Google Ads Display Network Optimization Ideas

Summary

This video script offers essential tips for optimizing Google Display Network (GDN) campaigns. It discusses the initial use of 'Maximize Clicks' to gain traction before switching to 'Maximize Conversions', analyzing ad variations, and focusing on viewable CTR over overall CTR for ad performance. The script also covers expanded and optimized targeting, and the importance of reviewing and controlling ad placements to ensure brand safety, providing practical steps for advertisers to enhance their GDN strategy.

Takeaways

• 📈 The Google Display Network (GDN) is an effective platform for brand exposure to potential customers, offering remarketing and various targeting options.
• 🔍 For new display campaigns, starting with 'Maximize Conversions' as the bid strategy can be challenging; switching to 'Maximize Clicks' temporarily can help gain traction before reverting back to conversions.
• 🎯 Ad performance should be reviewed by ad type, distinguishing between image ads and responsive display ads, as they have different dimensions and placements.
• 📊 Viewable CTR (Click-Through Rate) is a more accurate metric for ad performance on the GDN compared to the overall CTR, as it accounts for whether the ad was actually visible to users.
• 📐 When comparing ad performance, ensure comparisons are made within the same ad size and format to get a true measure of effectiveness.
• 🚫 Expanded and optimized targeting should be reviewed regularly; if it's underperforming compared to custom segments, it may be beneficial to disable it.
• 📝 Placement performance should be monitored to ensure ads are appearing in appropriate locations; underperforming placements can be excluded at the ad group or campaign level.
• 📲 Mobile apps can be excluded from GDN campaigns if they are not performing well or if the advertiser prefers not to have their ads shown in app environments.
• 🛡 Content controls and exclusions can be set at the campaign level to prevent ads from appearing alongside content that doesn't align with the brand's image or values.
• 🛠 There are nuanced ways to optimize GDN campaigns that differ from other campaign types like search or video campaigns, and understanding these can maximize ad budget efficiency.
• ❓ The video encourages viewers to ask questions about GDN optimizations or campaigns in the comments for further assistance.

Q & A

What is the Google Display Network and how can it benefit brands?

The Google Display Network is a platform that allows brands to display ads to potential customers, whether they are already aware of the brand or not. It offers various targeting options to reach the right audience and can be optimized for conversions or performance goals.

Why is it recommended to start a new Google Display Network campaign with 'Maximize Conversions' bid strategy?

Starting with the 'Maximize Conversions' bid strategy can be beneficial as it allows the campaign to focus on achieving conversions. However, it may be challenging to get the campaign off the ground without initial traction, which is why sometimes switching to 'Maximize Clicks' temporarily can help.

What is the significance of switching from 'Maximize Conversions' to 'Maximize Clicks' and then back in a Google Display Network campaign?

Switching to 'Maximize Clicks' temporarily can help a new campaign gain traction by driving more immediate clicks. Once the campaign has gathered some volume, switching back to 'Maximize Conversions' can help maintain traffic while focusing on conversion goals.

How can one evaluate the performance of different ad types on the Google Display Network?

Performance can be evaluated by comparing different ad types such as image ads and responsive display ads separately, as they have different formats and placements. Metrics like conversion performance, click-through rate, and viewable CTR should be considered.

Why is it important to consider 'viewable CTR' over the standard 'CTR' when reviewing ad performance on the Google Display Network?

'Viewable CTR' is more indicative of user engagement as it measures clicks only after the ad has become viewable (50% of the ad is visible on a web page for at least one second). This provides a more accurate reflection of how users are interacting with the ads compared to the overall CTR.

What are some best practices for comparing ad variants on the Google Display Network?

When comparing ad variants, it's important to compare within the same ad format and size to ensure a fair comparison. For example, comparing a 320x50 ad variant with another 320x50 variant will provide more meaningful insights than comparing across different sizes.

What is 'expanded targeting' and how can it impact the performance of a Google Display Network campaign?

'Expanded targeting' is an option that allows Google to show ads to users beyond the initial targeting parameters. It can impact performance by potentially reaching a wider audience, but it may also lead to higher costs per lead if not optimized correctly.

How can one identify and exclude placements that are not performing well in a Google Display Network campaign?

By reviewing the placements where ads have shown in the 'Content' section, one can identify underperforming websites or mobile apps. If necessary, these placements can be excluded at the ad group or campaign level to optimize performance.

