The Display Network is a collection of websites – including specific Google websites such as Google Finance, Gmail, Blogger and YouTube – that show AdWords ads. This network also includes mobile websites and apps.
Matching your ad to websites in the Display Network
- Reach users by keywords and topics: Using contextual targeting, AdWords finds the best places for your ad across the Google Display Network, based on your keywords. This can help you show your ad to an audience that’s interested in your business and more likely to take action.
- Choose specific websites or pages: Put your message on the websites that you think are the best match for your business using placement targeting. By adding managed placements, you can show your ad on specific webpages, online videos, games, RSS feeds and mobile websites and apps that you have selected. You can even block your ads from websites that you don’t think are relevant.
- Find users who are already interested in what you have to offer: Show your ads on Display Network websites to specific groups of people. You can reach people who visited your website previously, by creating a remarketing campaign. To reach TV-like audiences on a broad scale and drive brand awareness, you can create affinity audiences. To reach specific audiences ready to make a purchase in a specific product or service area, you can create in-market audiences.
Media purchase options on the Google Display Network
Google AdWords is an auction-based advertising system that allows you to bid for ad placements on Google properties or publisher partner websites within the Google Display Network. You can bid on a cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-thousand-impression (CPM) basis.
Pricing for your goals
- Cost-per-click (CPC): With CPC bidding, you tell us how much you’re willing to pay per click, and we use that price in our auction pricing system. CPC is a great choice if your goal is to drive traffic to your site with your ads.
- Cost-per-thousand impression (CPM): With cost-per-thousand-impression (CPM) bidding, you bid based on the amount that you want to pay for impressions, or views, of your ad. CPM bidding works best when you want to focus on branding.
- Cost-per-acquisition (CPA): With the Conversion Optimiser tool, you bid using a maximum cost-per-acquisition (CPA), which is the most that you’re willing to pay for a customer performing a specified action on your website (such as a purchase or signup). Using historical information about your campaign, the Conversion Optimiser automatically finds the optimal cost-per-click (CPC) bid for your ad each time that it’s eligible to appear. You still pay per click, but you no longer need to adjust your bids manually to reach your CPA goals and can benefit from improved ROI. If your goal is to drive online transactions, this is the right choice for you.
Display inventory and ad formats on the Google Display Network
Display Inventory
Display inventory on the Google Display Network can come from one of two sources: AdSense or the DoubleClick Ad Exchange.
- AdSense: AdSense publishers are the primary source of inventory on the Google Display Network, serving text, display and video ads from AdWords on their sites. Publishers determine the type and size of ads they want to allow on their site, and then Google delivers ads that are relevant to their content through either contextual or placement targeting.
- DoubleClick Ad Exchange: Select inventory from the DoubleClick Ad Exchange is also part of the Google Display Network. All advertisers who are opted in to the Display Network [limited to certain regions] have access to DoubleClick Ad Exchange inventory. This allows your ads to appear on numerous DoubleClick Ad Exchange publisher sites in addition to those available through Google AdSense.
Ad Formats
The following display ad types are eligible to show on the Google Display Network:
- Text Ads: These are the most basic type of AdWords ads. They can be created directly in your AdWords account, and are often referred to as “sponsored links”.
- Image Ads: AdWords image ads are graphical ads that can be static (motionless) or animated. You can create and upload your own image ads, or use the AdWords Display Ad Builder to create one. Image ads can also be served by any certified third-party ad server.
- Video Ads: Online video is one of the largest areas of media consumption, with an audience of hundreds of millions who are open and accustomed to advertising in video content. Google AdWords allows you to reach and engage this audience with video placements and ads, which can be uploaded directly into the AdWords interface or served by a certified third party ad server.
- Rich Media Ads: Rich media ads allow you to more actively engage a web user than standard text or display formats. Rich media ads include video ads, Flash animated ads and ads that mix text and animated content and designs. You can easily create these types of ads using the AdWords Display Ad Builder, or you can use existing rich media assets served through a third party ad server.