A Complete Rundown of Google Ads Format Types

Google Ads is the most popular PPC and Internet advertising platform. Marketers flock to Google Ads because, let’s face it, Google is search. It’s why you say, “I’ll Google it,” instead of, “Let me search for it.”

While Bing and other search platforms may not want to admit it, Google is to search engines what Coca-Cola is to Cola or Xerox is to making copies.

But, it isn’t just the size and popularity of Google that makes Google Ads an appealing platform. It is also an incredibly robust advertising service that is bursting at the seams with options, features and other tools that you can’t get with other PPC platforms.

One of the ways that this robustness manifests itself is in the vast number of format types that Google Ads offers its users. Their already-expansive repertoire continues to grow all the time with new format types.

All of these different ad types can be a touch overwhelming for marketers. Like a kid in a toy store holding a crisp $20 bill, the options are both exciting and terrifying. How do you know where to start and what to choose?

This guide aims to help you answer that very question by breaking down each format type and exploring the advantages, disadvantages and when to use each option.

Part 1: The Anatomy of an Internet Ad

Before diving into each ad format type, it is essential first to explore the fundamental components that make up an ad. What is an Internet ad?

More specifically, what are the universal components of an ad? These include parts like headlines, descriptions, CTAs and others.

And also, what are the other factors that influence an ad. Examples of these factors include your competition, your advertising goals, and your audience.

Understanding these different components will make it easier to navigate the different ad formats discussed in the later sections of this guide.

Ad Structure Components

No matter what type of ad format you choose, some basic ad components are always going to be present. Creating effective ads of any shape, size or form requires you to master developing these individual parts.

Headlines

Also known as the ad title or ‘Headline 1,’ ad viewers are first drawn to this component. Headlines have the very demanding responsibilities of attracting attention and enticing a consumer to click and explore more.

Despite this significant responsibility, headlines have limited character space, which means you don’t have a lot of room to get the job done. You may only have enough space for a handful of words.

What are the responsibilities of a headline? Ideally, your ad title will…:

• Attract attention from your desired audience(s)
• Create an emotional response
• Highlight the critical and relevant selling point(s) of your product/service
• Encourage action from viewers
• Encapsulate your brand image/persona

It takes years for advertisers and marketers to learn the art of using this limited space to create compelling headlines that achieve all of these objectives. And, even seasoned marketers will revise their headlines repeatedly, until they find the right fit.

Sub-Headlines

The job of a sub-headline is to add more context and understanding to the headline and reinforce your brand message. Not every ad will include a sub-headline, or ‘Headline 2.’ Some ad format types don’t allow space for this secondary title.

Ideally, your sub-headline will help ad viewer’s transition from the headline text into the body copy. Alternatively, it can assist your headline in achieving each item on that objective list.

For example, Headline 1 may be used to attract attention, create an emotional response and encapsulate your brand, while Headline 2 follows this with a call to action that includes the key selling points of your products/services. And Headline 3 make a great influence on the user by adding some catchy lines like “Premium Quality”, “free shipping” and discounts offer like “Get your free quote today” as shown below.

 

Body or Description

When your headlines hook a potential customer, it’s the job of your ad description to reel those individuals in. The body of your ads is longer than your headlines, which means you have more space to sell yourself to consumers.

With their attention already drawn, the objectives shift. Descriptions need to reinforce the benefits mentioned in the headline by adding more details. There are many ways that marketers use their descriptions to add depth to their ads:

• Expanding on the product benefits and/or options
• Showcasing customer testimonials or reviews
• Adding statistics about the product or service (everyone loves numbers!)
• Including pricing information
• Mentioning any special offers or deals

Descriptions need to be active and just as compelling as your headlines. Even though you have more space, using generic language or including non-value-added details will detract from your ad experience.

URL and Landing Pages

The final piece of your ad structure puzzle is the URL link that sends shoppers to your landing page. Google asks for a display URL (what the URL will look like to ad viewers) and the physical address of the landing page.

The display URL needs to be short, clean and straightforward. Consumers are less likely to click an ad with a long link because it can come across as untrustworthy or spam.

Your display URL should be a short link right from the root of your homepage, such as

wwww.yourwebsite.com/productlandingpage.

The landing page, while not a component of the ad itself, is a part of the ad experience. Your landing page needs to be relevant to the product and keywords used in the advertisement. It also needs to include any offers or benefits described in the ad.

When there are discrepancies between the ad and the landing page, it will not only deter potential customers, but it will hurt your Google Ads Quality Score.

Other Ad Influences

As you are creating ads and tinkering with different headlines and descriptions, there are a few outside factors that you need to bear in mind. These conditions will influence your ads and their performance.