Why might it be necessary to exclude mobile apps from a Google Display Network campaign?

Excluding mobile apps may be necessary if they are not contributing to the campaign's goals, such as conversions, or if the performance metrics like cost per lead or click-through rate are not satisfactory.

What are 'content controls' and how can they be used to ensure ads are displayed in appropriate contexts?

'Content controls' allow advertisers to exclude their ads from appearing on certain types of content or websites that do not align with their brand. This can be done at the campaign or account level to maintain brand safety and relevance.

How can advertisers ensure their Google Display Network campaigns are optimized for the best results?

Advertisers can ensure optimization by regularly reviewing and adjusting bid strategies, comparing ad variants, analyzing viewable CTR, using expanded and optimized targeting wisely, and utilizing content controls to exclude inappropriate placements or content.

Outlines

00:00

📈 Optimization Strategies for Google Display Network Campaigns

The script discusses strategies for optimizing Google Display Network (GDN) campaigns, especially after they've been running for some time. It emphasizes the importance of analyzing and adjusting targeting options, bid strategies, and ad variations. The speaker shares personal experiences, including a case study of a GDN prospecting campaign that initially struggled with traction but improved after switching from a 'maximize conversions' to a 'maximize clicks' bid strategy. The script also suggests using Google Ads responsive display ads and highlights the need to review ad performance, comparing different ad types and focusing on viewable click-through rates (CTR) over overall CTR for a more accurate assessment of user engagement.

05:03

📊 Analyzing Ad Performance and Utilizing Viewability Metrics

This paragraph delves into the analysis of ad performance on the GDN, focusing on the distinction between image ads and responsive display ads. It advises on how to filter and compare ads within the same format and size for a fair evaluation. The script introduces viewability metrics, such as viewable CTR, which measures clicks after an ad becomes viewable (50% of the ad visible for at least one second). The importance of this metric is underscored as it provides a more accurate reflection of user engagement with the ads. The speaker also warns against comparing ads of different sizes directly and provides guidance on how to set up filters for a more meaningful comparison.

10:04

🛠️ Targeting Optimization and Content Controls in Display Campaigns

The script continues with a discussion on targeting optimization, specifically the use of expanded targeting in GDN campaigns. It provides a step-by-step guide on how to review the performance of different audience segments and the overall effectiveness of expanded targeting. The speaker uses a campaign example to illustrate the comparison between segment targeting and expanded targeting, highlighting the higher cost per lead and lower click-through rates associated with the latter. The paragraph concludes with instructions on how to disable expanded targeting if it's not performing well. Additionally, the script touches on the importance of reviewing ad placements for safety and brand fit, offering insights on how to exclude specific placements or entire categories, such as mobile apps, from showing ads.

Keywords

💡Google Display Network

The Google Display Network (GDN) is an online advertising platform provided by Google that allows advertisers to display ads on a variety of websites that are part of the Google Ad Network. In the video, it is discussed as a way to get a brand in front of potential customers, whether through remarketing campaigns or introducing the brand to new audiences.

💡Remarketing campaigns

Remarketing campaigns are a type of online advertising where ads are shown to people who have previously interacted with a company's website or online content. The video script mentions remarketing as a strategy on the GDN to target potential customers who are already aware of the brand.

💡Targeting options

Targeting options refer to the various methods available to advertisers to aim their ads at specific audiences. In the context of the video, the Google Display Network offers different targeting options to reach potential customers based on their interests, demographics, and online behavior.

💡Ads performance optimization

Ads performance optimization involves making adjustments to improve the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. The video discusses several optimization strategies for Google Display Network campaigns, such as changing bid strategies and reviewing ad variations, to enhance the return on ad spend.

💡Maximize conversions

Maximize conversions is a bid strategy in Google Ads that automatically adjusts bids to get the most conversions possible at the best available cost. The script describes an instance where initially using this strategy led to a lack of traction, prompting a switch to a different bid strategy.

💡Responsive display ads

Responsive display ads are a type of ad format that automatically adapts to fit various screen sizes and orientations. The video script recommends these ads and discusses how they can be optimized for performance on the Google Display Network.

💡Viewable CTR

Viewable CTR, or viewable click-through rate, measures the number of clicks an ad receives after it becomes viewable to users. The video emphasizes the importance of using viewable CTR over the overall CTR when evaluating ad performance on the GDN, as it better reflects user engagement with the ad.

