Are you planning a new digital advertising campaign for your business? One of the most powerful tools in your marketing toolkit is the Google Ad.
Formerly known as Google AdWords, Google Ads is a platform used to generate online advertising that appears on the search engine’s result pages and the websites of its many partners. These ads achieve a range of goals, from finding new users to increasing conversions, and follow a range of formats, from text-based ads in Google search to video ads on YouTube.
Let’s explore the art of Google Ads, including the main campaign types available, the benefits they offer, and which ones might suit your business.
For expert assistance with Google Ads and your digital marketing strategy, contact our team at practiceedge today.
Google Ad Campaign Types
The Google Ad offering and the technology behind it are regularly evolving. As of 2024, these are the main campaign types available:
1. Search Ads
Probably the most famous Google Ads genre, search ads are text-based ads triggered by the use of specific keywords in Google searches. These ads are highly relevant to the user’s query, and also highly visible due to their placement at the top of the search results. They can be responsive search ads, based on pre-prepared copy supplied by your business and tailored in real time to searchers using Google AI technology. They may also be dynamic search ads, which pull content from one of your website landing pages, or call-only ads, which include a phone number as a hyperlink.
2. Display Ads
Display ads are visually engaging image-based ads that can expand the reach of your business. Unlike search ads, which appear in Google search results, display ads appear within the Google Display Network (GDN), a network of millions of websites and Google sites like YouTube. They are a popular ad format as they allow businesses to target specific audiences. Google’s AI technology creates the ads by drawing on a combination of pre-supplied assets, including images, video, and other rich media.
3. Video Ads
Video-based ads are designed for YouTube and other Google partner sites. They are favoured by businesses for a range of reasons, including their ability to show – not tell – benefits, and boost general awareness of a brand. Formats for video-based ads include skippable in-stream ads, non-skippable in-stream ads, in-feed video ads, short bumper ads, mobile-only outstream ads, and YouTube homepage ads.
4. App Ads
App ad campaigns are an effective tool for promoting mobile applications. They appear across the Google Display Network, Google Search, Google Play, YouTube, and millions of other sites and apps. Designed to drive installments and engagement, they encourage users to install your app or take action within the app. Google AI technology creates them based on information on your app and then serves them to the right audience.
5. Shopping Ads
Shopping ad campaigns allow businesses to promote specific products with ads that appear on SERPs, including in the Google Search and Shopping sections. Your business provides specific product imagery and prices, and then Google takes over and pulls from this information to create the ads. They may be standard product shopping ads or local inventory ads, used to promote products to searchers in a specific location.
6. Smart Ads
Smart ad campaigns used to be a unique campaign type, but now all Google Ads campaigns are classified this way. They are often associated with newcomers to the platform, as they outsource a lot of the work involved and save you time and effort. Once you enter your content and information, Google AI takes over and engineers campaigns with built-in bidding, targeting, and ad placement strategies. The resulting ads appear on Google Search, Google Maps, YouTube, and other platforms.
7. Performance Max Ads
Performance Max campaigns are more of a strategy than an ad type. Driven by your specific goals, from finding new customers to increasing conversions, Performance Max combines Google’s best AI-informed algorithms and bidding strategies with your customer data points and creative assets. The final auto-generated ads appear across the Google network, including in Google Search, Google Maps, YouTube, and Gmail.
8. Demand Gen Ads
Introduced in 2023, Demand Gen ad campaigns are the new and improved version of the old Discovery campaigns. Your business provides creative assets but doesn’t get a say in placement, bidding, and other settings. Offering huge reach and discoverability, these automated ads appear in Gmail, YouTube, and the Discover feed on the Google app.
Which Google Ad Type Will Work?
Every business has unique marketing needs, and there is no correct or incorrect approach to choosing ad types and formats. We recommend experimenting with and diversifying your campaigns by trying different ad types or running two or more campaigns at the same time.
First, consider your overall goals. If you want to build online sales and sign-ups to your websites, Search, Display or Shopping ads that drive people to your website or shop may be a great option. If your priority is entertaining and building awareness, consider video ads across YouTube. Or if you want to provide your content and let Google do most of the work, Performance Max or Demand Gen campaigns may be your best bet.
If in doubt, reach out to practiceedge and we’ll do the hard work for you!
Looking for Expert Advice on Google Ads?
With our Google Ads management services, we deliver fast, reliable results for healthcare businesses looking for an instant return on their marketing spend. Unlike other marketing strategies, which take months to build, Google Ads can be established quickly, placing you at #1 within a day!
To chat further about Google Ads and which campaigns might best suit your business, arrange a call with our friendly team.
