Advertising is important – there’s nothing new about that. What is a bit new, however, is the plethora of available ad types. Before the internet, marketers had their choice of television, newspaper, and billboard ads. However, in today’s digital age, there are dozens of options, and display ads and search ads are among the most important.
If you’re new to Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising, you may be unfamiliar with the differences between these ad formats. With this in mind, let’s delve a little deeper into the world of display and search ads.
What Are Search Ads?
Search ads are paid advertisements that appear on results pages for search engines like Google and Bing. They utilize a cost-per-click (CPC) format, where advertisers must pay a predetermined price to the publisher every time a user clicks on an ad. Companies typically use an auction-based model to place bids to compete with other advertisers for ad space.
Paid search ads have three main components:
- Headlines
- Display URLs
- Description text
With the right combination of content for your ad, it will entice people to click through to your landing page to learn more about your business, product, or service.
What Are Display Ads?
Like search ads, display advertisements encourage users to visit a landing page and complete an action, such as purchasing a product. However, these ads can take many different formats, including:
- Text-based ads
- Image ads
- Video ads
Display advertisements are placed on various websites via the Google Display Network (GDN) and are served to users based on their browsing history.
How Do You Make the Most of Your Ad Campaigns?
Before you parse out your planning, make sure you assign specific campaigns based on where you want to reach users in the marketing funnel. For example, if you’re trying to capture intent, search ads are usually best. This is because they address a specific pain point that users are experiencing in real-time. For example, a person on the hunt for new gym shoes while on a budget might search for “affordable gym shoes” on Google. When your ads appear on the search engine results page (SERP) for this query, you’ll have a chance to show them how your brand, product, or service can help.
On the other hand, if you want to reach people at the awareness stage of the buyer’s journey, you might be ready to dive into display advertising. While search ads rely on search queries, display ads don’t. Instead, they are served to users based on their browsing history. For example, you can run a remarketing campaign by targeting users who have visited a specific website. Or, you could target individuals based on demographics like their geographic location.
With display advertising, you can cultivate feelings of want and need, rather than capitalizing on existing pain points. Because of this, they may not generate sales immediately, but they will help build brand awareness.
Craft a Winning PPC Strategy with Help from Zero Gravity Marketing
Do you need help ensuring your ads make the most sense for your business goals? Look to Zero Gravity Marketing for assistance! With our team of PPC gurus by your side, you can rest assured that your next campaign will reach your audience in the most optimal ways possible. Contact us to learn more!
