When you advertise on Google, you don’t just have the option to advertise on Google Search and other Google products like YouTube. Display ads can be shown on any of millions of different websites that are part of a wider network called the Google Display Network.
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What are display ads?
Display ads are image-led ads that appear on any websites or apps that are part of either the Google family or the Display Network. They’re more visually engaging than standard search ads, as they make more use of imagery. With Google’s huge reach, Display Ads have the potential to be seen by up to 90% of internet users.
Benefits and advantages of display ads
When you run display ads, you may be disappointed by the results you see on your ads platform. On the surface, they don’t appear to perform nearly as well as other types of Google ads. Click-through rates are generally considerably lower, and conversions minimal.
However, Display Ads serve a different purpose that’s not always as easily measured but which is just as important for your business.
So what are the main benefits of display ads?
Visually appealing ads
Whereas Search ads are text only, display ads are much more visually appealing because they allow you to use text, images, video, graphics and even audio. You can get really creative and benefit from many more resources to make your ad jump out from a page.
Boost brand awareness
The more you experience a brand – whether that’s through an actual purchase or just through a visual cue – the more likely you are to think of them when you next need to make a relevant purchase. Display ads are the perfect tool to get in front of potential customers, let them know who you are (or remind them), and encourage them to make a purchase from you rather than a competitor.
Because of this, display ads work very well within a wider marketing strategy that could include additional types of ads, SEO, social media, PR, and more. They start warming users up in preparation for a conversion: studies have shown that 27% of consumers search for a product or business after seeing a display ad.
Target and remarket
Like other forms of ads, you can pick your target audience for display ads. That means you can choose who sees your ads based on location, interests, types of websites visited, behaviour and more. You can also remarket, which means serving ads to an audience who has already visited your site or made a purchase in the past. This is a great opportunity to entice warm leads back to your site.
Win customers from competitors
If a user has shown an interest in a competitor’s products – for example, by searching their brand on Google or visiting their website – you can use targeting to try and win those clients from your rivals. You already know the user is interested in similar products and so can use display advertising to appeal to them more strongly than the competition.
Elements of a Google display ad
Audience targeting
Targeting is one of the most powerful tools you have with Google display ads. You can really hone in on the audience you want to reach to create relevant advertisements and address important pain points.
The first step is to consider what you want to achieve with your display ads. Are you looking to reach new customers? Do you want to encourage returning clients? Are you aiming for conversions right away, or looking to boost brand awareness?
There are two categories of targeting available to you, broken into smaller groups. The main ones are:
People targeting
Demographic: target based on age, gender, parental status, etc.
Audience: target based on interests and behaviours, including remarketing audiences
Contextual targeting
Keywords: ads are served on websites and apps relevant to your target keywords
Topics: ads are served on websites and apps relevant to a particular topic
Placement: select specific websites and apps to display ads on
You can also create custom audiences by mixing the above, or even exclude certain audiences for those you don’t want to target. Excluding allows you to stop your ad appearing on irrelevant websites, which could potentially do more harm than good.
Who you target will depend on the type of business and your marketing goals. And it’s important to understand these first and to get a good idea of your current audience demographics before spending money on ads. At first, try and find a balance between targeting too broad an audience and too specific an audience. As you start to analyse the results and understand the platform more, you’ll be able to fine-tune your audience to get the best possible return on investment.
Assets and creatives
The assets that make up your ad can be the difference between success and failure, so it’s important to think them through carefully. Assets can include imagery, text, video, branding and audio, but you don’t have to use all of these in every single advertisement.
Work with a creative team if you can to understand what is most likely to appeal to your audience. You should always include branding because – as mentioned earlier – display ads are very effective to improve brand awareness.
By default, Google uses AI learning to select and adjust your uploaded creative elements based on the position of a display ad, its size, and the device. That means – unless you override the default setting – you can add multiple assets and then Google will combine them to make an ad. This is the easy and quick way to get started with display advertising and can be a good option for beginners or those without much time. If you choose this option, add as many assets as you can so Google can create the best possible ad.
If you want more control, you can create your full ad outside of Google and then upload it as a whole. If you do this, you should provide multiple sizes to serve in different locations. Take a look at Google’s guidance on display ad sizes to see what you’ll need to create.
Cost and bidding
Like many other Google ads, display advertising works on a bidding system. When you’re eligible for a slot, your ad is measured against other eligible ads and assigned a score based on relevance, ad quality and budget. The highest budget doesn’t necessarily win, so if you’re low on money, focus on creating a really relevant ad for your audience.
As always, giving a definite figure on cost isn’t easy. It will depend on your skill and understanding of ads, your budget, and the effectiveness of your ads. There is no one answer to this question. However, it’s worth noting that cost per click (CPC) of display ads is generally considerably higher than other ads. But clicks aren’t necessarily what you want to achieve from display advertising – if you’re raising brand awareness, then clicks aren’t as important as other measurements.
When analysing the value of your display ads, it’s important to look at the bigger picture. Has traffic to your website increased since you started running them? Have you seen better results from your other ads that run alongside display ads? Are you seeing more branded searches? Although these this can’t always be easily measured or assigned a monetary value, looking at the broader results will help you understand the effectiveness of display ads.
How to set up your first display ad
So now you understand a little more about the benefits of display ads and how they work, it’s time to set up your first ad.
You’ll need a Google Ads account to begin. It’s free to set up and you won’t be charged anything until you actually start running your ads. If this is your first time using Google ads, it’s worth taking some time to get to know the platform before spending any money.
Once your account is set up, take the following steps:
Click + New campaign
From the Objectives menu, select either Sales, Leads, Website traffic, or Awareness and Consideration
Select the Display campaign type
Enter your website address and a name for your campaign
Select Continue
You’ll then be taken through several steps to create your campaign and will be prompted for information such as targeting and budget. Fill in as much detail as you can (some will be necessary to run the campaign, other details will be optional). Try not to over-complicate things if this is your first time – you can start running more complex ads once you’ve gotten a better understanding of how things work.
Once you’ve finished, your ads will go through Google’s approval process, which can take a few days. After this, they’ll be up and running.
Monitoring your results
Don’t forget about your ads once you’ve set them up. You’ll need to continually monitor your results to see what does and doesn’t work, and to adjust accordingly. When you start, and after you’ve made adjustments, it’s worth giving the ads at least a few weeks to run to get a better idea of performance.
When you do make adjustments, try making small changes at a time. That way, you’ll be able to pinpoint which changes lead to improvements and which ones don’t.
Conclusion
As part of a wider marketing strategy, display ads are a very useful tool that can improve brand awareness, win clients from competitors, and encourage returning customers. They also take advantage of Google’s vast Google Display Network, a series of millions of websites and apps across the world, ensuring you can reach a wide audience. Make use of targeting and visual elements to really appeal to potential customers.
