Google and its subsidiary YouTube are, by far, the most visited websites in Australia, which makes them prime online advertising channels for the region. If done well, advertising on Google can reasonably guarantee a large number of high-value impressions for your brand for much less money than an advertising campaign done through traditional forms of media.
Google has been around for decades now, and, in that time, it has developed a large number of campaign types. Each Google Ads campaign type has different ad formats and subtypes, and, counting all of these together, you’d get 20 or so different types of Google Ads. However, if you’re just getting to know how Google Ads works in the context of online advertising, you really only need to know about the nine campaign types.
It can take a lot of time to fully master any of the nine core Google Ads campaigns. This is probably why not every digital or social media marketing agency can effectively run all these campaign types. Indeed, a few may even recommend an inappropriate campaign type simply because they can’t do anything else. That’s why it is important to hire the services of e digital marketing agency that possesses a deep understanding of how Google Ads work.
That being said, however, the best way to know which campaign types will work best for your brand is to try them all out yourself. Here’s a quick overview of the nine types of Google Ads campaigns:
Search Ads
- Location: These ads appear within Google's search results page (SERPs).- Best for: Promoting landing pages related to specific keywords.
- Cost per lead: Typically moderate to high for highly contested keywords. They can be extremely cost-effective with a long-tail strategy targeting large numbers of lower-value keywords.
- Key features: Text-based ads that are highly targeted based on real-time search queries, making them cost-efficient and effective for reaching people actively searching for related information or products.
Display Ads
- Location: Display ads are seen on millions of websites, apps, and Google properties within the Google Display Network, including YouTube, Gmail, and other widely-used Alphabet properties.- Best for: Building brand awareness and reaching new audiences across various content formats.
- Cost per lead: Typically moderate.
- Key features: These visually oriented ads can be displayed in various formats on the Google Display Network’s webpages and apps, and they can be customised to target specific audience segments.
Shopping Ads
- Location: Shopping ads can be found on Google Shopping, Google search engine results pages (SERPs), Images, Maps, and search partner results.- Best for: Promoting physical products listed in Google Merchant Center.
- Cost per lead: Generally low.
- Key features: Shopping ads use product data from the Google Merchant Center, displaying images and details of products related to user searches. They can be highly effective for e-commerce businesses.
Video Ads
- Best for: Promoting video content or reaching highly engaged users with dynamic video ads.
- Cost per lead: Typically low. However, you also have to account for the production costs of your video, which can vary depending on your approach and the production quality you’re comfortable with.
- Key features: Video ads can be effective for engaging users on YouTube as well as on third-party websites and apps. With YouTube’s popularity continuing to grow, these ads can be a good investment if you can produce videos of sufficiently high quality.
App Ads
- Location: App ads are displayed on Google Play Store search results, Play Store suggestions, Google SERPs, YouTube feeds, Google Discover, and the Google search partner network.- Best for: Promoting existing apps or upcoming Android apps.
- Cost per lead: Moderate to high.
- Key features: These ads target mobile users interested in installing or engaging with apps. Critically, these ads use data from the Play Store to automatically create ads.
Discovery Ads
- Location: Discovery ads appear on YouTube Home and Watch Next feeds, Google Discover, and the Gmail Promotions and Social tabs using a single campaign.- Best for: Targeting users (who are ready to make a purchase) with visually appealing automated ads.
- Cost per lead: Generally low.
- Key features: Discovery ads use AI and machine learning to tailor ads to user preferences, appearing on platforms where users are already browsing and showing high potential for conversion.
Local Services Ads
- Location: Local Services ads are visible on Google SERPs and Google Maps.- Best for: Advertising geographically specific products or services to localised leads.
- Cost per lead: Moderate to high. In context, however, these leads are often very high value for local businesses that require walk-ins, often justifying the associated costs.
- Key features: These ads are designed for local businesses and connect directly with customers, providing highly targeted, localised qualified leads.
Smart Ads
- Location: Smart ads can appear on Google SERPs, Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail, and search partner sites.- Best for: Executing goal-centric campaigns that prioritise outcomes over specific advertising channels.
- Cost per lead: Moderate to high.
- Key features: These ads act as centralised hubs for cross-channel advertising, allowing advertisers to focus on goals rather than individual channels while still incorporating labour-saving automation features.
Performance Max Ads
- Location: Performance Max (PMax) ads are displayed across all Google advertising channels.- Best for: Creating channel-agnostic ads that are automatically optimised for audiences across all Google advertising surfaces.
- Cost per lead: Generally high. However, the use of AI and machine learning offsets some of the hidden time and labour costs associated with setting up targeted ads.
- Key features: Performance Max ads leverage machine learning and automation to optimise ads automatically across all Google channels, providing a holistic approach to advertising.
Which Ones Should You Choose?
The “best” campaign type can depend on several factors, including your available resources, the type of business you have, as well as the quirks of your target region’s online market. Your marketing team’s specialisations and local knowledge will, therefore, play a key role, even with the increasing use of AI and machine learning in online advertising.
For instance, if you want to target Western Australia, you may want to choose a trusted digital agency Perth businesses already depend on. Regardless of where they’re located, choosing a digital agency that knows your market and is familiar with how Google’s tools work will be your best bet for drawing in qualified leads and conversions with Google’s various ad types.
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