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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.
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.
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.
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…:
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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!
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 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.
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:
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:
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.
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.
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!
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.
There are many different types of 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Who should use this?
How this Ad performance is measured?
Advantages
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Standard Display Ads
Rich Media Ads
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.
There are many types of rich media advertising, but three of the most common rich media ads you will experience include:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Each video ad format offers unique advantages and disadvantages. And, each has a different pay structure.
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.
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.
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.
These ads can appear on Google results pages and across the Google Network, which includes the
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
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.
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.
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:
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.
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