Types of Digital Ads Every Marketer Should Know in 2025
Master the 12 essential digital ad types for 2025—learn which formats drive conversions, recover lost leads, and match your goals to your audience’s behavior. Avoid wasted budget and boost ROI with smart ad choices.
The digital advertising world is massive, ever-changing, and let’s be honest, a little overwhelming.
Whether you’re running ads for a scrappy ecommerce store or scaling a high-growth SaaS brand, knowing your ad types is essential.
Why? Because choosing the wrong format can drain your budget quickly. But choose the right one? You could see click-throughs, leads, and conversions soar.
In this guide, we’re breaking down the 12 major types of digital ads in 2025: what they are, how they work, and when to use them.
Let’s dive in.
Key takeaways
- Digital advertising includes various formats like display, search, video, social media, shopping, and more, each suited for different marketing goals.
- Search and shopping ads target high-intent users who are ready to buy, while social and native ads are ideal for awareness and engagement.
- Video and influencer ads build trust and drive storytelling, especially when tailored to platform culture.
- Retargeting helps recover lost leads and improve conversion rates.
- Always match your ad format with your audience’s behavior and your campaign objective.
- Testing, optimizing, and refreshing your creative regularly is essential to avoid ad fatigue and improve ROI.
1. Display ads
These are your classic banner ads that appear across websites in the Google Display Network or other ad platforms. You have seen them on blogs, news sites, and pretty much everywhere else.
It is best for awareness campaigns and retargeting. Also, it formats static images, animated banners, or rich media.
The pro tip is to keep your message clear and CTA bold. People are scrolling fast.
2. Search ads (PPC)
Search ads appear at the top of search engine results when someone types a keyword related to your product or service. These text-based ads help you reach users with high intent, people already looking for what you sell. Google Ads and Bing Ads are the leaders in this space.
To improve performance, write sharp copy and add sitelink extensions that take up more space on the results page.
For example, a user searches for “best CRM for freelancers”, your search ad could headline with “Top CRM Tools for Freelancers – Start Free Today.”
3. Video ads
Video ads show up across platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and streaming services. These are great for storytelling, product demonstrations, or building trust. Formats include skippable ads, bumper clips, and in-feed videos. To succeed with video, grab attention within the first three seconds. That’s when viewers decide whether to keep watching or scroll away.
Pro tip: Use captions and keep mobile viewing in mind. Test different hooks in the first 3 seconds—questions, bold statements, or visuals that shock or delight.
4. Social media ads
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and X offer rich advertising options for every stage of the funnel. You can run image ads, carousels, reels, story formats, or lead generation forms. These ads work best when they blend in with organic content. Make sure your visuals and tone match the platform you're on to increase engagement.
5. Native ads
Native ads mimic the look and feel of the content they sit next to, such as articles or blog posts. You’ll find them on platforms like Taboola, Outbrain, and major news sites. Native ads shine at the awareness stage, helping you build trust through storytelling. To make them effective, lead with value and avoid anything that feels like a sales pitch.
Experts suggest: create curiosity with headlines like “7 Mistakes Every Marketer Makes” and follow with value-packed landing pages. Avoid stock images—authentic visuals perform better.
6. Shopping ads
Shopping ads display product images, prices, and store names directly in search results or shopping tabs. These are ideal for e-commerce brands that want to showcase physical products. Google Shopping, Microsoft Shopping, and Meta’s Advantage+ are popular tools. To boost clicks, use high-quality photos and optimize product titles and descriptions.
7. Retargeting/remarketing ads
These ads reconnect you with users who visited your website or app but didn’t take action. You’ll see them across display networks, social platforms, and even in video or email formats. They help bring back cart abandoners or remind users of what they viewed. Switch up the visuals and messaging for returning visitors to make the experience feel fresh and personalized.
8. Email ads
Email ads appear in inboxes either as Gmail-sponsored ads or as placements inside popular newsletters. This format gives you direct access to an engaged audience. It's perfect for re-engagement, promotions, or new product launches. To stand out, keep your message clear and mobile-friendly. Subject lines and design matter more here than almost anywhere else.
9. Influencer & sponsored content
Influencer partnerships bring your brand into trusted spaces like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or newsletters. Sponsored content allows creators to tell their story in their own voice, which builds authenticity. This method works best for awareness, community building, and niche targeting. Let influencers shape the message to keep it natural and relatable.
10. Audio ads
Audio ads play during music, podcasts, or digital radio streams. You’ll find them on Spotify, Pandora, and Apple Podcasts. They offer a quieter channel for brand awareness without the clutter of visuals. Make your message clear, open strong, and close with a call to action. A familiar voice or jingle also helps boost recall.
11. Interstitial & pop-up ads
These ads show up between pages or appear over the current content to push offers, announcements, or lead captures. They work well for promotions or urgent calls to action. However, timing is everything. Show them too early and you risk frustrating your visitors. Wait until users engage a little, then offer value with a pop-up they want to see.
12. Programmatic ads
Programmatic advertising automates the buying of ad space through algorithms and AI. These ads appear across websites, apps, video, and even digital billboards. The strength of programmatic lies in its scale and precision targeting. Set clear campaign goals, control your frequency, and monitor performance to avoid ad fatigue.
Curious to learn more? Know more about the latest advertising trends here.
Bonus: Interactive ads
Interactive ads (polls, swipeable stories, playable demos) are on the rise. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and programmatic networks support formats that invite users to engage directly.
Why try them:
Higher engagement = more data = smarter future campaigns.
Pro tips for better digital ad performance
- Focus on audience targeting before the budget. The best ad doesn’t work if it hits the wrong people.
- A/B test different creatives, copy, and CTAs regularly. Even small tweaks can boost results.
- Track performance by platform, not just campaign. What works on Meta may flop on TikTok.
- Refresh your ads often. Ad fatigue leads to poor engagement and rising costs.
- Align your landing page with your ad. Consistency helps increase conversions.
Final thoughts
Digital advertising in 2025 is all about choosing the right tool for the job. Whether you’re chasing clicks, growing awareness, or driving conversions, there’s a format (or five) that fits your goals. Start with your audience’s behavior, match it with the right platform, and experiment until you find your winning mix.
Now that you know the types of digital ads, which one will you try first?
FAQs
It depends on your goal. For conversions, search and shopping ads often perform best. For awareness, video or influencer content may deliver higher impact.
Start by defining your goal (e.g., traffic, conversions, brand awareness), then select the platform and format that best reaches your audience at that stage.
Video ads tend to engage users longer and tell a richer story, but display ads can offer broader reach at a lower cost. Use both strategically.
Native ads blend into content and feel like editorial pieces, while display ads stand out visually and are often more direct in their messaging.
Refresh creatives every few weeks or once engagement drops. Ad fatigue sets in quickly, especially on social platforms.
Yes. In fact, using multiple formats across platforms often improves performance by hitting different touchpoints in the customer journey.
There’s no one-size-fits-all. Start small (e.g., $10–$50/day), test performance, then scale what works.
Manisha is a Data-Driven Marketing Expert who turns numbers into narratives and ad clicks into conversions. With a passion for performance marketing and a sharp eye for analytics, she helps brands cut through the noise and maximize their impact in the digital space.
Leszek is the Digital Growth Manager at Feedink & Cropink, specializing in organic growth for eCommerce and SaaS companies. His background includes roles at Poland's largest accommodation portal and FT1000 companies, with his work featured in Forbes, Inc., Business Insider, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, BBC, and TechRepublic.
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