In the digital era, advertising is crucial in the quest to be seen, and this requires tremendous amounts of knowledge and insights when considering campaigns to reach target audiences..

With so many methods of creating compelling ad campaigns, one wonders, especially if your client has never tried out using online ad platforms such as Google AdWords, what the most effective path to take is and which campaign type is the best fit for your business.

So, let’s get to the meat of it all. For this blog, we will focus mainly on the two ad campaign types found on Google AdWords namely, Display Network and Search Network.

To differentiate the two, it is worth noting that the display network refers to ads that are placed using banner-style advertisements placed on websites across the internet (which reaches approximately 90% of users on the internet worldwide), while the search network is a pay-per-click way of advertising where advertisers bid on keywords relevant to the business and their ads appear when users search for queries similar to their keywords. This form of advertising is also called paid search.

The aim of this blog is to help you decide which campaign may be the most worthwhile to use to reach your client’s audience. Let’s get into it.

• Display Network (Only)

As we mentioned, the “Display Network” is great way of reaching millions of internet users while they are browsing their favourite websites. You can do this through different ad formats like reach media, images and video ads.

This means that even though a user isn’t searching for your client’s business, you can place their ads on other websites, preferably those that are relevant to the business, and be seen. Using this network allows you to target new and existing customers, by remarketing for the latter, across Google Display Networks and this includes placing your ads on videos, apps Gmail, YouTube, Blogger, Google Finance, Google Maps as well as other websites that show Google ads.

Through contextual targeting, this campaign type matches your ads with websites and placements such as those mentioned above, with keywords relevant to the sites. An upside of this campaign is that it is automatically set on “all features” which permits bidding and budget settings, the inclusion of ad extensions (which are URLs, location, contact details and social links). You can also target by device models, language, location and other specifications you may want to solely focus on.

• Search Network (Only)

Want your client to be seen on search results? The “Search Network Only” option is what you’re looking for. This campaign type displays your client’s ad alongside search results as well as on Google’s search networks such as Google Shopping and Google Maps as well as Google partner sites. So, when someone types in a query that matches your selected keywords, your client’s ads are mostly likely to show up. This campaign type may come across as limited, but has the potential to reach a wide range of users across the web and takes less time to set up. As advertisers, our objectives are different and the search network only campaign is geared towards advertisers who want users who directly search for their client’s products or services.

This campaign type offers two settings; Standard and All Features. Do note though that the  standard settings do not offer ad scheduling and methods of delivery options like advanced location, mobile app extensions and some other features.

• Want The Best Of Both Worlds: “Search Network with Display Select”

For an all-inclusive solution, with features from both networks, “Search Network with Display Select” is your go-to campaign. With this campaign type, you can get your bread buttered on both sides. Your client’s ads will show up alongside search results as well as in relevant placements on the Display Network.

Related Tag: White Label Adwords