When people talk about Google advertising, they usually refer to the text-only Google AdWords links that appear at the top of Google's search results. And though paying to get to the top of search results does make sense for many companies, it is not the only option you have for advertising through Google.
The Google Display Network is a service provided to advertisers and website owners in which Google serves up display ads on third-party web pages. The websites on which the ads appear get paid a portion of the ad revenue from Google, without having to manage the logistics of selling and serving up the ads. Advertisers get the convenience of dealing with a single advertising network, instead of buying from the literally millions of different websites individually.
Display vs. Search Advertising
So why would someone choose to advertise on the Google Display Network instead of on Google itself, or vice versa?
The Google Display Network allows for a different type of ad. With display advertising you can include images or animation and produce ads of varying shapes and sizes. Ads on Google's search engine results pages are text-only and are limited in terms of size or placement. Also, though Google by itself produces billions of search engine results pages daily, the Google Display Network provides several billion additional page views each day.
AdWords does have the advantage of providing ads that match what the consumer is literally searching for. This means that searchers are often further along in the sales cycle than someone who is simply reading a related web page. From a strategy standpoint, display ads would more often be used to build awareness or reach people earlier in the buying process.
Google Display Network Targeting
That does not mean the Google Display Network cannot be used to target those most likely to buy. The Google Display Network allows just as much targeting as AdWords; the targeting is simply accomplished in somewhat different ways.
For example, Google Display Network advertising is based around keywords, same as with AdWords. The difference is that display ads are based on the keywords appearing on the web page being read, whereas search ads are based on the user typing those keywords into Google search.
Google Display Network ads can include many other types of targeting, besides just keyword targeting.
- Remarketing. With remarketing efforts, you can put your message back in front of prospects who have already visited your site. These display ads can be targeted based on the specific pages they looked at, so you can advertise the very product they were considering.
- Interests. You can target users based on their interests. Interests are determined by looking at the user's online behavior or by them self-selecting the types of ads they prefer.
- Topics. In a similar vein, you can set your ads to display only on sites that cover a particular topic.
- Geography. Obviously, if you serve only local customers, you will want to target based on the user's location.
- Demographics. To a certain extent, you can target ads towards a specific gender or age group.
- Timing. As with AdWords, you can control the days and times in which your ads appear.
- Frequency. You can place a cap on how many times any particular user sees your ad within a given time period.
- Placement. You can control which sites or pages your ads display on or the position of the ad on the page itself.
With the right targeting and creative ad design, the Google Display Network could serve a valuable role within your overall advertising strategy.
* Image courtesy of YooTheme
