Types of Online Advertising: A Complete Guide to Choosing the Right Ad Format for Your Business
"I want to start running online ads, but there are so many types—how do I choose?" This is a common challenge for marketers and business owners alike. From search ads and display ads to social media ads and video ads, each format serves a different purpose and excels at different stages of the customer journey.
This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the major types of online advertising, comparing their features, costs, and ideal use cases. We'll also share clear criteria to help you determine which ad formats best match your business objectives.
Online advertising—also called digital advertising or internet advertising—is a broad term for any ad delivered through internet-based channels. These include search engines, websites, social media platforms, video streaming services, email, and more.
According to Dentsu's research, Japan's internet advertising expenditure reached approximately ¥3.6 trillion in 2024, far surpassing television ad spending. Regardless of company size, online advertising has become a central pillar of marketing strategy.
Online advertising has grown so rapidly because it offers precise audience targeting, low entry barriers, real-time performance measurement, and the ability to continuously optimize based on data. Unlike traditional mass media such as TV or print, digital ads let you control exactly who sees your ad, when they see it, and where—giving advertisers an unprecedented level of control.
Let's walk through each major type of online advertising. Understanding how each format works, its typical costs, and ideal use cases will help you make informed decisions for your business.
Search ads are text-based advertisements that appear at the top and bottom of search engine results pages (SERPs) on platforms like Google and Yahoo! JAPAN. Because they are triggered by the user's search query, they reach people who are actively looking for a product or service—making them one of the highest-intent ad formats available.
Search ads use a cost-per-click (CPC) billing model, meaning you only pay when someone clicks your ad. CPC rates vary by industry but typically range from ¥50 to ¥3,000. Because they connect with users who already have high purchase intent, search ads tend to deliver strong conversion rates and are an ideal starting point for businesses new to online advertising.
Display ads are image- or video-based advertisements that appear in designated ad slots on websites and apps. Through networks like the Google Display Network (GDN) or Yahoo! Display Ads (YDA), you can serve ads across millions of websites and applications.
While search ads target people who are actively searching, display ads excel at reaching potential customers who haven't started searching yet—making them powerful tools for building awareness. Their visual nature makes them ideal for communicating brand identity or launching new products. Billing options include CPC as well as CPM (cost per mille—the cost per 1,000 impressions).
Social media ads are delivered on platforms like Facebook (Meta), Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), LINE, and TikTok. These platforms leverage their rich user data—demographics, interests, behavioral history—to enable highly precise targeting, allowing you to define exactly who sees your ads.
Social media ads blend seamlessly into users' feeds, making them feel less intrusive and more engaging. While B2C brands have long used social ads, B2B advertising on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn has grown significantly in recent years. Choosing the right platform based on each channel's unique strengths is key to driving results.
Video ads are delivered on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and within social media feeds. YouTube in-stream ads—which play before, during, or after video content—are among the most common formats. By combining visuals, audio, and text, video ads deliver a uniquely compelling and immersive advertising experience.
Video ads can communicate product experiences, service value, and brand stories in ways that text and images alone cannot. Most video ads use a cost-per-view (CPV) billing model, where you're only charged when a viewer watches for a minimum duration. If a user skips the ad, no charge is incurred—making it a cost-efficient format with built-in ROI control.
Retargeting ads show your advertisements to users who have previously visited your website as they browse other sites and social media platforms. By re-engaging people who showed interest but didn't convert, retargeting campaigns tend to achieve significantly higher conversion rates than other ad types.
A common example is showing an ad for a product that a user added to their e-commerce cart but abandoned before completing the purchase. However, showing the same ad too many times can create a negative user experience, so it's important to set appropriate frequency caps to control how often your retargeting ads appear.
Affiliate advertising involves partnering with bloggers, media site operators, and other publishers (affiliates) who promote your products or services. You only pay a commission when a predefined action—such as a purchase, signup, or inquiry—is completed. Ads are distributed through affiliate service providers (ASPs) that connect advertisers with a network of publishers.
Because you only pay for actual results, affiliate advertising offers highly predictable ROI. On the other hand, there is a risk that affiliates may misrepresent your brand or make claims that don't align with your messaging. Establishing clear advertising guidelines and regularly monitoring affiliate placements is essential.
