While comparing the merits of each campaign type on AdWords can be debated endlessly, there’s no denying how low-maintenance a display campaign is compared to a search campaign. While a search campaign requires weekly maintenance and should be monitored on a daily basis, display campaigns can be set up in just 10 minutes and rarely warrant weekly maintenance. However, this is not to say display campaigns should be treated lackadaisically, as display ads reach a wide audience, and regardless of their budget, need to be perfect prior to being submitted to Google for approval. In order to make sure your display campaign is ready, follow this short, simple guide.
1. Obtain or create the ad creatives you desire to use
If you plan on using Photoshop to create your ads, make sure you have the address, hours, offers or any other information that’s going to be displayed 100% correct.
2. Resize your ad to Google’s specifications
Google has 5 standard image sizes that its partners use for ad space. They go as follows:
- 728 x 90
- 250 x 250
- 160 x 600
- 320 x 50
- 300 x 25
For the complete list, visit Google’s AdWords support page.
3. Compress your ads to less than 150 kb
Google doesn’t allow for ads larger than 150 kb. Therefore, you’ll need to compress your ads to less than 150 kb in order for Google to approve them. If you’re in photoshop, this can typically be done by converting your ad into a .png file.
4. Set a budget and marketing objective
While display campaigns can be set to “Drive Action”, which is a strategy aimed to increase the numbers of conversions, display campaigns are generally best at spreading awareness, as most people who see your ads will see them on a website that has nothing to do with your business. This is the biggest departure between search and display ads, as with search ads, most people will see your ad after searching for online for relevant services.
This is the biggest departure between search and display ads, as with search ads, most people will see your ad after searching for online for relevant services. However, with even a very limited budget, display campaigns still reach a wide audience. You can then expect an exceedingly higher number of impressions than conversions relative to your search campaigns.
5. Choose who’s seeing your ads
Google allows you to choose which towns will appear in. It’s important to know which towns are most worthwhile to target. Next, you can select which digital publications you want your ads to be shown in. While Google can automatically set where your ads will appear based on different interests, if you know your demographic well, you can select the exact publications. For example, if you run a landscaping business in Northern New Jersey, it’d be smart to choose the New York Times website (https://www.nytimes.com/) as this is generally the preferred newspaper for this part of the country.
6. Upload Your Ads
Next, upload your ads, which will ideally be in the 5 image sizes specified above. It’s then important for you to monitor your ads and if necessary, add to your list of placement, or sites your ads are published in. At some point, you may also want to change the marketing objective you initially set, perhaps to then generate more conversions as your brand becomes bigger and bigger.