Are you thinking of expanding your Google Ads strategy beyond search? One of the most common campaign types to explore next would be an image-based campaign: Google Discovery or Display. I’ve noticed a lot of confusion among business owners and practitioners alike around what’s the same and what’s different between Display and Discovery ads, and when it makes sense to use them. They are definitely not interchangeable! In this ultimate guide to Google Discovery ads vs. Display, we’ll compare these two Google Ads campaign types with regard to: Appearance Placements Targeting Performance When t ..read more

When you think of Google Ads targeting, you probably think of keywords. What you probably don’t think of right away is audiences: showing ads to people based on who they are rather than what they’re searching for. Audiences are one of the most powerful and underutilized targeting strategies in Google Ads, and you can target audiences in Search, Display, Discovery, Video, and Shopping campaigns. (Performance Max campaigns use “audience signals,” which is for another post!) In this post, I’m going to cover all of the Google Ads audience targeting options you have so you can determine which is r ..read more

Every sports team has its star player. Scores the goals. Nets the points. Wows the crowd. And every team also has a playmaker. Rarely scores. Not the fastest. But brings out the best in every other player on the field, and is the catalyst for those wow plays. Well, if PPC was a sports team (let’s just call them the Clickers), search would be the star and display would be the playmaker. And advertisers who know how to harness display’s abilities? Well, they’re the ones who win. Studies have shown that 27% of consumers conduct a search for a business after seeing their display ad, and there’s a ..read more

I never shy away from expressing my love for YouTube Ads. I strongly believe they are one of the most cost-effective ways to build brand awareness or stay in front of a target audience. But as much as I love video campaigns in Google Ads, I also admit they are not perfect. There are certain things new YouTube advertisers should be aware of before launching a campaign. This post will cover three mistakes that are all too easy to make if you don’t pay attention to the fine print with your campaign settings. 4 fine-print details that impact your budget in Google Ads video campaigns The many featu ..read more

Display ads are quite the worthwhile investment for a business. They yield widespread and targeted exposure across the web; they help consumers get familiar with and more easily recognize your brand, and retargeting with display ads have a high ROI. But, display ad click-through rates (CTRs) are, on average, a fraction of search ad CTRs—the reason being that while you can target for general interests and behaviors, you can’t directly target exact phrases prospective customers are typing into the search box when seeking out a product, service, or solution—as is the case with paid search a ..read more

Google dynamic display ads (not to be confused with Dynamic Search Ads) are a valuable way to showcase previously viewed products or services to users who have already visited your website or app. The setup of dynamic remarketing in Google Ads is pretty easy, but this feature is available only for the Display Network and not available for every advertiser. Eligibility will differ depending on if you want to use dynamic ads for remarketing and what industry your account is in. To help you get started with this helpful feature of Google Ads, I’m going to walk you through the basics for cam ..read more

No matter what industry you are in, or how large of a budget you have, there are some standard rules I like to stick by when running campaigns on the Google Ads Display Network. Yes, no two accounts will perform the same, and the way we approach our strategies should be unique to each goal. But as long as I have been running awareness campaigns on the Display Network, I’ve been seeing the same mistakes pop up again and again. The worst part? These common mistakes are easy to avoid. Here are the six top Google Display Network mistakes that you need to avoid, plus how to do that: Combining ..read more

We all need some creative inspiration now and then—and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. When Julian Casablancas, legendary frontman of the Strokes, was asked about the similarities between the band’s hit single “Last Nite” and Tom Petty’s “American Girl,” he issued a terse response: “Yeah, we ripped it off. Where have you been?” Although this laissez-faire attitude towards plagiarism is baked into the foundation of rock ‘n’ roll, we’ve gotta play by the rules here in the digital marketing world. So, as you peruse this collection of outstanding banner ad examples, please refrain from taking the C ..read more

The year always feels almost over at Thanksgiving—and now that it’s officially December, anyway, I’m focused on planning for next year. While doing that, I’ve realized how many new features released in 2019 will make optimizing your Display Network campaigns a lot easier. Spoiler: The addition of video assets is one of my favorite new features. Here are my top five favorite new Display Network features you may or may not have noticed—either way, you’ll want to take advantage next year. 1. Campaign-level conversion tracking As of June 6, Google Ads conversion actions can be set at the campaign ..read more