We tell you in simple words why a business needs contextual advertising, how the budget is formed and how to launch an effective campaign.
If you've ever searched for or bought anything online, you've definitely seen contextual advertising. These are ads that adapt to the interests and requests of a potential customer, being one of the key tools of modern marketing. Let's look into this in more detail.
What is contextual advertising?
Imagine: a user enters the phrase "buy a sofa in Kazan" in the Yandex search bar. Algorithms instantly analyze a query, highlight keywords, and select the most relevant sentences. A visitor clicks on an ad that attracts attention and goes to the store's website. And after its closure, banners with favorable offers of the same sofa will "haunt" it on other sites. All this is the work of the Yandex contextual advertising system.
To give a definition, contextual advertising is a demonstration of commercial offers depending on the actual needs, interests and search queries of users.
Why does your business need contextual advertising?
When a person searches for something on the Internet, they have a specific need. The purpose of an advertising message is to gently push it to perform a targeted action. In a professional environment, such an audience is called "warm". Your offer should not only catch the eye, but also convince the person that your product is the perfect solution to their problem.
This type of online promotion is ideally suited to meet the generated demand. Therefore, it is especially effective for areas where the need for a product or service is already obvious. However, if the company is just launching a new product, it is better to start with media advertising to increase brand awareness.
One of the largest platforms for contextual advertising in Russia is Yandex.Direct. Its monthly audience exceeds 96 million users.
Yandex Direct is a powerful service that helps you solve marketing problems at all stages of the sales funnel. Here you can launch not only contextual, but also media campaigns aimed at increasing recognition and generating interest. In synergy, these two formats significantly increase sales and the number of repeat purchases.
What types of contextual advertising are there?
Conventionally, contextual advertising can be divided into two main types: search and thematic (on the YAN advertising network).
Search ads are ads that algorithms display in response to a query in a search engine.
Themed ads in YAN are creatives that match the user's interests or the content of the site where they are placed.
What does search advertising look like?
Let's consider the placement options in the Yandex Search.
A single performance campaign is an advertising offer in various formats: from texts with a link to blocks with an image or video. Ads can be created automatically based on the product feed and lead to a specific card or catalog.
, Exclusive placement is the only and most visible ad above the organic issue. It occupies the entire available area and attracts maximum attention.
Ads in the digest appear in the drop-down list when the user is just typing a query. The system tries to anticipate his intention and suggests a suitable option.
The product gallery is a carousel of products from different stores located directly under the search bar. This format is used by both small businesses and large companies.
The search banner is located to the right of the search results. Its main advantage is the absence of competitors on the page, as only one banner is displayed.
What does theme-based advertising look like?
Such ads are displayed on partner sites, in mobile applications, video resources, and other Yandex services included in YAN.
, In mobile applications
The formats are diverse: banner, fullscreen block, rewarded video and native advertising, which harmoniously fits into the application interface.
, In video resources
The user encounters this format when watching videos on sites with special slots for video ads.
, Advertising on YAN websites
Ad platforms that are part of the Yandex Advertising Network provide space for ad blocks. These places are filled according to the auction principle: the system compares the bids and selects the winner, which is seen by visitors to the page. Text-graphic, product ads, and graphic creatives are used.
How to find an audience for contextual advertising
In order for your ads to be seen by interested users, you need to set up the display conditions correctly.
To attract a new audience:
Specify the keywords. For example, "order pizza with delivery".
Turn on autotargeting. This technology analyzes the content of the ad and the landing page to show ads to users with relevant interests, even if they did not enter the exact query.
Use the Crypt technology. It analyzes the behavior of entire groups of users (for example, those who are planning a trip) and allows you to advertise to those who are most likely to complete the target action.
To work with those who have already visited your site:
Set up retargeting. This will allow you to show certain messages to those who have already visited your web resource.
How does contextual advertising differ from SEO and targeting
SEO is a set of measures to promote a website in organic search results. Keywords are important in both SEO and contextual advertising, but the goals are different: SEO promotes the entire site in the long run, while contextual advertising in Yandex. Direct quickly brings targeted traffic from paid sources to the site.
Targeted advertising, often found in social networks, focuses not on requests, but on socio-demographic characteristics and behavioral factors (for example, membership in certain groups). Yandex contextual advertising is more focused on direct demand.
How much does it cost to launch a campaign
There is a convenient "Budget Forecast" tool in the Yandex.Direct interface. For an accurate calculation, it is necessary:
Specify the display geography (region, city).
Select a period (week, month, etc.).
Add a list of relevant keywords.
After clicking the "Calculate" button, the system will provide a table with forecasts for expenses, average bid, CTR, and number of impressions.
The minimum amount to launch a test campaign is 300 rubles without VAT.
How to set up contextual advertising
The easiest way to get started is to use the Campaign Wizard. This tool offers step-by-step instructions, helps you choose keywords, and does not require in-depth knowledge. It can be used to promote not only websites, but also products from marketplaces, as well as Telegram channels.
Expert mode with advanced settings is available for advanced users. It allows you to select a specialized type of campaign for specific purposes: "Single Performance Campaign", "In-app installations", "Search Visibility" and others.
Are you ready to launch contextual advertising and increase sales? The Yandex Direct contextual advertising system offers flexible settings and powerful tools to achieve your business goals.
