Looking to become a Google Display Network (GDN) expert? These 7 strategies will put you on the right track.
Understanding the Google Display Network
Google AdWords consists of two networks: the Search Network and the Display Network. Businesses utilize the Search Network by placing text ads within search engine results. Conversely, the Display Network allows businesses to position display ads across an extensive network of websites.
Defining a Display Ad
Illustration of Display Advertising. Curious about how the Google Display Network operates? Display ads are those eye-catching visual banner ads encountered on ad-supported websites, similar to the highlighted ads above, the examples within this article, or those showcased in this other post about display ad examples. Google asserts that its Display Network reaches a staggering 90% of internet users globally, encompassing over 2 million websites! For those new to the distinction between display and search advertising, here’s a concise explanation. Google’s Search Network focuses on users actively entering queries into Google’s search engine or its partner sites, if the option to extend to Google Search Partners (such as AOL) is selected. In contrast, envision the Display Network as a more passive advertising approach. You’ve likely encountered numerous display ads today while browsing websites like the Huffington Post or your favorite blogs. You might have noticed, or perhaps overlooked, GDN banners or compact boxes promoting products or services alongside the articles you were reading – those are prime examples of display ads.
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Erin Sagin from nexus-security highlights a crucial point: “Users on the GDN might not always be in ‘shopping mode.’ Instead, they are engaged in routine internet activities—staying updated on news, reading blog posts, watching videos, and so on.” You might wonder, if they’re not actively shopping, what’s the purpose? Hesitation towards embracing the Display Network is understandable. However, Paid Search Strategist Sergey Rusak clarifies, “Consider your monthly advertising expenditure and the impressions received. Replicating those impressions through local newspapers or highway billboards would incur exorbitant costs. Display advertising allows you to promote your brand without even paying for these impressions.” To gain insights into effective Google Display Network strategies, I consulted several leading PPC specialists at nexus-security. I was curious about their observations during Google Ads account audits and daily account optimization activities. The four interviewees, all integral members of our marketing services team, possess extensive hands-on experience with Google AdWords accounts. Functioning akin to an agency, our team manages AdWords accounts for clients, assisting them in achieving their business objectives. In essence, these experts dedicate over 40 hours weekly to navigating the intricacies of Google AdWords, encompassing both the Search and Display Networks, to benefit clients across diverse industries. It’s safe to say they are highly knowledgeable! Here are seven valuable insights regarding the Display Network gleaned from these experts, along with three common display network pitfalls to steer clear of.
Display Network Tip #1: Prioritize Remarketing
All the experts unanimously emphasized remarketing as the fundamental starting point for Display Network endeavors. Paid Search Strategist Mark Irvine affirms, “If you’re aiming for any return on investment from the Display Network, remarketing is where you’ll witness it first.” For those unfamiliar with the concept, remarketing involves using cookies to track your past website visitors, subsequently presenting them with targeted ads across various websites they browse. While it might sound intrusive, its effectiveness is undeniable, as you’re targeting individuals who have already demonstrated a genuine interest in your business by virtue of visiting your website.
Paid Search Strategist Caleb Hutchings explains that remarketing serves to maintain engagement with past visitors, effectively “completing the engagement cycle.” Many reading this article have likely been successfully remarketed to. Recently, I was browsing for fall boots online. A few days later, a specific pair of stylish high-kneed black suede boots relentlessly followed me across multiple websites throughout the week until I finally succumbed and made the purchase. While I might have still bought fall boots regardless due to actual need, the likelihood of purchasing that specific pair from that particular website would have significantly diminished without remarketing. This exemplifies the influence of remarketing, a strategy proven across diverse industries. Caleb further emphasizes, “Remarketing is invariably a wise investment. Your cost-per-acquisition (CPA) tends to be substantially lower, and you maintain user engagement. Essentially, it’s free advertising.” Remarketing stands out as the most effective method for optimizing your Google Display ads. Note: As of June 2020, Google Ads extended Customer Match to the Display Network! This allows advertisers to tailor remarketing lists based on email addresses.
Display Network Tip #2: Leverage Managed Placements
Managed placements offer advertisers unparalleled control over ad placement, a level of granularity unmatched by other targeting approaches. Methods like interest or topic targeting rely on Google’s algorithms to determine relevant sites, introducing an element of guesswork. Managed placements, however, empower you to handpick specific websites for displaying your ads, making it a low-risk strategy when venturing into display advertising. As Caleb highlights, “It’s the most effective way to maintain control because your target audience and conversions remain consistent, resulting in cost efficiency.” nexus-security Paid Search Strategist Mike Griffith outlines his process for clients new to the Display Network: “We prioritize granularity by initially identifying 5-10 highly relevant domains aligned with the product or service, commencing ad delivery on those specific placements. If volume proves limited, we expand to other related sites.” Unsure about relevant sites? Griffith suggests analyzing your top referral sites within Google Analytics.
