While the exact number of ads a person sees in a day is hotly debated, we can all agree on one thing: it’s a lot. We’re constantly exposed to marketing messages throughout the day as brands seek to capture our attention. It’s no surprise that it takes multiple touchpoints to make a lasting impression on consumers.
For advertisers, this means you need a strong marketing mix to reach users where they are. Enter the Google Display Network (GDN), a massive collection of websites, apps, and platforms where your ads can appear. GDN is ideal for brand awareness, allowing you to introduce your brand to new users and maintain a presence throughout the customer journey.
Let’s break down the Google Display Network, how it compares to other ad types, and how you can effectively use it to grow your brand.
What is the Google Display Network?
The Google Display Network is a collection of over 2 million websites, apps, and videos where Google Ads can appear. This flexible platform shows both text and image ads while users browse websites, check their Gmail, watch YouTube videos, or use mobile apps.
The primary purpose of display advertising is to help your brand reach a broad audience. It focuses less on capturing immediate intent and more on achieving the necessary number of impressions to drive conversions.
Google Display vs. Google Search
Many advertisers debate whether Google Display or Google Search is better for their business. Understanding the difference between the two will help you pick the right strategy to achieve your goals:
- Google Search Ads: These ads are intent-based. They appear when a user types in a specific query, like “dentist near me.” Users who conduct these searches are often further along in their buying journey and more likely to convert.
- Google Display Ads: These awareness-based ads appear when users are passively browsing, rather than actively searching. The goal is to introduce your brand and keep it visible as users go about their day online.
Simply put, search captures demand, while display creates it. If you’re not sure which strategy to pursue, the experienced digital marketers at Square 205 can guide you on whether one or a combination of search and display will help you reach your business objectives.
The Benefits of Running Display Ads
If you choose to use the Google Display Network for brand awareness, it provides several unique advantages:
- Massive Reach: GDN reaches over 90% of internet users globally, making it an excellent way to introduce your brand to a wide audience.
- Visual Storytelling: Display ads allow advertisers to create eye-catching images, animations, and videos to showcase their brand’s personality.
- Targeting Precision: Google offers robust targeting options so you can reach users by demographics, interests, website behavior, and on specific placements.
- Remarketing Opportunities: Display reinforces your brand to past site visitors, encouraging them to convert over time.
- Cost-Effective Impressions: Display ads often have a lower cost-per-click than Search, so you can gain more visibility for your budget.
How to Set Up & Optimize a Google Display Campaign
An effective Google display campaign requires a strategic approach to both setup and optimization. Let’s break it down into three essential components: creative, targeting, and optimization.
Creative
Your campaign’s creative captures the attention of your audience while communicating your message. GDN allows for both text and image ads, but compelling visuals are essential for a successful display campaign.
When creating ads for a display campaign:
- Use high-quality images that align with your brand’s aesthetic. Display ads often appear on cluttered pages, so your design needs to cut through the noise.
- Include a clear value proposition in your headline or image.
- Always add a strong call to action (CTA) like “Learn More,” “Sign Up,” or “Shop Now.”
- Test different ad formats to see what performs best:
- Image Ads: These image-only ads can be created in various sizes and displayed across the web.
- Responsive Display Ads: These ads test different combinations of images and text, rotating until they identify what resonates most effectively.
- Video Ads: Videos can be used for advertising on YouTube, as well as on websites and apps within the Google Display Network.
Targeting
Take advantage of GDN’s targeting capabilities to ensure your ads are being shown to the right people, in the right places.
Targeting options include:
- Affinity audiences: Reach people based on their broader interests, like “fitness enthusiasts” or “tech lovers.”
- In-market audiences: Target users who are actively researching products or services similar to yours.
- Custom segments: Build audiences based on specific keywords, websites, or apps your ideal customer engages with.
- Placement targeting: Hand-pick websites or YouTube channels where your ads should appear.
- Remarketing: Re-engage users who have previously interacted with or taken specific actions on your site or app.
We recommend starting with a broad audience to build awareness, and then narrowing your target as you refine your campaigns.
Optimization
Display campaigns are not a “set it and forget it” effort. They require ongoing refinement to perform well.
- Monitor performance metrics like CTR, impressions, and conversions.
- Use A/B testing to compare different creatives or CTAs.
- Adjust bids and budgets based on what’s driving the most value.
- Enable automated targeting and bidding (like Smart Display) if you want Google’s AI to help optimize delivery.
- Regularly exclude low-performing placements that aren’t driving results.
The more you test and tweak, the better your campaigns will perform over time.
Expand Your Reach with GDN
If brand awareness is a key goal for your business, the Google Display Network should be included in your digital strategy. Its unmatched reach, when combined with compelling creative and strategic targeting, provides a powerful way to grow visibility and reach for your brand.
Whether you’re a small business looking to grow your presence or an established brand trying to stay visible in a crowded market, the Google Display Network can help you make meaningful connections through multiple impressions.
Square 205’s digital marketing team has years of experience in building and optimizing display campaigns. If you’re ready to grow the awareness of your business and launch a display campaign, we’re here to provide comprehensive services and support. Contact Square 205 to start experimenting and watch your brand’s visibility grow.