Advertising Goals

Why are you leveraging Internet advertisements? What are your goals for using Google Ads? It’s these overarching objectives that should guide your advertising strategies.

After all, not all businesses use Google Ads strictly to sell products. Building brand awareness, generating new leads or encouraging in-person store visits are just some of the common goals that are not directly sales related.

Your goals should not only dictate how you structure your online ads, but also what format types you select. Some format types are better at specific purposes than others.

Your Audiences

Your goals answer the ‘Why?’ of your advertising strategies, whereas your audiences answer the ‘Who.’ Who are you hoping to attract with your ads? What are your ideal audience segments?

It’s vital to recognize your audience when constructing an ad or choosing a format type for several reasons.

First, certain ad format types appear in different places. You need to know where your audiences are gathering to choose the right ad formats and place your brand messages in the best locations across the Internet.

Knowing where your audience is will protect you from investing in ad formats that are not effective. If your customers aren’t gathering on YouTube, for example, then you don’t need to spend money on video ads.

You also want to use language that resonates with your target audiences and highlights the product benefits that are most relevant to that segment. This will ensure that potential customers enjoy and appreciate the voice and message of your ads.

The Competition

Competition is a massively impactful factor in planning your PPC strategies. It influences your ads and your ad format types.

Winning on a PPC network means standing out from the crowd. You need to consider the where and the how.

• Where (through what format types and channels) is competition strongest and weakest?
• How are your competitors advertising their products

You need to study how your competitors are advertising their products and services and compare their efforts to your own. This means examining what benefits, emotions and problems they are targeting.

Similarly, you need to pay attention to what format types competitors are using. Finding under-utilized formats is a fantastic opportunity to stand out. There’s no better way to stand out than to dress your ads in an entirely different way!

Part 2: Google Ads Networks And Format Types Overview

Now that you have a complete understanding of the various components and factors that influence your ads and choice of format types, it is time to begin exploring all of the Google Ads format types that marketers can use to advertise their products to customers.

Google Ads Networks

Google separates its ad platform into two networks: Google Display Network and Google Search Network. All of the ad format types will fall under one or both of these categories. It’s important to identify how these two networks operate.

Google Search Network

The Google Search Network is the primary ad network on the platform. It is the first style of ads that come to mind when you think about Google advertising.

When someone completes a search on Google, part of the results are sponsored ad content. This is the work of the Google Search Network. Advertisers bid on search keywords that trigger the ads when Google users search for these terms.

It’s the digital advertising equivalent of publishing your business in the Yellow pages!

Types of Google Search Ad Formats:

• Text ads
• Dynamic search ads
• Call-only ads
• Product shopping ads
• Showcase shopping ads
• App promotion ads

 

Google Display Network

While “Google” is still in the name, the Display Network has nothing to do with using the search engine. Display Ads appear on other Google sites, like YouTube and Gmail, and websites all over the Internet that have partnered through the Google AdSense program.

Google AdSense is the other side of Google’s advertising coin. It is where websites allow Google to publish ads on their pages. This permits marketers to place ads on thousands of the Internet’s most popular sites.

If you’ve ever been browsing a website and spotted an ad banner in the margins, then this may be the work of the Google Display Network.

Types of Google Display Ad Format Types:

• Text ads
• Rich media ads
• Image Ads
• Video ads
• Responsive Ads

 

Part 3: Google Search Network Ad Format Types

The Google Search Network is where most marketers start their Internet advertising journey. It’s largely considered to be the easier of the two networks to utilize. Thus, it’s best to start with ad format types on the Google Search Network.

1. Text Ads

This is the most straightforward format of PPC ads. A basic text ad consists of at least one ad title or headline, a display URL and up to two short descriptions and provide you up to three headings and two description at maximum. The first two headline fields are required, while the third is optional. The extra headline field allows you to include additional text in your ads.

Limitation for the text ad characters limits:

This example, provided by the Google Support Library, shows an ad with three headlines, a URL and two descriptions.

Advantages of Text Ads

• Text ads are very simple and quick to create, manage and optimize
• There are no specialized skills or software required to produce text ads
• Arguably the cheapest ad type available
• Easy for audiences to consume

 

Disadvantages of Text Ads

• Character limits make it difficult to offer a lot of value to potential customers
• Lack of visual elements make text ads less enticing than other format types
• Most Google Ads users create text ads, which means lots of competition!
• Some text ad keywords, especially for service providers (plumbers, lawyers, contractors, etc.) are expensive

 

Who Should Use Text Ads?

