return on investment.
- Offers precise targeting by keywords, geographic location, language, and schedule.
When should you invest?
Ideal if you want fast sales, qualified leads, or to improve your visibility against competitors. It’s especially useful for businesses seeking immediate and measurable results.
Social Media Advertising
Social networks offer ads in various formats: images, videos, stories, reels, or even interactive carousels. Platforms such as Meta (Facebook and Instagram), LinkedIn or TikTok offer multiple ways to reach your audience.
Advantages:
- Wide reach and diverse formats tailored to different audiences and objectives.
- Advanced targeting options by interests, age, gender, online behavior and location.
- Encourages interaction and engagement, which helps build brand loyalty.
- More affordable costs for small businesses compared to other formats.
When should you invest?
Great for increasing brand visibility, generating interactions, attracting potential clients, and building a loyal community around your brand. It’s ideal if you want to improve brand perception or attract leads in visually appealing sectors like fashion, food, or aesthetics.
Display Advertising
This type of advertising uses banners or images that appear on websites and apps. Google Display Network is one of the most widely used platforms to distribute these ads across its large network of partner sites.
Advantages:
- Boosts brand visibility and awareness by being present on multiple websites.
- Supports a variety of visual formats, such as static images, videos, animations, or interactive banners.
- Ideal for retargeting strategies, which aim to re-engage users who previously visited your website.
When should you invest?
Recommended if you want to increase brand awareness, maintain ongoing visibility, or run retargeting campaigns to recover interested users. It’s also useful for launching branding campaigns in new markets.
Video Advertising
Video ads stand out on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, or Facebook. They may appear before, during, or after the videos users watch.
Advantages:
- Strong visual and emotional impact, which increases brand recall.
- Allows you to tell more complete stories that create stronger emotional connections.
- Improves conversion rates by showing product demos or customer testimonials.
- Can generate virality if the content is creative and attention-grabbing.
When should you invest?
If you want to stand out with eye-catching content, grab attention quickly, and increase trust in your brand or product.
Native Advertising
This format blends naturally into the website’s content, making it less intrusive. Sponsored articles, recommended readings, and product suggestions in blogs are some common examples.
Advantages:
- Improves user experience by being more subtle and less disruptive.
- Increases click-through rates compared to traditional formats.
- Builds stronger trust as it appears as editorial or recommended content.
- Boosts time on page as users stay longer to read the content.
When should you invest?
Useful when you want to educate users about your product or service in a subtle way, especially if you want to build authority in your sector or increase trust in your brand’s content.
Remarketing or Retargeting
Remarketing consists of showing personalized ads to users who previously visited your website or interacted with your social media channels. It’s a highly effective strategy to recover lost sales or increase interest in your products.
Advantages:
- Boosts conversions by targeting users who have already shown prior interest.
- Keeps your brand top of mind during the user’s decision-making process.
- Enables personalized messages and offers based on user behavior.
When should you invest?
Recommended to re-engage users who didn’t complete a key action — such as a purchase, download, or subscription — and to increase the likelihood of conversion.
Email Marketing
Email marketing allows you to send promotional messages, special offers, and personalized content directly to your audience’s inbox. It’s also a key tool for building customer loyalty and generating recurring sales.
Advantages:
- Highly customizable, allowing you to send segmented messages based on purchase history or interactions.
- Ideal for maintaining communication with customers and encouraging repeat purchases.
- Generates a high return on investment (ROI) thanks to low costs and high effectiveness.
When should you invest?
A key strategy if you want to stay connected with customers, increase brand loyalty, and convert cold leads into regular buyers.
Digital Advertising Experts
Starting out in the world of online advertising can be challenging: platforms, targeting, formats…
But don’t worry! At Estudio Algaba we help you create effective campaigns that truly deliver results.
We design tailored strategies so your business reaches the right audience at the right time. If you want to improve your visibility, attract more customers, and optimize your ad investment, reach out to us.
Say, “Hello, Estudio Algaba!” 🚀
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