In the world of sports, every team boasts its star player - the one who racks up points, scores the winning shots, and sends the crowd into a frenzy. But let’s not forget the playmaker, who may not be the flashiest, but elevates the entire team’s performance, setting the stage for those unforgettable moments.

Think of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising as a sports team (let’s call them the Clickers!). Search advertising would be the star, stealing the show, while display advertising takes on the role of the playmaker. And the advertisers who truly understand how to leverage display advertising? They’re the ones taking home the championship.

Research indicates that 27% of consumers search for a business after encountering their display ad, and conversions get a significant 59% boost when users search for something related to a display ad they’ve seen.

However, there’s an art to running effective display campaigns. This comprehensive guide will equip you with the knowledge and strategies to do just that.

Contents

• What are Google display ads?
• The importance of display advertising
• Types, sizes, formats
• Costs
• Targeting
• How to set up a Google display ad campaign
• Best practices
• Examples
• Tools

What are display ads?

Display ads are visually driven advertisements you come across while browsing your favorite blog, watching a YouTube video, or using a mobile app.

What is a Google display ad?

As you might expect, Google display ads appear on websites and apps within the Google Display Network (GDN), though other display ad networks exist.

The GDN encompasses a vast network of over two million websites and apps, reaching an estimated 90% of internet users. Such immense reach is a double-edged sword. While it offers the potential to connect with a vast pool of relevant consumers, there’s also the risk of reaching those who aren’t your target audience.

Simply put, display ads can drain your budget and even harm your brand’s reputation if not executed carefully. Don’t worry, we’ll delve into strategies to avoid these pitfalls later in this guide.

The importance of display advertising

At first glance, the appeal of run display ads might seem elusive, especially when compared to the performance powerhouse that is search ads.

Unlike search ads, which appear when people are actively seeking solutions, display ads are encountered while browsing content. So, why bother with them?

Differentiate your brand

In a crowded marketplace, standing out from the competition is paramount. Display ads, with their visual storytelling power, provide an avenue to establish a distinct brand identity in the minds of your potential customers.

Build brand awareness

With their extensive reach, display ads are a potent tool for building brand awareness. As marketing expert Larry Kim aptly stated, “The single biggest predictor of whether people will purchase is whether they’ve heard of you before.” It’s no surprise that 84% of B2B marketers prioritize brand awareness above all else, followed by sales and lead generation.

Improve the performance of your other ads

Increased brand awareness translates to better performance across your marketing efforts. The more familiar people are with your brand, the more likely they are to engage with your other campaigns, including search and social media ads. As mentioned earlier, studies reveal that 27% of consumers search for a business after seeing their display ad, and a 59% increase in conversions is observed when users search for something related to a display ad.

In fact, there’s a dedicated metric called view-through conversions that specifically tracks conversions influenced by display ads.

There are other ways to gauge the effectiveness of your display ads too.

Skyrocket results with retargeting

Turning prospects into loyal customers often takes time. Even those who click on your ad might leave your website without taking any desired action. This is where retargeting display ads come into play. These ads specifically target individuals based on their past interactions with your website.

For instance, you could retarget someone who viewed a product but didn’t make a purchase with a display ad featuring that very product. A bit uncanny? Perhaps. Effective? Absolutely. Consider these compelling remarketing stats:

• One study revealed that retargeting display ads led to a staggering 1,046% increase in brand-related search queries and a 726% surge in site traffic for a business.
• Retargeting display ads boast an average click-through rate of 0.7%, a tenfold increase compared to the 0.07% CTR of regular display ads.
• Website visitors exposed to retargeting display ads are 70% more likely to convert.

Google display ad sizes & formats

Google display ads come in two flavors: uploaded and responsive.

Uploaded display ads

If you have the design expertise to craft your display ads from the ground up, the uploaded route is for you. Google Display ads support JPG, PNG, and GIF formats. However, remember that even if your ad qualifies for a particular placement, it won’t be displayed unless it adheres to the specific size requirements of that placement. Therefore, it’s crucial to optimize your reach by uploading various sized versions of each ad.

Responsive display ads

Recognizing the complexities of ad design, Google introduced responsive display ads and later made them the default ad type for display campaigns. With responsive ads, you simply provide your visual assets (images, logo, videos) and some concise ad copy. Google’s algorithms then take over, testing various combinations to pinpoint the top-performing versions. Even better, responsive display ads automatically adjust their size to fit different web page layouts.