Due to how easy and cost-efficient text ads are, it is a great choice for new Google Ads users that don’t have the time, budget or expertise for other ad format types.

That said, text ads aren’t just for beginners. Text ads promise high click through rates, which can help you improve your Google Ads Quality Score.

Text ads can be very efficient when you target keywords with high buying intent. “Buy a new mattress” is an example of a search with buying intent. “Mattress types,” on the other hand, signals that the shopper, while still interested in purchasing a mattress, is doing research and may not be ready to make a purchase right away.

Put simply, every Google Ads user can benefit from using text ads!

Cost of Text Ads

Text ads use the pay-per-click model. When a Google user clicks your text ad and follows the link to your landing page, it costs a small fee. How much you pay for each click depends on how much you have bid on the targeted keyword.

2. Text Ads With Ad Extensions

 

There are many different types of ad extensions:

• Call/Message extensions: As seen in the example above, you can include a phone number that interested search users can use to call or text your business.
• Location extensions: Similar to the call and message extension, the location extension adds your business’ address, which encourages in-store visits.
• Sitelink extensions: The example also displays links to the site’s various pages. This extension helps connect ad viewers to the relevant parts of your website.
• Callout extensions: This extension allows you to promote special offers to customers or benefits, like 24/7 customer service, free shipping, price matching, pick-up service and more.
• Price extensions: Consumers are always going to want to know about the costs. With this extension, you can include pricing information for related products.
• Affiliate Location extensions: If your products are available in retail chain stores, the affiliate extension allows you to show nearby locations where customers can find your brand.
• Structured Snippet extensions: This extension allows you to select a predefined product/service category and list items related to this department.
• App extensions: If your business has an app that you want customers to download and use, then this is a necessary extension to include in your ads.
• Promotion Extension: This extension allows you to show special sales and offers to your customers.
• Lead Form Extension: This extension allows you to get lead (Name, Contact etc.) from people who submitted your forms.

 

Advantages of Text Ads With Ad Extensions

• Add more details to your text ads that include relevant information to encourage calls, in-store visits and other types of conversions
• Also adds length to your ads to help them stand out in the search results
• Improves upon the already-effective text ad format
• Ad extensions don’t increase costs or require much effort to implement

 

Disadvantages Of Text Ads With Ad Extensions

• Ad extensions don’t always show, especially if you don’t have the highest ad rank on the page
• Not all extensions will be relevant to your business

 

Who Should Use Text Ads With Ad Extensions?

There are several benefits to utilizing ad extensions and only a few minor drawbacks. Thus, anyone using text ads should take advantage of at least a handful of these extensions.

Adding more relevant information to your ads can significantly raise the quality of your ads and improve your click through and conversion rates for higher Quality Scores and more successful campaigns.

That said, it is important to choose ad extensions that are relevant to your business and its goals. For example, a store that only sells products online doesn’t need to include a location extension because they aren’t trying to draw in-store traffic.

A service company, on the other hand, can take great advantage of call extensions to make booking appointments easier.

Cost of Text Ads With Ad Extension

Since ad extensions don’t increase how much a marketer spends per click, then there is no difference between the cost of regular text ads and these expanded text ads.

If a Google user clicks on any part of your ad (address, phone number, sitelinks or otherwise), you are assessed the cost of a click.

3. Call-Only Ads

Call-only ads are mobile-specific ads that directly focus on encouraging search users to call your business. They only appear on mobile devices that are capable of making a call.

Users that click a call-only ad are not brought to your website. Instead, the phone app on their device opens and begins making a call to the number you have provided.

If you are using call-only ads, it is crucial that you turn on call reporting. This creates a Google Forwarding Number (GFN) that you can access to find details about your calls. Conversions are recorded when the call reaches the duration that you’ve set.

Call-only ads borrow some elements from text ads, like headlines, descriptions and display URLs. You can even enhance call-only ads with extensions.

Advantages of Call-Only Ads

• Just as simple and easy to create as text ads
• Great for service companies that rely on scheduling appointments, quoting projects, booking reservations or other activities
• Affordable ad type that doesn’t require extra skills or software to produce
• It’s easier to persuade a consumer over the phone than through text, which leads to faster conversions

 

Disadvantages of Call-Only Ads

• Call-only ads typically have a higher cost-per-click than simple text ads
• Not all businesses benefit from customer calls
• Accidental calls are common, which creates a high bounce rate for call-only ads

 

Who Should Use Call-Only Ads?

Call-only ads are great for any business that finds value from customers calling directly. As mentioned, service companies are particularly impacted by call-only ads because these companies rely heavily on customer calls.

