THE GOOGLE DISPLAY ADS NETWORK AND ITS TARGETING CAPABILITIES

Any business that has ever considered digital marketing has no doubt heard about Google Ads. Formerly known as Google Adwords, this online service is one in which any company with a website can expand upon their digital presence by way of targeted ads. Advertisers have various options on where they can place their ads. On the Google Search Network, advertisers can bid on keywords that are likely to show up in Google searches to have their website place above others on the results page. This service primarily uses the intent derived from the keywords input by the user as its targeting parameters.
The Google Display Ads Network is a collection of more than 2 million websites that reach more than 90% of the world’s internet users. Banner ads are selected via a bidding process to show in designated areas on these sites. The business or advertiser can use targeting parameters to select who sees their ads. The audience selection(s) are the primary focus of GDN advertising. As the advertiser, you have a handful of options as to what kinds of audiences you can target on the GDN, here are some of the main ones at your disposal.
Demographic Audiences
Google Display Ads allow you to show your ads to internet users that adhere to certain demographics. This includes factors like income level, parental status, and age range. Using this kind of targeting will help you deliver your ads to people who more closely resemble your established customer base. Be sure to get familiar with the demographic makeup of your current clients to make the best of this targeting option. If you have multiple audiences established for different products or services, you may want to go as far as creating a separate ad group for each audience to maximize the likelihood of your ads getting clicked.
Affinity Audiences
Affinity audiences are targeting parameters based on user interests. This is derived from the kind of content the user regularly searches for or interacts with. From this, you can typically target users within particular subcultures (such as people who like particular kinds of food or entertainment). Keep in mind that if you are after audiences that are of a certain subculture, your display ad needs to be visually appealing to that subculture to invite their interest. So, before you create your display ads and campaign, be sure to do adequate research on the audiences you intend to target.
Custom Intent Audiences
Custom intent audiences are targeting parameters based on what the user has been searching for on the web recently. For example, if they’ve been searching for an auto repair service, and you own an auto repair service, the custom intent will match and your ads will be shown to this user as they browse. This type of targeting is great for marketing a specific product or service because when a user searches terms that match a custom intent it means they are usually very close to making a purchase. This is your opportunity to get in front of them and show them that you have what they need.
Retargeting Audiences
This kind of targeting audience allows you to show your ads to users who have already visited your website – or even a particular page. Retargeting allows you to show products to users that they were looking at on your site but didn’t purchase. This allows you to remind these users about the product they were previously considering but either put off or forgot about purchasing. This works particularly well if you sell your products or services directly on your website – in which case you can send the users right back to the product page so they can complete the purchase.
As you can see, there are a lot of options regarding who you can show your ads to on the Google Display Ads Network. Inexperienced users of Google Ads can have an overwhelming time when setting up their first campaign, so it helps to enlist a certified expert for assistance. Cactus Mailing has a Google-certified team that can help you assemble your Google Display ads and set the right audience parameters. Give us a call or fill out the form and get started on your custom-built campaign today!