Google Ads, formerly known as Google AdWords, is an online advertising platform developed by Google that helps businesses reach their target audience through different ad formats. This allows businesses to promote their products and services on the world’s largest search engine, ultimately driving increased traffic, leads, and sales.
With so many different ad formats available to businesses, it can be difficult to understand which format is right for your goals. In this blog post, we will explore the different ad formats available within the Google Ads eco-system and when to use them to achieve the best results.
Search Ads
Search ads are the most basic type of ad format and are text only. These ads appear at the top and bottom of the search results page and are triggered by specific keywords. They can be an effective way to drive conversions directly from the search engine results page.
Businesses can use search ads to target specific keywords, so when a user searches for that keyword, their ad will enter the auction to appear along the search results page. This format is great for businesses with a clear idea of what their target keywords are and who want to drive traffic to a specific landing page on their website.
Display Ads
Display ads are visual ads that appear on blogs, news sites, and other websites within the Google Display Network. The Google Display Network includes over 2 million websites that reach over 90% of internet users worldwide; this means that your ad has the potential to reach millions of people.
Display ads are best for raising brand awareness, as they are visually appealing and can incorporate multiple elements, such as images, animations, and videos. Businesses using this format can take advantage of Google’s targeting tools to show their ads to a specific audience such as demographic, interest, topics and custom-intent. Display ads are best for businesses that want to increase their brand’s visibility, especially among new audiences who may not be aware of their brand.
Video Ads
Video ads are engaging and capture the attention of users in a very different way compartd to both text-based and display ads. These ads appear before or during the video users are watching on YouTube, the second-largest search engine after Google. Video ads can be in-display where they appear as related videos, or in-stream where they appear before, during, or after the video.
Video ads can increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, and can result in higher engagement rates compared to other ad formats. Video ads are useful for businesses looking to introduce a new product or services or provide customers with a preview before deciding to make a purchase.
Shopping Ads
Shopping ads are visual ads accompanied by details about products and prices, and appear above or next to search results. These ads are used by e-commerce sites that want to promote their products on the search results page.
Shopping ads give users an idea of the product and the price, making it easier for them to make a purchase decision. Businesses can also take advantage of Google Ads’ machine learning algorithms that predict which products perform significantly based on audience signals and deliver these ads on more relevant search queries.
It’s important to note that shopping ads can be time consuming to create and link your website products to the Google Merchant Centre. If you’re unfamiliar with this or with the creation of shopping feeds, it’s best to enlist the services of a Google AdWords agency to support you in this area.
App Ads
App ads are designed specifically for mobile apps and appear across various mobile platforms such as Google Play Store and YouTube. App ads are exact for businesses whose primary source of revenue comes from an application.
This ad format can help businesses find customers who are interested in their app and then direct those customers to a specific app store page where they can download the application. App ads use machine learning techniques to deliver these ads to users who are more likely to install and use the application.
Conclusion
Google Ads is a powerful advertising platform that allows businesses to choose from a variety of ad formats and target audiences with precision. Each of these ad formats has a different goal and is effective for specific audiences.
By understanding the different ad formats available within the Google Ads platform, businesses can make informed decisions and choose the best format for their goals. Whether it’s increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or boosting conversions, each ad format within the Google Ads platform can help businesses achieve their desired result.