When customers call, they bypass the entire landing page and website experience. This helps businesses facilitate conversions more efficiently and improves the customer experience by providing a faster solution to consumer problems.

In other words, call-only ads cut out the website middle-man.

Call-only ads are also an excellent fit for companies that lack the time or resources to develop the unique landing pages and ad experiences that are required by text and other ad format types.

Cost Of Call-Only Ads

Call-only ads also use the PPC model. But, in this case, the “click” is a phone call. Marketers set their cost-per-click amounts in their Google Ads account. Call-only ads can experience higher CPCs than text ads.

4. Dynamic Search Ads

Many Google Search Network ad types rely on targeting the right keywords and tirelessly tracking how potential customers are searching and when. Dynamic search ads aim to lighten these pressures by automatically targeting keywords that relate to your business and generating ad components from the content that exists on your website.

This ad format type uses AI technology to change the design of your ad based on what the algorithm determines will work best. It harvests images, headlines, tags and other components from your web pages, leaving little effort asked of you.

If someone searches a term that Google deems is relevant to your site, the dynamic search ad format will generate an ad experience that relates to that search. This helps maintain a consistent ad experience from the headline to the landing page!

Advantages of Dynamic Search Ads

• The dynamic search ads feature is great for catching keywords that you may not directly be targeting, but that are relevant to your website and products
• Very little effort required from the marketer; you just need to create a custom description and the rest of your ad components will be generated automatically
• Dynamic search ads are painless to launch and use the familiar PPC model

 

Disadvantages of Dynamic Search Ads

• Marketers relinquish a lot of their control by choosing this more automated Google Ads format type
• Google does its best to create effective messages and all of the wording is pulled right from your website, but there are times when headlines and ads don’t match well
• Dynamic search ads do a good job of capturing extra keyword traffic, but these queries may not produce good conversions, which means you’ll be wasting ad budget on searches with low conversion intent
• This ad format type requires that you have a fairly robust website that does not change often

Who Should Use Dynamic Search Ads?

Based on the pros and cons of dynamic search ads, there are several different profiles that match well with this Google Ads format type. The most obvious is busy marketers that don’t have the time to create and optimize text or other types of ads.

Dynamic search ads can help generate extra search traffic through terms that you would have otherwise missed in your standard keyword planning. That said, this strategy should be avoided if you have a tight ad budget.

If your website lacks content or changes often, dynamic search ads may not be right for you either. This format type requires optimized web pages with plenty of material to be used in the automatic generation of ads.

Cost of Dynamic Search Ads

Dynamic search ads use the PPC model where your costs are based on how many people click your ad and the CPC or bid amount that you’ve set. The main difference between the price of dynamic search ads and text ads is that you don’t apply bids to keywords, but rather different pages on your site that the dynamic ads will link to.

5. Product Shopping Ads

Product shopping ads appear when a Google user does a search that has clear shopping intent or directly relates to one of your products. This ad format type shows an image of the product, a title, the price of the item and your store/business name.

Shopping ads will display differently based on device type. The above screenshot is taken from a desktop computer. Similar to text ads, search users are brought to your website after they’ve clicked the shopping ad.

The information about your products is gathered through a data feed that you submit through your Merchant Center account. Your data feed is typically an excel sheet or XML file that organizes each product and its different qualities (name, price, color, size, etc.).

Using this data, Google will create shopping ads when product searches are made that relate to your items.

You can enhance shopping ads with product ratings, special offers and Google customer reviews.

Advantages Of Shopping Ads

• Connect to Google users that are ready to buy today and bring them right to your product pages
• Ads are automatically created using information included in your data feed
• Shopping ads are large and visual, which helps draw attention from text ads or other results
• Appear above the organic and other paid messages on the SERPs
• Ads can be enhanced with extensions, reviews and other features

 

Disadvantages Of Shopping Ads

• Data feed optimization can be an ongoing process, especially if your products or prices change often
• Not all businesses create products that qualify for Google shopping ads
• Shopping ads are not available in all countries, which can limit international ad campaigns
• Places your products alongside the competition, which can be damaging if you don’t offer the best prices

 

Who Should Use Shopping Ads?

Shopping Ads are made for retail and ecommerce companies that want to advertise products directly on Google results pages.

This ad format is particularly impactful for businesses that offer very competitive prices on their products. When appearing alongside competing products, your low prices will stand out and attract more clicks.

Product ads are also used to acquire more real-estate on SERPs for relevant keywords because they can appear alongside your text ads. This means you can have two ad results on a page, instead of one.

Cost of Shopping Ads

Shopping ads use the same auction-style format as the other search ad types. There is a CPC charged each time someone clicks your ad and visits your landing page.