Sponsored content is advertising created in collaboration with a media outlet's editorial team, presented in an article format. Because it matches the look and feel of the publication's regular editorial content, it delivers your brand message to readers in a natural, non-disruptive way.
Being featured on a reputable media outlet can also boost your brand's credibility and trustworthiness. However, production and placement costs typically range from ¥500,000 to ¥3,000,000 per article, making it one of the more expensive ad formats. Sponsored content is best suited for branding campaigns and lead generation for high-value products or services.
Email advertising involves placing ads within newsletters or email publications owned by third parties—distinct from email marketing sent to your own subscriber list. For B2B products, advertising in industry-specific newsletters is particularly effective, as it delivers your message directly to a highly relevant audience.
The quality of the recipient list directly determines your ad's effectiveness, so choosing the right publication is critical. Email ads typically achieve click-through rates of 1–5%, which tends to outperform display advertising.
Let's compare the 8 ad types covered above across several key dimensions.
Search ads deliver quick results and strong conversions, and can be started from just a few tens of thousands of yen per month—making them an ideal first step. Display ads are powerful for awareness campaigns and reaching broad audiences. Social media ads offer precise targeting and versatility across the entire funnel from awareness to conversion for B2C brands. Video ads are effective for branding and product education, though they require higher creative production costs.
Retargeting ads deliver high conversion rates but aren't suited for acquiring new customers. Affiliate advertising offers low-risk entry with its pay-for-performance model, but requires effort to manage publisher quality. Sponsored content enables highly credible messaging but tends to be expensive. Email advertising is strong for B2B lead generation, though results depend heavily on list quality.
Now that you understand the different ad types, here are three key criteria to help you choose the right format for your business.
Advertising objectives generally fall into three categories: awareness building, consideration nurturing, and conversion acquisition. If you want to introduce your brand or product to new audiences, display ads, social media ads, and video ads are strong choices. If your goal is to drive purchases from users who already know your product, search ads and retargeting ads are most effective. Clarifying your current business challenge is the essential first step in selecting the right ad format.
If your budget is limited, search ads are the best starting point—they can be launched with a small investment and are directly tied to conversions. A monthly budget of ¥100,000–300,000 is sufficient for meaningful test campaigns. As your budget grows, you can layer in display and social media ads for awareness, combined with retargeting to recapture lost visitors. Sponsored content and large-scale video campaigns should be considered once you have a more substantial budget in place.
Understanding where your target audience spends their time is another crucial factor. Search ads work best for users actively seeking information through search engines. Instagram ads are effective for reaching younger demographics. Facebook and LinkedIn ads are well-suited for business professionals. LINE ads and Yahoo! Display Ads reach broader demographics including homemakers and older users. By understanding your audience's behavior patterns and advertising on the platforms they use most, you can maximize results even with a limited budget.
Once you've selected your ad formats, here are three key principles for maximizing performance.
Rather than relying on a single ad format, combining multiple types creates a powerful multiplier effect. For example, you might use social media and display ads to build awareness, search ads to capture conversions, and retargeting ads to re-engage users who left without converting. This approach—known as a full-funnel strategy—covers every stage of the customer's buying journey and is the foundational framework for maximizing online advertising performance.
One of online advertising's greatest strengths is measurability—but only if your tracking infrastructure is properly set up. Beyond basic tools like Google Analytics and conversion tags, building systems that track ad-driven revenue and customer lifetime value (LTV) enables you to identify which channels truly deliver the best ROI. For cross-channel comparison and analysis, a centralized marketing dashboard can be invaluable.
The key to success in online advertising isn't perfection from day one—it's starting small and improving through data-driven iteration. Begin with a modest test budget to identify which keywords, creatives, and targeting parameters perform best. Then progressively shift your budget toward what works, allowing you to scale results while minimizing wasted spend.
While there are many types of online advertising, each has distinct strengths and ideal applications. Search ads excel at driving immediate conversions, display and social media ads are powerful for awareness building, video ads shine in branding campaigns, and retargeting ads are the go-to solution for recovering lost visitors.
The most important thing is to select ad formats that align with your goals, budget, and target audience, then continuously optimize based on performance data. Starting with one or two formats and gradually expanding your channel mix as results materialize is the most reliable path to success.
If you need help with ad operations or designing the optimal advertising mix for your business, don't hesitate to reach out. We'll propose a tailored advertising strategy based on your specific objectives and budget.
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