Display advertisements are graphic ads — banners, boxes, and skyscrapers that appear on sites of all kinds, from mommy blogs to the New York Times. Colorful, eye-catching, and dynamic, they are built to entice the eye and generate a click.
Display ads are most often overseen by third-party publishers who manage inventory and ad placement for large numbers of sites, in exchange for a commission. The best publishers are masters of ad placement, getting ads in front of the viewer demographic most likely to convert into a sale.
Retargeting ads are typically display ads shown to site visitors that have already expressed an interest in a particular product or service. Ever looked at something on an ecommerce site then been “followed” by an ad for that product on an entirely different site? That’s retargeting.