Bids for shopping ads need to be carefully weighed against the gross margins of each item. Otherwise, you could be producing a negative ROI.

6. Showcase Shopping Ads

Shopping Showcase Ads are an expanded version of normal product ads that create a scrolling lineup of your items. Instead of listing a single product, search users can browse a more extensive range of your offerings.

By grouping related products, you create the opportunity for consumers to explore your entire lineup. This ad style is ideal if you offer a lot of different products within a single category.

If you sell furniture, for example, and a user searches for “coffee tables,” they’ll be able to see every style of table you offer.

You can list dozens of products that relate to a more generic item category. When a user clicks your Showcase Shopping Ad, it will expand to show off all your products for that category.

Showcase Shopping Ads ask for a 1080 x 566 large image. This acts as a header for this expanded shopping ad. Choosing a photo that helps encapsulate your persona and company vibe will attract consumers that want to experience your brand, which adds additional appeal to your ads.

The other ad requirements are a text headline, an optional 120-character description, a URL and a display URL. It’s worth mentioning that these Showcase Shopping Ads are a relatively new option, which means these requirements may change.

Advantages of Showcase Shopping Ads

• List dozens of products within the same ad and allows the opportunity for customers to browse your entire selection
• Not only display a wider assortment of your products, but also give consumers a glimpse of your brand experience
• Marketers have complete control over what products appear in the showcase

 

Disadvantages of Showcase Shopping Ads

• Showcase Shopping Ads are not available in all countries or for all types of products
• Optimizing your data feed for Showcase Shopping Ads can be time-consuming
• Displaying all of your products can be both costly and ineffective at times

 

Who Should Use Showcase Shopping Ads?

If you have a lot of products for certain categories, creating a showcase of those items can essentially allow Google users to browse your entire inventory. If you already see impactful results from regular shopping ads, it may be time to step your advertising game up!

Thanks to the header image feature for Showcase Shopping Ads, it’s a great ad format for retailers that have cultivated a powerful persona through their imagery and branding.

Cost of Showcase Shopping Ads

Showcase Shopping Ads have three different bidding options.

Minimum Cost Per Engagement (CPE) Bidding is similar to setting a max cost-per-click. The difference is that you will be charged your bid if a consumer clicks through from the ad to your website or spends more than 10 seconds scrolling through your product showcase.

Maximize Clicks Bidding is a smart bidding strategy that automatically sets your bids to give you the maximum number of engagements (clicks or long views) within your set budget.

Target ROAS Bidding is another AI-powered strategy that looks for the highest potential conversion value from Google users.

7. App Promotion Ads

As an app advertiser, you want to get your app into the hands of more paying users. So, how do you connect with those people? App promotion campaigns streamline the process for you, making it easy to promote your apps across Google’s largest properties including

• • Search,
  • Google Play
  • YouTube
  • Google Display Network
  • Google discover.

 

 

• App promotional Ads format drive app downloads and engagement with app promotion ads and it targets the massive audience.
• They are sent to your customers to download your app from an app store, or include a deep link directly into your app.
• These ads reach customers when they search on Google (including Google Play), and on websites and apps that partner with Google.
• Promotional Ads appear only on devices compatible with your content.
• This ad look different on different places like on search result, Google Play Store, Youtube, every platform has its own way of showing and promoting the APP.

Who should use this?

• Any company with an app should go over the different options Google has just introduced and see if there’s an opportunity to get in front of a new audience or boost engagement.
• Focus on driving in-app actions and action values.

How this Ad performance is measured?

• App download conversions and if it’s an Android app from the Play store, installs display as conversions in Google Ad without any extra set-up.
• The ability to integrate third-party app tracking analytics information with Google Ads and see installs counted as conversions by enabling auto-tagging.
• Automated bidding using Target CPA and target ROASwhen creating the app campaign to find the optimal bid without waiting for conversion history to accumulate.

Advantages

• Accessibility as Google Search processes over a billion queries a day and sometimes, the information people are looking for lives inside an app.
• Growing industry
• Location-based targeting to promote App
• Deterministic matching
• More Personal

Part 4: Google Display Network Ad Format Types

The Google Display Network is the second category of ads that users can create on the Google Ads platform. These ads display on websites owned by Google or affiliated through their AdSense program.

1. Text Ads

Don’t be surprised, Text ads can also appear on the display network. There are not many differences between a display text ad and a search text ad. You are still going to need to headlines, descriptions, a URL and a display URL.

The big change is that the character limits will differ depending on where and how the ad is being displayed. This means that there is a good chance that your headlines and descriptions will be shortened. You’ll want to put the best information first!

