In May of the previous year, Google caused a stir at their yearly Google Marketing Live event by revealing numerous upcoming features and tools designed to aid advertisers in connecting with customers online. Among these announcements were Discovery ads, a new ad format intended to help advertisers showcase their products to potential customers across Google’s various platforms.
For the first time, these innovative Discovery ads allow advertisers to feature their products to specific audiences on Google’s Discover feed, as well as prominently at the top of YouTube and Gmail. These highly visible ad placements connect with audiences before they even initiate a search. According to Google, nearly 85% of people will take action within 24 hours of encountering a new product, highlighting the significant impact these ads can have on a customer’s path to purchase.
While it may initially seem like a branding strategy, Google’s automation capabilities can also yield substantial direct ROI. This campaign not only boosts conversions but does so cost-effectively—the current average cost-per-acquisition (CPA) for Discovery campaigns is merely $12.19!
As of last week, Google announced these Discovery ads are now accessible to all advertisers worldwide! Here’s a comprehensive guide to maximizing the potential of this ad format.
Please note: Google has announced that Discovery Ads will be enhanced and transitioned to Demand Gen campaigns in the beginning of 2024. We provide detailed information about this update here.
Exploring Google Discovery Ads
Google’s latest Discovery ads provide a user-friendly method for showcasing your products to your most valuable customers. These campaigns streamline ad testing, audience targeting, and campaign optimization by utilizing robust machine learning to display your ads across YouTube, Gmail, and the Discover feed, all within a single campaign type.
Advertisers retain control over their daily budget, target demographics, and provide guidance to Google in crafting ad creatives and setting campaign conversion goals for optimization across their networks.
Unpacking Google Discovery Ad Formats
Google’s Discovery campaigns offer two distinct ad formats: standard (single image) Discovery Ads and Discovery Carousel Ads. Similar to Responsive Search Ads and Responsive Display Ads, advertisers furnish Google with various assets. This allows Google to dynamically test different ad variations and present tailored messaging to individual customers.
Standard Discovery Ads: A Closer Look
A standard Discovery Ad necessitates several key components:
Final URL: This is the destination users are directed to after clicking your ad. To enhance ad quality and conversion rates, set your final URL to a page offering detailed information about the advertised product, enabling potential purchases. Avoid directing users to your homepage.
Images: Given their presence on high-traffic pages, Discovery ads aim to captivate audiences and interrupt their scrolling. Engage your creative team and avoid generic approaches – this is not the search engine results page, and you’re competing with more than just text. Utilize vibrant colors and strong visual contrast, similar to Facebook ads. Google offers abundant creative suggestions to spark your creativity.
You can upload a maximum of 15 diverse images for Google to test within a Discovery ad. Experiment with various images and dimensions (Square 1:1 and Landscape 1.91:1) to expand your reach.
You have the option to upload your own images, browse Shutterstock for stock images, allow Google to extract images from your website, or even utilize images from your social media profiles on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
Headlines: Your headline, displayed in bold, serves as the opening line of your ad. You can incorporate up to five headlines, each limited to 40 characters.
Descriptions: Positioned below your headlines, descriptions provide an avenue to elaborate on your message with more persuasive copy. You can include up to five descriptions, each with a maximum of 90 characters.
Business Name: Your business name is featured alongside your ad. Ensure consistency with how people typically search for or refer to your business.
Call to Action (Optional): Choose from various common call-to-action buttons (such as “Shop Now” or “Get Quote”) to accompany your ad. Alternatively, you can allow Google to optimize and test the call-to-action on your behalf.
Exploring Discovery Carousel Ads
Carousel ads share similarities with standard Discovery ads but allow users to scroll through a series of provided images. Advertisers can upload between two and ten images as individual cards within the carousel, which Google displays in the order they were uploaded.
Note that Google only accepts square images or landscapes with a 1.91:1 aspect ratio for carousel cards. Additionally, all images within a Discovery Carousel ad must consistently be either square or landscape. Mixing square and landscape ads within a single Discovery Carousel ad may lead to disapproval.
Targeting Your Audience with Google Discovery Ads
Unlike search campaigns, Google Discovery ads rely on audience selection rather than keyword targeting. Advertisers can tailor their ads to reach specific audience segments, including:
Remarketing: This feature allows you to target past customers or website visitors. Create distinct remarketing audiences based on user behavior (specific page visits, abandoned shopping carts, recent purchases) to re-engage prospects already familiar with your brand.
Detailed Demographics: Leverage Google’s demographic targeting to focus your ads based on factors like age, gender, parental status, relationship status, education level, and homeownership.
In-Market Audiences: This option targets users actively researching, browsing, and considering a purchase. Google offers a vast selection of in-market audiences spanning numerous product categories, from cars and computers to payroll systems, catering to individuals ready to make a purchase.
Life Events: Connect with individuals on the cusp of significant life milestones, such as starting a business, changing careers, graduating, getting married, or buying a home.
Affinity & Custom Intent: These audiences are built around users’ past search history and browsing behavior, targeting them based on their interests and affinities.
If you choose not to define specific audiences, Google will broaden your ad targeting and leverage its own signals to optimize ad visibility.
To target multiple audiences effectively, create several ad groups or individual Discovery campaigns.
Bidding Strategies and Budgets for Google Discovery Ads
Powered by machine learning, Google’s Discovery campaigns primarily rely on Smart Bidding strategies. Currently, only two bidding strategies are supported for Discovery campaigns:
Target CPA: Google automatically strives to generate conversions at a predetermined cost per acquisition. This strategy is recommended for budgets at least ten times your target CPA.
Maximize Conversions: Google endeavors to maximize conversions while minimizing CPA. This approach is suitable for advertisers with limited budgets or those who anticipate fewer than ten conversions per day.
With an average CPA of around $12 for Google Discovery campaigns, even modest budgets can yield significant results for many advertisers. However, industries accustomed to higher CPAs on search and display networks should expect CPAs aligned with their typical account performance.
When launching a campaign or implementing changes, Google recommends a waiting period of two to three weeks before adjusting bids or ad creatives. This allows their algorithms to analyze user responses and optimize performance based on real-time data.
Setting Up Google Discovery Campaigns: A Step-by-Step Guide
Creating a Google Discovery Campaign is a straightforward process, especially for those familiar with the Google Ads platform.
Initiate the creation of a new campaign by clicking the blue “+” icon on the campaigns page.
When prompted to select a campaign goal, choose “Sales,” “Leads,” or “Website Traffic.” You also have the option to proceed without a predefined goal.
Select “Discovery” as your desired campaign type.
Assign a name to your campaign and specify the target languages and geographic locations for your ads.
Set your daily budget and choose your preferred bidding strategy for Google to optimize your Discovery campaign (currently limited to Maximize Conversions or Target CPA).
Explore “additional settings” to:
Define a specific start and end date for your campaign.
Restrict your campaign to run only during designated hours or days of the week.
Prioritize campaign optimization for particular conversion actions within your account.
Create your first ad group and configure audience targeting. Remember, you can create multiple ad groups later to target additional audience segments.
Upload your Discovery ad creatives.
You’ll be prompted to review your newly created Discovery campaign before launching it. Once you’re satisfied, click the “Continue” button to set your campaign live!
Leveraging advanced audience signals and machine learning, Google’s Discovery campaigns offer a streamlined approach to expanding your customer base. Our clients have achieved impressive results with Google’s Discovery campaigns during the beta phase, and we’re thrilled about their global availability to all advertisers.
Curious about the distinctions between Google Discovery Ads and Display Ads? We’ve got you covered!