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Would you like to promote your brand and what you offer, but you’re not sure which type of Google Ads campaign is best for you? Let’s see what to choose based on your marketing objectives.
Google Ads: What is it?
Formerly known as Google AdWords until 2018, Google Ads is Google’s online advertising platform. With this tool, advertisers can reach users potentially interested in their products or services
- while conducting searches on Google or partner sites,
- while browsing websites within the Google network,
- while watching videos on YouTube,
- while using smartphone apps.
To get an idea of how extensive the coverage offered by Google Ads is, consider that the Google Display Network includes more than 3 million websites and apps and can reach over 90% of Internet users globally. Additionally, it’s estimated that about 63,000 searches are conducted on Google every second.
The Google Network includes all placements where ads can be displayed and is divided into two groups:
- Search Network: placements that provide users with relevant results to what they are searching for at that moment (a “pull” mechanism).
- Display Network: placements based on a “push” mechanism, as users are not actively searching but see banners or video ads while browsing the web.
What types of campaigns does Google Ads offer?
Search Campaigns
Search campaigns show text ads when users are searching for what you offer.
Display Campaigns
Display campaigns show graphical ads (static or interactive illustrated banners and adaptable ads with text and images) as users browse online, watch YouTube videos, check Gmail, or use an app.
Video Campaigns
Video campaigns show video ads as users watch or search for YouTube videos or as they browse partner video sites within the Display Network.
Shopping Campaigns
Shopping campaigns highlight your product inventory by displaying ads that include the product name, a photo, the price, the store, and other information.
App Campaigns
App campaigns direct users to an app store to download your iOS or Android app.
Discovery Campaigns
Discovery campaigns use interactive visual ads that reach users as they scroll through their personalized feeds on Discover (within the Google Search app), YouTube, and Gmail.
Which Google Ads campaign should I choose for my objective?
Objective: Brand Awareness and Reach
Do you want to increase brand awareness and reach in order to be known by a wide audience? You can attract the attention of potential new customers with campaigns of the following types:
- Display
- Video
- Discovery
Objective: Product and Brand Consideration
If you want to generate curiosity and interest in your brand and what you offer, the most suitable Google Ads campaigns to reach a broad audience are:
- Display
- Video
- Discovery
Objective: Website Traffic
Do you want to increase visits to your website? Here are the types of campaigns that can help you reach specific audience segments interested in your brand or product:
- Search
- Shopping
In some cases, Display, Discovery or Video campaigns with lookalike, in-market, or custom intent audiences can also contribute to this objective.
Objective: Leads and Contacts
If you have lead generation goals and want to increase conversions on your website, the most suitable campaigns to encourage users to contact you are:
- Search
- Shopping
In some cases, Video Action campaigns or Display / Discovery remarketing campaigns targeting users who have already visited your website can also contribute to this goal.
However, it’s worth considering that Display, Discovery and Video campaigns can also bring conversions or leads, but in general, Search campaigns record higher conversion rates and are more suitable for achieving this objective. In fact, while Display, Discovery and Video campaigns allow us to reach a broad audience with lower costs, these users might not be immediately interested in us. On the other hand, Search campaigns offer much more precise targeting control and allow us to intercept users when they are actively searching for what we offer.
Objective: Sales
If your goal is to increase sales for your store or e-commerce, we recommend using:
- Shopping campaigns
- Search campaigns
In some cases, dynamic remarketing Display campaigns that show users the specific products they previously viewed on your website can also contribute to this objective.
Also, as with leads, Display campaigns can also drive sales, but in general, Search campaigns are more suitable and achieve higher conversion rates.
Objective: App Promotion
You can use App campaigns to encourage users to download your iOS or Android app.
However, remember that…
…every case must be evaluated individually! We recommend always consulting with a Google Ads specialist before deciding which campaigns to activate because there are many factors to consider: are you a B2B or B2C company? How broad is your audience? How much budget do you have? What industry do you operate in?
For example, Display remarketing might seem like the ideal campaign type to achieve your goals, but your audience might be too small or your company might belong to sectors that aren’t suitable for using remarketing. Another example is companies that want to generate leads through Search campaigns but belong to fields with very low search volumes, and thus they are forced to activate other types of campaigns to make their products known.
Whatever your main objective is, we still recommend not focusing on a single campaign but testing and combining different types. If we only concentrate on immediate conversions, we risk overlooking aspects like brand awareness or website traffic, which are crucial for long-term growth and populating potential remarketing audiences.
Would you like the support of our PPC specialists to understand which campaigns are most suitable for you? Contact us: we will help you achieve your marketing objectives and understand the results obtained with Google Ads.
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