Advantages Of Display Text Ads

• Text ads are easy to make and manage; they don’t require any special skills or resources
• This ad format doesn’t distract Internet users from their browsing
• An inexpensive ad format type

 

Disadvantages of Display Text Ads

• Character limits are even more restrained on the Google Display Network
• Text ads on websites can be very plain and unappealing without visual elements
• On the Search Network, text ads blend in with search results, but this is rarely the case on the Display Network

 

Who Should Use Display Text Ads

Again, because of how time- and cost-efficient text ads are, even on the Display Network, it is an excellent ad type for busy marketers that want to gain website traffic.

That said, text ads lose some of their luster on the Display Network. They aren’t nearly as enticing as on a search results page and you lose the ability to target users based on high-intent keywords.

Cost of Display Text Ads

Display Text Ads are the cheapest form of display ads. Similar to Search Network text ads, you’ll pay for clicks.

Because some industries have costly CPC rates for search keywords, Display Network text ads may actually be cheaper than on the Search Network. It all depends on what type of business you operate.

2. Rich Media Ads

Rich media is a digital advertising term for an ad that includes advanced features like video, audio, or other elements that encourage viewers to interact and engage with the content. The ad can expand, float, etc. You can access aggregated metrics on your audience’s behavior, including number of expansions, multiple exits, and video completions to get granular data on the success of your campaign.

Using HTML5 technology, the ads can include multiple levels of content in one placement: videos, games, tweets from an ad, etc. If you have a simple objective to generate clicks or a more ambitious goal to create brand awareness, rich media is the format to go with.

Difference between Standard and Rich Media Ad

Standard Display Ads                                                                       

• Support a single .html, .gif, .png, and .jpg file format of 200K or less.
• Contains no video or expansion.
• Usually only tracks a single click-through link.

Rich Media Ads

• May use multiple files
• May contain video
• May expand to a larger size
• May include detailed tracking metrics on user interactivity
• May track multiple click-through links
• May contain other special features (polling, send-to-a-friend, gallery, etc.)

 

How Rich Media Ads are beneficial for PPC

Rich Media advertising is a form of advertising that utilizes Digital media, including streaming, video and audio. It represents a powerful creative opportunity, allowing campaigns to deliver far greater impact. Rich Ads tend to be larger in file size and costs to create are generally higher, however rich media ads play beneficial role in Google Ads.

 

1. Rich Media ads are measurable and scalable:

• Typical banner ads allow advertisers to measure only impressions and click-through rate
• Rich media ads allow advertisers to track and measure a variety of browsing behaviors of user
• The number of users who viewed an embedded video, percentage of video viewed can be calculated in rich media ads

 

2. Higher performance levels

• Rich Media ads includes audio, video and other elements that encourage viewers to interact and engage with the content. with increased conversion rates, click through rates and view through rates
• Research has shown that Rich Media advertising average click-through rates for Rich Media ads were approximately five times higher than click-through rates for non-Rich Media ads
• Thus consumers are more likely to take some kind of action after viewing a Rich Media ad compared to standard display ads.

 

3. Higher interaction rate

• Interactivity delivers significant uplifts in brand awareness, message association and purchase intent, and can also allow for instant data capture.
• Advertisers can more effectively capture the attention of potential customers by prompting them to interact with the online ad and provide a more engaging experience.

 

4. Brand awareness:

• Rich Media ads, including Flash and streaming ads, increase brand awareness for online advertisers better than other online ad formats.

 

5. User experience

• Rich Media ads do not force the user to leave the site, which means not having to interrupt what might be a pleasant online experience only to be taken elsewhere (a big reason why users are not clicking on ads)
• This is a positive since it keeps traffic around for a longer period of times

 

Commonly used Rich Media Formats

There are many types of rich media advertising, but three of the most common rich media ads you will experience include:

• • In page ad, Rich Media Ads: That appears in a rectangle form within a webpage

 

 

• • Out page ad, Rich Media Ads: Rich Media Banners that can float, pop up or expand across a web page

 

 

• • In Stream Video Ads: Which involve streaming pre-roll and post-roll video. This is a very impactful format

 

 

• • Pre roll ads: Pre-roll ad is a promotional video message that plays before the content has selected. The video advertisements are often repurposed television ads, sometimes shortened to 10 or 15 seconds because the 30-second standard for ads on television is not suitable for videos, which are themselves frequently only a few minutes long.

 

 

• • Post roll ads: An online video commercial that appears at the end of an online video, it is typically 10-15 seconds in length

 

 

 

3. Image Ad

The Display Network is largely founded on the power of visual ad formats, such as images and videos. Image ads allow you to upload your own branded visuals to make a stunning, aesthetic advertisement.

