You’ve probably seen Google Display Ads hundreds of times without thinking much about them. You’re reading an article, checking the weather, or browsing a website when an ad appears for a business, product, or service that catches your attention.
For business owners, Display Ads offer a way to reach potential customers beyond the Google search results. They can help more people discover your business, keep your brand visible, and reconnect with people who have already shown interest in what you offer.
So, how do they actually work?
What Are Google Display Ads?
Google Display Ads are visual advertisements that can appear across websites, apps, and other digital properties within Google’s Display Network.
They work differently from Google Search Ads. With Search, someone is actively typing something into Google, such as “hair salon near me” or “bookkeeping software for small business.” Your ad can appear in response to that search.
Display Ads can reach people while they’re doing other things online.
This makes Display useful for several goals:
- Introducing your business to new potential customers
- Building brand awareness
- Promoting a specific product, service, event, or offer
- Reconnecting with previous website visitors when eligible
- Staying visible while someone considers their options
Search Ads vs. Display Ads
The biggest difference comes down to where the customer is in their journey.
Someone searching “emergency plumber near me” probably needs a plumber right now. Search Ads give local plumbers an opportunity to appear when that need is already clear.
Now imagine someone reading an article about planning a bathroom remodel. They may not need a plumber today, but they could need one soon. A Display Ad gives a plumbing company an opportunity to introduce its brand earlier.
Display can also help people encounter your business more than once. A potential customer may visit your website, see your ad later, search for your company a few days after that, and eventually contact you.
That journey is important to remember when evaluating your advertising.
How Can Online Businesses Use Display Ads?
For an online business, your potential audience may extend far beyond your immediate location. This makes audience selection especially important.
Google Ads provides targeting options that can help you reach people based on signals such as:
- Interests
- Demographics
- Geographic location
- Previous interactions with your business
- Custom audience segments
- Relevant online behaviors and activities
Imagine you sell an online course for professional photographers. Instead of advertising to everyone on the internet, you could build your campaign around an audience more likely to be interested in photography, business education, or the specific problem your course solves.
Display can also keep your brand visible after someone first discovers you. That person may need several interactions with your business before they’re ready to purchase.
What About Brick-and-Mortar Businesses?
Display Ads can work for local businesses too, but geography becomes much more important.
If you own a med spa in Portland, there’s little reason to spend your advertising budget reaching people across the country. You can focus your campaign on the geographic areas your business actually serves and combine that location targeting with relevant audience signals.
A local business could use Display Ads to promote:
- A new service
- A seasonal offer
- An upcoming event
- A new location
- An appointment or consultation
- General awareness within the local community
Restaurants, salons, fitness studios, boutiques, professional services, and home-service businesses can all use this approach.
Do You Have to Design Dozens of Ads?
Thankfully, you don’t need to create a separate graphic for every possible ad size.
With Responsive Display Ads, you can provide Google with assets including:
- Images
- Logos
- Headlines
- Descriptions
- Videos
Google can combine those assets into different layouts depending on where the ad appears.
This makes Display advertising much more accessible for smaller businesses, but your creative still matters. Your images should represent your brand well, your copy should be clear, and your offer should make sense to the person seeing it.
Are Google Display Ads Worth It for Small Businesses?
Display Ads can be a valuable part of a small business marketing strategy, particularly when you have a clear reason for using them.
Before launching a campaign, ask yourself:
- Who am I trying to reach?
- Where are those people located?
- What do I want them to do after seeing my ad?
- Am I trying to generate awareness, leads, sales, or repeat visits?
- How will I know whether the campaign is working?
Google gives businesses powerful technology for reaching people online, but the technology works best when there is a clear strategy behind it.
Understanding your customer comes first. Once you know who you want to reach and where they are in their decision-making process, you can determine whether Google Display Ads deserve a place in your marketing mix.
Digital Marketing