Paid digital advertising has come a long way since the first banner ad appeared on the web in 1994. From the early days of pop-ups and static banners to today’s sophisticated, AI-driven campaigns, online advertising has reshaped how brands reach and engage audiences. This timeline highlights the pivotal moments, platforms, and innovations, from Google Ads and Facebook to TikTok and connected TV, that turned the internet into the world’s most powerful advertising medium. 1994 October – The first banner ad appears on HotWired.com, promoting AT&T, and achieves a 44% click-through rate. 1997 – Pop-up ads are invented at Tripod.com, quickly

Want to track what really matters in paid advertising? This guide breaks down the most important PPC (pay-per-click) KPIs for 2024 and beyond, with a focus on search and display networks like Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and Yahoo. We’re not covering paid social metrics such as Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn ads. Instead, we’re diving into the core performance metrics that matter for search marketers: things like click-through rate (CTR), cost per click (CPC), cost per acquisition (CPA), and return on ad spend (ROAS). Whether you’re managing campaigns in Google, Bing, or Yahoo, these are the KPIs you should be tracking.

If you’ve used Google Ads, Facebook, or other advertising platforms, you may find Amazon Ads surprisingly simple. The interface lacks a lot of bells and whistles, and that’s part of the appeal. Even so, some guidance is needed to ensure your first campaign launch is successful. The first campaign you’ll want to launch is also the easiest: the Sponsored Product Automatic campaign. As the name implies, you’ll be promoting a product (not a brand), and the targeting will be handled automatically by Amazon’s machine learning system. Step-by-Step Setup Best Practices & Final Tips Visual Walkthrough: Campaign Setup Screens Below are

The Media Rating Council (MRC) sets standards for how digital ad performance should be measured. Marketers should use MRC-aligned vendors and metrics to reduce waste and improve cross-platform comparisons. When marketers talk about impressions, viewability, or audience metrics, how do we know the data is accurate and trustworthy? That’s where the Media Rating Council (MRC) plays a crucial role. Who Is the MRC? The MRC is a nonprofit organization that establishes and audits standards for media measurement. Founded in the 1960s and now essential to digital advertising, it ensures consistency across platforms by accrediting vendors who follow its strict measurement