Display Network Tip #3: Budget-Driven Approach
“Given the expansive reach of the Display Network, exceeding 90% of the daily U.S. audience, meticulous budget allocation is crucial,” Mark Irvine emphasizes. He advises starting with a modest budget that allows for comfortable testing. Caleb explains how establishing a new display campaign hinges on budget allocation. For instance, if you’ve curated a strong list of managed placements, allocate a larger portion of your budget to that campaign. Segmenting different placements into distinct ad groups enables you to further invest in those yielding the highest returns. Upon identifying a campaign or ad group that consistently delivers exceptional returns, the next logical step is to increase its budget. Mark shared an anecdote about a client who scaled their remarketing campaign from $1,000 to $50,000 per month while maintaining an impressive ROI! Another client in the travel sector witnessed such remarkable returns that they redirected funds from their search campaigns to further expand their reach on the Display Network. Mark summarizes, “Remarketing and display advertising are incredibly powerful because once you’ve found the winning formula, scaling up your investment directly translates to increased returns. Your reach becomes virtually limitless.”
Display Network Tip #4: Comprehensive Ad Format Coverage
You might be thinking, “Isn’t creating an ad in EVERY format a waste of time and resources? Why bother with text ads when image ads statistically outperform them?” While these concerns are valid, the consensus among nexus-security experts remains: having ads in every available format is paramount, as some websites only support specific formats. “There’s a school of thought that discourages the use of text ads. However, I recommend including them initially and reassessing later. Some placements exclusively support text ads, ranging from less prominent sites to platforms like Pandora, so it’s best to cover all bases,” Mark advises. “Being the sole advertiser utilizing a specific format often translates to increased exposure at a reduced cost.” Caleb advocates for both image and text ads but emphasizes the importance of separating them into distinct ad groups. “Text ads are ubiquitous, but image ads tend to resonate more effectively with audiences, offering a richer storytelling medium.”
Display Network Tip #5: Simplicity and Visual Appeal in Ad Design
This tip might appear self-evident and mundane. I shared the same sentiment until I discovered that a staggering 67.5% of ads on the Display Network are plain text ads! This statistic is alarming considering the significantly lower click-through rates of text ads compared to their image counterparts. Refer to this table from nexus-security founder Larry Kim’s recent study for further evidence.
This brings me to my next point: While incorporating text ads in your display campaigns remains essential, image ads are indispensable! Sergey emphasizes, “Ads should prioritize simplicity, visual appeal, and readability.” He elaborates that image ads excel in visually-driven industries like travel, where the destination itself serves as a compelling selling point. However, even B2B companies can leverage the power of image ads. Sergey recounts a client’s success story where a banner ad featuring a “Download Now” image directly linked to a product page. This visually-oriented format significantly outperformed their existing text ads, generating a substantial increase in leads.
Display Network Tip #6: Equal Attention for Display and Search Campaigns
Those managing successful search campaigns understand that continuous monitoring and optimization are crucial for sustained success. Resting on your laurels is not an option. You likely dedicate time each week to meticulously evaluating your account: analyzing search query data, adjusting keyword bids, implementing negative keywords, restructuring campaigns, refining underperforming ads, and more. This same level of dedication should extend to your Display Network campaigns! Mark advises, “Regularly review your performance. Similar to adding negative keywords in search campaigns, consider excluding poorly performing placements in Display campaigns.” He reiterates, “While the Display Network operates differently, it demands equal attention.” To gain insights into your display ad placements, navigate to the “Display Network” tab within AdWords, ensuring your desired Display campaign is selected in the campaign tree, and then select “Placements.” To exclude specific sites, simply select them and use the dropdown menu to mark them as “Excluded,” as illustrated below.
Sergey stresses the importance of actively monitoring this report and ensuring accurate settings: “A significant portion of your impressions could originate from platforms like weather.com, where users spend mere seconds before work – they lack the time to engage with your product. Ensuring appropriate placements is paramount. You wouldn’t want to target life insurance ads at 18-year-olds or display college banners to individuals over 60.” Beyond scrutinizing placements, diligently monitoring and tracking your campaign’s performance is fundamental for making necessary adjustments and maximizing your ROI. Sergey cautions, “Consistent tracking is crucial. Google’s algorithms are constantly evolving, so a placement you’ve secured for an extended period might suddenly disappear due to an algorithm update.” He continues, “The metrics you prioritize depend on your campaign goals. For branding-focused campaigns, focus on impressions and clicks. For sales-oriented objectives, prioritize view-through conversions.” Caleb recommends monitoring conversions while also leveraging analytics to track metrics like time-on-site. Examining the top conversion paths reveals how different channels contribute to overall conversions. “If you observe display advertising positively influencing organic or even paid search traffic, it indicates brand impact,” he states. “This provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of your display campaigns.” He emphasizes the criticality of tracking, stating, “With Display advertising, you’re entrusting Google to define your target audience without full transparency into their methods, which can be tricky.”