Ads can be either static or use HTML5, GIF or Flash formats to create animated, interactive marketing messages that pop up on websites all over the Internet.

These ads come in many different shapes and sizes. Here are a few of the most common selections and their sizes:

Each size has its advantages and disadvantages. Typically, the larger the ad, the higher the costs. Thus, the best performers are generally the banners and smaller squares/rectangles, as these don’t distract from the website experience.

Top 5 Best Performing Banner Ad Sizes:

• 300×250 – Medium rectangle
• 336×280 – Large rectangle
• 728×90 – Leaderboard
• 320×50 – Mobile leaderboard
• 300×600 – Half page or large skyscraper

 

Medium rectangle (300×250)

 

 

• It does not take two much Space
• It performs well when it’s embedded within text content or when it’s placed at the end of an article.
• Because of the compact size, advertisers tend to favor it because it’s convenient to display.
• It’s a good option when you’re just getting started with display ads.

 

Large rectangle (336×280)

 

 

• Even though this banner ad size doesn’t get as many impressions as the first one, it’s still a popular option for advertisers.
• It performs best when it’s placed within text content or at the end of a post.
• it’s slightly bigger than the 300×250, it means that you will have more ad inventory

 

Leaderboard (728×90)

 

 

• It’s usually displayed noticeably at the top of a web page that is why it is called leaderboard.
• If you want to get your ad in front of as many people as possible, then this is a good option to consider which will increase more awareness and CTR.

 

Mobile Leaderboard(320×50)

 

The 320×50 banner is by far the most widely used ad for mobile, both in browsers and in apps.It is observed 12% of all global ad inventory is made up of the Mobile Leaderboard.

Half page or large skyscraper (300×600)

 

 

• Despite its name, the size of this type of banner ad does not cover half of a page. However, it does take up the most amount of space compared to the other sizes.
• Performs well if placed above main content, and on forum sites.

 

Advantages of Image Ads

• Offers the visual side of Internet advertising that is missed by most search and text ad types
• Lots of different size options to take advantage of
• Display Network offers unique targeting options to find your desired audiences
• Even if a consumer doesn’t click the ad, they’ve still seen it, which helps stimulate brand awareness

 

Disadvantages of Image Ads

• Requires compelling images of different sizes and formats
• Not all websites support Flash files
• Most people browsing their favorite sites aren’t interested in ads, which leads to low CTRs for image ads
• Some technical know-how is required to create and edit an image, HTML5 and/or flash ads.
• Large image ads can be annoying for Internet users and cost more
• Ad-blocking tools can sometimes interfere with image display ads

 

Who Should Use Image Ads?

While text ads are the bread-and-butter to the Search Network, Image ads are the same for the Display Network, which means most businesses can find value in these campaigns. That said, if your company doesn’t have great visuals, image ads can be ineffective.

Image ads are best suited for brand awareness campaigns. While a lot of users don’t click image ads, they are inescapable to look at it. Potential customers will recall your brand more readily when they are in the market for your products or services.

Cost of Image Ads

While images typically lead to fewer conversions, the good news is that these ad campaigns will cost less than your average search campaign. The other tradeoff is it’s harder to target in-market audiences with Display Network image ads.

4. Video Ads

Video ads take the visual image format to the next level. They are the most attractive and compelling type available to marketers. A great video advertisement is not only a memorable experience, but it can be more engaging than the video it is interrupting!

These ads will primarily show up YouTube, Google’s video streaming platform. It’s also the best video sharing site on the Internet with almost 2 billion active users each month. Not a bad place to advertise!

There are 6 formats of video ads that you can choose from:

• • Skippable in-stream ads: Your video ad plays before, during or after a posted video. After five seconds of viewing, the user can elect to skip the rest of the advertisement or continue watching.

 

 

• • Non-skippable in-stream ads: These ads appear the same as skippable in-stream ads, but the user does not have the option to skip. Non-skippable ads have to be shorter (about 15 seconds). There are also “bumper ads,” which are even smaller (6 seconds) non-skippable video messages.

 

 

• • Video discovery ads: These are sponsored YouTube video results that appear alongside the related videos section or when a user searches for a video.

 

 

• • YouTube masthead ads: Appearing at the top of users’ YouTube homepages, masthead ads attract a lot of eyes. The video starts playing automatically (without sound) as soon as someone loads the YouTube.com page.

 

 

• • Bumper ads: Bumper ads are a short video ad format designed to allow you to reach more customers and increase awareness about your brand. Your bumper video ad is 6 seconds or shorter and plays before, during, or after another video. Viewers do not have the option to skip the ad.

