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If you're someone like me, talking about online display advertising might leave a bad taste in your mouth. Paid ads online have come a long way, but there are sill many things to consider before you buy in.

Here are ten statistics that you should consider before purchasing online ad space.

1. Display ad viewability rates did not budge between 2013 and 2014.
2. The average clickthrough rate of display ads across all formats and placements is 0.06%
3. Ad blocking grew by 41% globally in the last 12 months (I am guilty of this).
4. There are now 198 million active ad block users around the world (It's nice to have a family).
5. A 2013 study revealed that 28% of respondents admitted to hiding their activities from advertisers -- second only to criminals (It's kind of creepy, to be honest).
6. A study revealed that only 2.8% of participants thought that ads on website were relevant.
7. A January 2014 study found that 18- to 34-year-olds were far more likely to ignore online ads, such as banners and those on social media and search engines, than they were traditional TV, radio and newspaper ads.
8. About 50% of clicks on mobile ads are accidental.
9. 54% of users don’t click banner ads because they don’t trust them.
10. 33% of internet users find display ads completely intolerable (hence the ad blocker).

Despite the dismay, there are still ways to do it right though. Try using well known approaches that are different then the normal online ads we all try to avoid. A few to mention are the LinkedIn Display Network and Google AdWords. LinkedIn ads sync with the web page's layout in a way that provides a more professional look that keeps users from feeling that the ads might not be trustworthy or legitimate. Google AdWords, since it uses keywords, is a great way to ensure that your ad will only be seen by users that are searching for it, or related material.

(Source: 20 Display Advertising Stats That Demonstrate Digital Advertising's Evolution)

Spotlight: Facebook 

Facebook has done a tremendous job providing online display advertising which breaks from the norm. Many ads on Facebook fit well within the other content, and are mostly tailored to the individual user's interests. This new way of advertising helps to diminish many of the negatives we saw above, but I still probably won't be uninstalling my ad blocker anytime soon.