A Quick Look at Google Display Campaigns

If you haven't tried a Google Display campaign but have always wondered what and how best to try, this article is for you. Here I'll go over what a display campaign is, some options you could try and how you can get the most from one.

What is a display campaign

A display campaign is a collection of ads displayed on the web pages, articles, or videos that potential customers visit.

This selection of web pages, articles, or videos is called the Google Display Network. This network comprises of over two million websites (and other resources) and reaches over 90% of internet users worldwide.

What's the difference between a search campaign and a display campaign?

At a fundamental level, it's all about a potential customers mindset.

When a person heads over to Google search, nine times out of ten, they are in the mindset of solving their problem now.

For example, if someone types in:

"garage door company Exeter"

You can be pretty confident they are on the hunt for a new garage door and are looking for a company to fulfil that need. 

Whereas with the display network, your ads are displayed usually when a potential consumer might not even know they need your product/service yet, but you're letting them know you are there when they do.

As well as other things, display advertising is an excellent tactic we PPC specialists use for brand awareness campaigns.  

There is an exception to this, and that is remarketing. I've written a blog post going deeper into the topic of remarketing and the options available.   

What can you do with a display campaign

I love display campaigns because of the choices available, from advert varieties to targeting types and everything in between.

Let's look at an example of ad options and audience types:

A client of mine wanted to get more people aged 16 – 24 to become aware of them and visit their site to sign up for a Traineeship.

First, I utilised the company's fantastic selection of photographs and videos to create a series of ads that would speak to their target audience.

Next, I used Google's vast audience targeting to ensure my clients display ads are shown to the right audience at the right time to increase the chances of them clicking the ads and coming through to the website.

A few tips to get the most from your display campaign  

1. Think about the audience first – whom are you targeting? What do you want them to do?  This will inform everything you do within your display campaign, from selective ad copy to using photos and what audience segments to target.  
2. Don't just use images; try and use video too – people love videos, and if you can put together a short, concise video for people to learn about your product or service, you will see your engagement increase.
3. Keep experimenting – it is essential to look at your results regularly and improve on them by creating new display ads and running them against each other.   

So there you have it a quick look at google display campaigns. I hope this has encouraged you to have a try and see what it can do for you.

If you are struggling to find the time to manage or grow your Google Ads campaigns, I offer a PPC Management Service to take care of the whole process for you.

I also offer a PPC Consultancy Service to work with you on a one-off project – like adding a display campaign to your account.