 

 

• • Outstream ads: These are mobile-only (phones and tablet devices) video ads that play on partner websites through AdSense and plays within apps.

 

 

Each video ad format offers unique advantages and disadvantages. And, each has a different pay structure.

Advantages of Video Ads

• Convey lots of information about your company and products in a short amount of time
• Videos that tell a story are incredibly powerful and hard to skip
• Users have to engage with the ad for at least a few seconds before they are allowed to skip
• YouTube is a massive platform that attracts billions of users each month; it is the second most popular search engine after Google

 

Disadvantages of Video Ads

• Video ads often get in the way of what a consumer is trying to watch or do on the Internet, which can create a negative experience
• 5-15 seconds is a very brief window to draw a consumer in
• Video ads require software, equipment and know-how to produce and edit
• Not a lot of control over what YouTube videos your messages appear alongside
• Google carefully scrutinizes video ads and only selects the ones with the best quality

Who Should Use Video Ads?

Video ads have tons of appeal that makes them a valuable option for any business. But, there is one big hurdle. Creating, producing and editing effective video content is expensive.

You may be able to shoot a quick viral video with your smartphone, but video ads need to be next-level quality to encourage users to watch past the skip button. This means you need to invest in a production company, sophisticated equipment and more.

You’ll pay more to create the ad than to publish it.

That said, with all of the different video ad formats, it is easy to find one that offers benefits to align with your advertising goals.

Cost of Video Ads

Most video ad formats work on a per-thousand-impressions basis. Others, like discovery ads, work on a CPC basis. In either case, costs will fluctuate. On average, you can expect to spend around $20.00 for 1,000 impressions, or approximately $0.25 a click on discovery-style ads.

5. Responsive Ads

Responsive ads automatically adjust their size, appearance, and format to fit available ad spaces. So a single responsive ad may appear as a small text ad in one place and a large image ad in another.

Where responsive ads appear

These ads can appear on Google results pages and across the Google Network, which includes the

• Standard Display Campaigns
• Smart Display Campaigns

 

Responsive Search Ads

• • Responsive search ads run on the Search Network, and let you enter up to 15 headlines and 4 description lines in a single ad. Google then selects up to 3 headlines and 2 descriptions to run as an expanded text ad.
  • You can “pin” your text to position to ensure a specific message always runs in a specific spot.
  • Top responsive search ad combinations that ran, but these are sorted by impressions, with no details for clicks or any other metrics.
  • On average, advertisers who use Google’s machine learning to test multiple creative see up to 15 percent more clicks.

 

 

 

Responsive Display Ads

Google will add video assets for responsive display ads campaigns, the company detailed in a blog post. Advertisers can create new responsive display ads or edit existing ones with up15 marketing images with help of

• 5 videos 30 sec in length
• 5 logos.
• 5 headlines.
• 5 descriptions.

Based on the intelligent decision above combinations are made to show best Ad to user.

Combination report is available to check which best combination worked well.

 

When you should use Responsive Ads?

If you want your Ad should appear on large scale regardless which different devices of different resolution are being used, you should go for responsive Ad.

How it works?

Google will automatically test different combinations of headlines and descriptions and learn which combinations perform best. In real-time, this is how Google ‘Responsive Ads for Display’ work:

• Images uploaded will be automatically scaled to fit into each ad space.
• The text will be chosen on the basis of available space.
• Some text will be truncated in limited areas.

 

Advantages

• They automatically optimize your inputs for more conversions
• Broader reach with adjustable sizes to fit more placements
• Saves your time
• Can be used with dynamic remarketing
• If you want to know the performance of each of your assets (headlines, descriptions, images, etc.) you can view that data within the asset report in Google Ads.
• As per Google it may increase your CTR from 5~15%.

 

Conclusion

Finding the right format type for your Google Ads strategies is like buying a new car. It’s an important choice that will weigh on your budget. You need to assess your needs, means and style and find the right vehicle, or ad format, that best matches these.

It all starts with thinking about your goals. These are your needs — your objectives. The advertising formats that you choose need to support these goals and help you achieve them.

Next, consider your means — your budget and resources. How much time do you have to commit to advertising? Can you invest in more expensive ad types? What about ad types that require a lot of attention and management?

You need to be both realistic and safe with your advertising choices.

Finally, consider your company and branding. What style of ad best compliments your brand? Do you have compelling brand imagery for display ad types?

By filtering the list of ad types by needs, means, and style, you can narrow down the vast selection to just a handful of formats that will suit your PPC marketing strategies.