Google display ad sizes

If you’re set on sticking with responsive display ads, feel free to jump to the next section. But if you prefer greater control over your ads and plan to go the uploaded route, here are the 12 most common display ad sizes you’ll need to cater to:

• Mobile: 300×200, 300×50, 300×100
• Desktop: 300×250, 336×280, 728×90, 300×600, 160×600, 970×90, 468×60
• Both: 250×250, 200×200

Google display ad costs

Much like its search counterpart, the Google display network operates on a live auction system. When your ad meets the criteria for a specific ad unit based on your targeting settings, it enters a real-time auction with other eligible advertisers. Google then determines your ad’s position and cost per click (CPC) using your Ad Rank, which is calculated based on your maximum CPC bid and Quality Score.

Often, your actual CPC ends up lower than your maximum bid. Ultimately, you pay the minimum amount needed to outrank the advertiser positioned immediately below you.

According to nexus-security data, the average CPC on the Google display network is $0.63. In contrast, the average CPC on the search network is $2.69 – more than four times higher. This difference stems from the fact that search network clicks tend to be more valuable, as we discussed earlier.

Google display ad targeting

The secret to efficient display ad spending lies in strategically layering your targeting options to reach the most relevant audience and generate high-quality clicks. Targeting options fall into two main categories: people targeting and contextual (topic/content) targeting, with five main groups in total.

Contextual targeting

Contextual display ad targeting offers three options:

• Topic: Display your ads on websites that align with specific topics. For example, if you’re promoting a music festival, you can target topics like “music” and “live entertainment.”
• Keyword: Showcase your ads on websites relevant to specific keywords.
• Placement: Target particular web pages, videos, or apps. You can delve deeper into display ad placements here.

People targeting

People targeting provides two options, with audience targeting opening up a whole new realm of possibilities, which we’ll explore shortly.

• Demographic: Tailor your ads based on factors like age, gender, and parental status.
• Audience: Target your ads based on users’ interests and online behaviors.

Google display ad audience targeting

Here are the various audience targeting options available for Google display ads:

• Affinity audiences: Reach people who share common interests, such as sports, travel, or food.
• In-market audiences: Target individuals actively researching and considering purchasing a specific product or service.
• Remarketing audiences: Re-engage people who have previously interacted with your business, such as visiting your website—a powerful strategy for nurturing leads.
• Custom audiences: Craft your own unique audiences by combining different targeting criteria.

• Excluded audiences: Google Ads also allows you to exclude specific topics, ensuring your brand steers clear of irrelevant or inappropriate content. For instance, if you’re promoting premium ice cream or desserts, you might want to exclude websites related to weight loss or healthy eating (at best, it would be irrelevant; at worst, insensitive).

How to set up a Google display ad campaign

To launch a Google display campaign, head over to your Google Ads account and click “New campaign.” When prompted to choose your campaign objective, select “Create a campaign without a goal’s guidance” and then opt for “Display.”

Next, you’ll need to:

1. Provide your website URL.
2. Give your campaign a descriptive name.
3. Define your location targeting and select the relevant language.
4. Set your budget and choose a bidding strategy.
5. Specify your targeting parameters.
6. Upload your creative assets and write compelling ad copy.
7. Review all settings and publish your campaign.

5 Google display ad best practices

Now that we’ve covered the technical aspects, let’s explore some best practices to maximize the effectiveness of your display advertising campaigns.

1. Leverage your top-performing search keywords

When experimenting with keyword targeting, consider starting with your top-performing search keywords. While the definition of “top-performing” varies depending on your goals, if certain keywords consistently deliver low-cost clicks or conversions on the search network, they might be worth testing on the display network.

Keep in mind that user intent differs significantly between these two Google Ads networks. However, if your search ads are resonating with users, as evidenced by clicks and conversions, it suggests that the keywords driving those results are effective.

2. Utilize bid adjustments

As your display campaigns gather momentum and generate data, you can make informed decisions about their performance – identifying high-performing keywords, underperforming affinity audiences, and so on. Bid adjustments, which you can set at either the ad group or campaign level, allow you to translate these performance insights into actionable strategies.

By setting a positive bid adjustment for an ad group, you instruct Google Ads to increase your maximum CPC bid whenever an ad within that group is eligible to appear. Conversely, a negative bid adjustment lowers your maximum CPC bids for that specific ad group.

Bid adjustments are a straightforward yet powerful way to capitalize on top performers and minimize losses from underperformers.

3. Analyze your referral traffic

Google Analytics is a treasure trove of valuable information. For display advertisers, the referral traffic report (found under Acquisition > All Traffic) is particularly insightful. This report reveals which websites are sending the most traffic your way. In essence, it highlights websites whose audiences might find your product or service valuable.

These websites represent prime real estate for your display ads. Armed with the knowledge that you’re targeting a relevant audience, you can be confident that your impressions and clicks are generating a positive return on investment.

