Q: What ties the following words together? Display, social, search.
A: They’re all forms of online advertising.

But they aren’t the only options for advertising via the internet. Since no one has an infinite ad budget, you have to choose between dozens of types of advertising. Check out the pros and cons of some of the most common ones below.

Display Advertising
These ads combine pictures and text to catch the eye and hopefully consumer interest. Display ads typically appear on websites in the form of banners or popups; display ads also work in email and on some social platforms.

Pro: A powerful option when used as part of retargeting campaigns. Site visitors retargeted with display ads are 70 percent more likely to convert if they click through to your site than other visitors.

Con: Certain ads are disabled by pop-up blockers. Many internet users experience ad-fatigue, which means they don’t even see display ads.

Video Advertising
Short video ads can appear in front of other video content on YouTube or between user-generated content in Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat story feeds.

Pro: Video ads let you deliver a longer or more complex message than static images, and 85 percent of internet users in America watch video content online.

Con: You have mere seconds to grab the user’s attention or they’ll skip through your ad to the content they came for.

Search Advertising
Search ads are those that appear on SERPs when a user enters a relevant keyword.

Pro: Search ads help ensure your message is seen by people actively looking for related products and services. Plus, they’re cost-effective. Google Ads generate an average 200 percent ROI.

Con: SERPs only have a certain number of ad slots, and you must bid on keywords and placement. There’s no guarantee your ad is the one that appears.

Social Advertising
Social ads appear on social networks, often looking like user-generated content. A common type of social ad is the sponsored post, where you create a Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook post and pay to boost it to people who don’t already follow you.

Pro: People spend a lot of time on social, and these ads meet them where they are. You can also launch campaigns for as little as $5, making it easy to test various ads.

Con: Social platforms move fast, and users are conditioned to scroll and swipe. You need savvy ad-creation skills to compete.

These are just some of the types of ads you can choose from—and you have other options to consider. Will you go with PPC (where you only pay when someone clicks your ad) or retarget people by using cookies? Understanding online advertising can take time, but it’s a worthy effort for your home improvement business.