72% of consumers will use Google to find information on local merchants. But how can you get your website and product offerings to display to potential customers, customers who are looking for your exact offerings? Luckily, Google’s pay-per-click advertising enterprise, Google AdWords, has levelled the playing field for all businesses looking to capture qualified leads. With a Google AdWords campaign, you can generate increased revenue and grow your customer base and brand awareness. Today, we’re going to cover the reasons why you should incorporate display ads into your AdWords digital marketing campaign. We’ll also explain the different sizes of Google display ads available.
What’s the difference between Google display ads and search ads?
A search ad will display when someone searches for your exact keywords. If you own a shoe store called ‘Vinny’s Sandals,’ and someone enters ‘Vinny’s Sandals’ into the search bar, your ad for sandals will show up first on the search results page. In contrast, a Google display ad acts as a banner ad. It will display to people who are browsing online, but not necessarily for your specific keywords.
Going back to the shoe store example, if a customer orders a pair of t-strap sandals from Vinny’s, Vinny’s ads will continue to display different types of shoes while the customer casually browses the web. They’ll see ads for flip-flops when reading their favourite DIY gardening blog. And they’ll also notice ads for wedge sandals when they look up the weather report for the week. That way, Vinny’s Sandals stays at the forefront of their minds.
Why should you use Google display ads?
Unlike search ads, display ads have become a part of everyone’s day-to-day online search experience. If you’re not taking advantage of this unique opportunity to keep your business in front of qualified leads, you’re leaving money on the table. People spend way more time casually searching online and reading their favourite blogs and websites. They spend much less time explicitly searching for one thing. It’s important to grow your brand awareness by staying in close proximity to your potential customers. You need to keep exposing your brand to them while they casually search. That’s why using Google display ads alongside a search ad campaign will net you the best results for your digital marketing efforts. You’re showing up when someone searches for your product or service specifically, and your business ads are also displaying while they casually search and read online.
What are the different sizes of banner display ads?
- 250 x 250 Square
- 200 x 200 Small Square
- 468 x 60 Banner
- 728 x 90 Leaderboard
- 300 x 250 Medium Rectangle
- 336 x 280 Large Rectangle
- 120 x 600 Skyscraper
- 160 x 600 Wide Skyscraper
- 300 x 600 Half-page Ad
- 320 x 100 Large Mobile Banner
- 970 x 90 Large Leaderboard
Those sizes of Google display ads are available on desktop and tablet devices. But there is one ad size that is available on high-end mobile devices, and that is the 320 x 50 Mobile Leaderboard ad size.
What are the top performing Google display ad sizes?
According to Google’s recent statistics, the following ad sizes are the most effective:
- 300 x 250 Medium Rectangle
- 336 x 280 Large Rectangle
- 728 x 90 Leaderboard
- 300 x 600 Half-page
- 320 x 100 Large Mobile Banner
What size and ad format can you make your Google display ads?
Your ads must be no bigger than a 150 KB file size. It’s important that the ads load quickly, and any larger than that the ad will take too long to load. Google will reject any file sizes larger than 150 KB. Of course, anything less than 150 KB is fair game for a display ad. Display ads must also be in the following formats:
- JPEG
- SWF
- PNG
- GIF
What are the other rules and restrictions governing Google display ads?
Depending on the size of the ad, there will be a text restriction. Also, the file size has to be under 150 KB. Also, ads that have a white background must include a border. Without a border, the ad won’t appear separate from the website it will display on.
What’s the easiest way to optimise your Google display ads?
You want your ad to stand out, but you don’t want it to appear ‘busy.’ One of the plusses for consumers who see display ads is that the ads aren’t obtrusive, or ‘in your face.’ So, you want to use colors that are appealing, but not loud or annoying. Also, you’ll want to use colors that align with your branding. They don’t have to be an exact match, but they’ll need to be recognisable and otherwise complement your logo. If you display an ad that, when clicked, takes the visitor to a landing page that looks completely different than the ad, it could confuse the visitor and result in a high bounce rate. On that note, also make sure that you are using fonts that either match or complement your logo, brand, and website.
Once you get the font and colors optimised, you’ll want to create a clear call-to-action (CTA). The text doesn’t necessarily have to be clever or catchy, but you want the CTA to display clearly. Usually, a simple button with a ‘Shop Now’ or ‘Learn More’ can be the most effective. It’s evident to the viewer what the ad is going to lead them to, either a line of products or an informative, value-based landing page.
When it comes to using images and graphics, you want to tread carefully here. One of the most significant advantages you have with a Google display ad versus a search ad is that you can use visuals to appeal to the viewer. So, you want to use imagery that provokes the emotions you’re trying to convey, while also forging a connection with the viewer. You’ll want to use images that will inform the viewer about what you’re selling with an appealing product photo or a picture of a happy customer.
For the layout, you’ll want to keep things clean. Generally, a simple design with clean photos and imagery will perform better than something more complex, or ‘busy.’ Reading on a digital device can strain the eye, so you’ll want to make it easy on the viewer with a pleasing ad that isn’t loud or complex. So, be careful with the text. You don’t want to use too much. Plus, it’s a waste or your time and energy to create a ton of text because chances are, the viewer won’t read it anyway. It’s best to boil down your message into a simple quote, compelling statement, or bullet points to get your message across.
Overall, you’ll want to keep text to a minimum, use pleasing, branded colours, and make sure the CTA is clearly displayed for the best results. But remember, you’ll always want to keep testing and tweaking for better ad performance. Through perseverance, trial and error, you’ll be able to optimise the ads further and get better conversions over time.
We Can Help
The issue most small business owners have when it comes to creating a Google display ad campaign is time. It takes time, and continuous tweaking and research to get a Google AdWords campaign up and running, and then get it to perform better and better. That’s why at Australian Internet Advertising, we’ll partner with you to get an effective Google AdWords display campaign started for your business. We know exactly what it takes to increase your conversions and grow your brand awareness with appealing and effective banner ads.
Are you ready to get started with a professional, lucrative Google Adwords display campaign? Reach out to us today, and we’ll be happy to help you grow your customer base and increase your sales with a Google AdWords digital marketing campaign.