4. Highlight your value proposition

In today’s ad-saturated online world, your display ads need to stand out from the crowd. Consumers have become adept at scrolling past ads without a second glance. To avoid squandering opportunities – and your budget if you’re bidding based on cost per thousand impressions (CPM) – your display ads must be attention-grabbing.

Royal Canin exemplifies a strong value proposition with its message, “Support their health at every stage.”

While visual elements like color schemes and typography play a crucial role, your value proposition is equally important. Your value proposition encapsulates the benefits someone gains by becoming your customer. For instance, if you’re advertising men’s boots, your value proposition might center around the heightened confidence one feels when looking their best.

No matter what your value proposition is, make sure it shines through in your ad copy.

5. Craft compelling headlines for responsive display ads

When creating a responsive display ad, you’ll be asked to provide four pieces of copy:

• A short headline (25 characters)
• A long headline (90 characters)
• A description (90 characters)
• Your business name (25 characters)

Here’s what you need to know about headlines: (1) Google Ads won’t display both headlines simultaneously; (2) Google Ads might sometimes omit your description. Regardless of which headline is chosen for a specific iteration of your RDA, there’s no guarantee that it’ll appear alongside your description.

The key takeaway is to make your headlines self-sufficient. Each headline should effectively communicate the unique value of your business or the offer you’re presenting.

Incorporate video

According to Bannerflow, incorporating video into display ads can result in an impressive 89% higher click-through rate. Creating video display ads is easier than you might think. It doesn’t necessarily require professionally recorded footage. Simple text animations, subtle movements, or even GIFs can effectively capture attention.

5 awesome Google display ad examples

To inspire your own display ad campaigns, let’s take a look at five stellar examples of Google display ads. We’ll break down what makes them effective and provide actionable tips you can implement right away.

1. CheapCaribbean.com captivates with stunning visuals

Our first example comes from CheapCaribbean.com. Not only did they nail their targeting (this ad appeared on a travel blog), but the imagery is simply breathtaking. There’s no need for lengthy, persuasive ad copy here. The incredibly affordable prices speak volumes. When they say “cheap,” they mean it.

2. ClickCease leverages the power of fear

ClickCease, a software company specializing in click fraud prevention, targeted me with this display ad while I was engrossed in a Search Engine Journal article. The ad’s effectiveness lies in its use of emotionally charged copy to capture attention and convey the value proposition. Fear is a powerful emotion that demands attention. Since no PPC marketer wants to fall prey to click fraud, this ad leaves a lasting impression.

One minor suggestion: The ad could benefit from incorporating the brand name more prominently. While effective, it lacks the trustworthiness that a well-placed brand name can provide.

3. Wikibuy presents an irresistible value proposition

This Wikibuy ad is a masterclass in simplicity. A straightforward ad with a crystal-clear value proposition: Find what you need for less. The copy is concise yet impactful. While the brand name is present, it takes a backseat to the compelling value proposition. This is a valuable lesson for businesses operating in highly competitive markets.

4. Alteryx crafts a winning headline and offer

This display ad comes from Alteryx, a software solution for data science and analytics. First and foremost, the headline is incredibly strong, injecting a touch of aspiration into the copy. The subhead then delivers a compelling value proposition: We make analyzing data easy. Instead of pushing for an immediate sale, they strategically employ content marketing by offering a valuable ebook.

5. LinkedIn adds a personal touch

As a fellow B2B marketer, this LinkedIn ad piqued my interest while I was browsing EZgif.com. The ad cleverly utilizes a psychological copywriting tactic known as FOMO (fear of missing out). No marketer wants to be left behind, making this ad highly clickable.

Easy & free tools for creating Google display ads

While we’re passionate advocates for display advertising, there’s one undeniable challenge: accessibility. Many small and medium-sized businesses lack the resources – time, budget, or access to designers – to create visually appealing and effective display ads.

Fortunately, several free tools empower you to design your own Google display ads effortlessly. Here are two of our top recommendations:

• Creatopy: This tool allows you to drag and drop a vast library of free fonts, stock photos, and animations to create high-quality visuals that work seamlessly across various platforms.
• Canva: Explore thousands of free, customizable banner ad templates and tailor them to match your brand’s aesthetic.

Start your first Google display ad campaign

You’re now equipped with the knowledge and tools to launch successful Google display campaigns. For additional insights and tips, be sure to check out these resources:

• 6 Google Display Network Mistakes to Avoid
• 5 Google Display Ad Best Practices That Always Work
• I’ve Designed 100+ Display Ads. Here’s What I’ve Learned