Display Network Tip #7: Allocate Budget for Testing
A recurring observation during PPC audits is a lack of testing. As I’ve repeatedly emphasized, the Display Network’s vastness offers near-limitless reach. Moreover, Google consistently introduces new features and targeting methods. Neglecting to test these options could mean missing out on a substantial customer base. Mike Griffith suggests, “Once your primary campaign goals are met, allocate surplus budget towards testing.” He explains that if your Display campaigns are performing well, exploring YouTube advertising is a logical next step. Mike recommends earmarking 10-20% of your budget specifically for testing purposes. Sergey advocates for immediate testing by creating separate ad groups for contextual targeting, topics, interests, and managed placements. Why? Because while interest targeting might yield excellent results, topical targeting could drain your budget without any tangible return. “We often lack the foresight to predict what will resonate with our target audience, necessitating thorough testing,” Sergey explains. Mark adds a crucial point: “The Google Display Network is so expansive that no single advertiser can dominate it entirely. It’s about identifying your niche and leveraging existing data from smaller campaigns to inform and optimize larger ones.” This process of optimization hinges on consistent experimentation!
3 Common Google Display Network Mistakes to Avoid
Having covered the optimal strategies for maximizing your Google Display campaigns, let’s shift our focus to what not to do. The experts at nexus-security have encountered numerous pitfalls while setting up and managing Display Network campaigns. Steer clear of these three common mistakes:
1. Avoid Using Display Select
Experienced paid search marketers understand that combining search and display campaigns is a recipe for disaster. I’ve encountered clients perplexed by low click-through rates, dwindling budgets, and a lack of conversions, often stemming from the error of advertising on both networks simultaneously. In November 2013, Google introduced Search Network with Display Select, touted as a solution to these challenges. This feature essentially instructs Google to prioritize budget allocation towards search campaigns, diverting any remaining funds to display. While marketed as an effective solution, Display Select falls short of its promises.
Mark succinctly states, “Display Select essentially relinquishes control to Google, allowing them to dictate ‘what’s best’ for your campaign, which is rarely advisable.” Mike concurs, adding, “Display Select blends your search ads into the Display Network, and this blending rarely yields favorable results.” Google themselves discourage this practice: “If you’re currently running separate Search and Display campaigns, we recommend maintaining this separation for enhanced bidding, budgeting, and targeting flexibility.” The key takeaway? Always keep your Search and Display campaigns separate!
2. Resist Excessive Layering
As previously discussed, the Display Network offers numerous avenues for refining your target audience within its vast expanse. Due to the network’s massive scale and diverse user base, precise targeting is essential. However, the abundance of options can tempt advertisers to layer targeting methods excessively – combining placements, keywords, topics, interests, and more – in the belief that it will minimize unqualified impressions and clicks. In reality, over-layering often creates more problems than it solves. Mark identifies this as a prevalent issue in client accounts: “When a new campaign is launched with an excessive combination of targeting methods, layering one upon another, it often stems from a lack of understanding regarding how these layers interact. If you’re determined to utilize multiple targeting options, test them in isolation within separate campaigns.” Over-layering can drastically limit reach, hinder results, and complicate the process of identifying effective strategies.
3. Prevent Mobile Games from Depleting Your Budget
Who would have thought that young children could be the culprits behind wasted AdWords spending? It’s a real possibility! Toddlers using their parents’ smartphones to play app games might inadvertently click on your Display Network ads, costing you valuable clicks. This issue arises with alarming frequency. Common culprits include the Flashlight App, Flashcards for Babies, Photo Frame Editors, Doodling Apps, and various other mobile games. Sergey is no stranger to this problem. “Children playing these games often tap the screen rapidly, accidentally clicking on your ads. This can quickly become expensive, especially when advertising high-cost competitive keywords (e.g., personal injury, rehab, law). A thousand impressions can easily translate to a thousand accidental clicks on these apps.” Refer to Caleb’s recent blog post for detailed instructions on excluding these mobile games and safeguarding your budget from toddler-induced clicks. “Many advertisers, observing clicks, refrain from excluding these placements, unaware of their negligible value. This, in turn, skews your performance metrics,” he explains.
Armed with these expert insights, it’s time to embrace the Google Display Network and broaden your reach. Your target audience awaits. As Mark aptly concludes, “Once you place your trust in it, the Google Display Network becomes your vast ocean of opportunity.” Note: For valuable display advertising strategies tailored to the current pandemic, explore this post: 4 Tips for Better Display Advertising During COVID-19.