Display is the workhorse of programmatic — standard IAB banners bought automatically through real-time bidding.
How the auction works
- A user opens a page carrying an ad slot.
- The publisher's SSP sends a bid request describing the slot, the user's context and the page.
- Your DSP evaluates it against active campaigns and their targeting, and responds with a bid — in milliseconds.
- The highest eligible bid wins and the creative is served.
All of it happens while the page loads.
Standard sizes
300×250, 728×90, 160×600, 300×600, 320×50, 970×250. JPG, PNG, GIF or HTML5, static or animated.
Devices: desktop, mobile and tablet. Pricing: CPM.
Best for: awareness, retargeting and prospecting at scale.
Being realistic about display
Display delivers enormous reach at low cost, and correspondingly low engagement rates. It works best as the volume layer in a mix — paired with retargeting so the reach compounds rather than evaporating. Judge it on assisted conversions and cost per outcome, not on click-through rate alone.
Related: What makes HTML5 advertising unique? · How is performance optimized across formats?