💡Ad variations

Ad variations refer to different versions of an ad that are tested to determine which performs best. The script discusses reviewing and comparing ad variations, particularly image ads and responsive display ads, to identify the most effective ones in terms of conversion and viewable CTR.

💡Expanded targeting

Expanded targeting is a feature that allows ads to be shown to a broader audience beyond the initial targeting parameters. The video script provides an example of how expanded targeting can be evaluated for performance and suggests turning it off if it does not yield good results.

💡Placements

Placements refer to the specific websites or mobile apps where ads are displayed. The video discusses reviewing and optimizing placements to ensure ads are shown in appropriate contexts and provides methods to exclude certain placements or categories, such as mobile apps, from the campaign.

💡Content exclusions

Content exclusions are settings that prevent ads from being shown on certain types of content or websites that may not align with a brand's image. The script explains how to use content exclusions at the campaign level to avoid showing ads next to undesirable content.

Highlights

The Google Display Network is an effective way to reach potential customers through remarketing campaigns and various targeting options.

Google Ads responsive display ads are highly recommended for introducing or reminding people about your company.

Optimizations can be made to Google Display Network campaigns after they have been running for a while to improve performance.

Starting with 'maximize conversions' as the bid strategy can make it difficult for new display campaigns to gain traction.

Switching to 'maximize clicks' temporarily can help new campaigns gain volume before switching back to 'maximize conversions'.

Ad performance should be reviewed by comparing ads of the same type and size for accurate analysis.

Viewable CTR is a more accurate metric than overall CTR for assessing user engagement with Display Network ads.

Expanded and optimized targeting should be reviewed for its effectiveness, and turned off if it's not performing well.

Placements where ads have shown should be reviewed to ensure they are appropriate and safe for the brand.

Excluding placements or app categories can be done to improve the relevance and performance of ads.

Content exclusions can be set at the campaign level to avoid showing ads alongside undesirable content.

Comparing ad variants within the same ad size provides a more accurate measure of performance.

High viewable CTR indicates better user engagement, even if the ad is shown less frequently.

Google Display Network campaigns require specific optimization strategies that differ from search or video campaigns.

The video provides practical optimization tips for making the most of ad budgets on the Google Display Network.

Engagement with the video content is encouraged through likes, subscriptions, and comments for further questions.

Transcripts

the Google Display Network is a great

way to get your brand out in front of

potential customers whether they are

aware of you the remarketing campaigns

or if they're not and you can Target

them through all of the different

targeting options available on the

Google Display Network if you're

interested in checking those out you can

look at this video right here

and there are lots of different ways

that you can put together your ads to

introduce yourself or remind people

about your company if you're interested

in Google ads responsive display ads

which we highly recommend you can check

out this video right here

but what I want to talk about today is

what happens after your campaigns have

been running for a little while what

optimizations can you make what levers

should you be pulling what stats should

you look at so today I want to talk

about a handful of the optimizations

that we like to make in our Google

Display Network campaigns

as we're going through each of the

example optimizations and settings that

I want to show you in this video I'm

going to be using two live client

accounts so there's going to be a decent

amount of blurring but hopefully you'll

still be able to get the gist of it

anyway the first thing I want to talk

about is a problem I run into with new

display campaigns that are optimizing

toward a conversion or performance goal

because the entire account is it's a

problem I run into a lot and it happened

most recently with this gdn prospecting

campaign so I'm going to choose just

that one and I'm actually going to shift

to the change history page you'll see

here the first triangle is going to be

on December 8th and that's where 36

changes were made and if we scroll down

here you'll see that there are a few

line items for December 8th that was

this one where the campaign was created

to start with it then had all of its ad

groups created it had the targeting

added and had all of the different ad

images and data segments added to the

campaigns effectively at this point the

campaign was turned live and everything

should have been up and running but the

one thing that I started with which I

would always like to start with is this

bid strategy as maximize conversions we

didn't have any Target CPA included we

just wanted the campaign to maximize

toward conversions so if I close this

carrot come back up to the chart up here

you'll see that we launched on December

8th and didn't get any traction on any

of this until December 12th that's not

very many days and you might normally

leave things the way they were until you

start to see performance ramp up but

from previous experience I knew that

because we had started with maximized

conversions we're going to have a hard

time getting off the ground so I came

back here on on December 12th I made the

change to maximize clicks as the bid

type as opposed to maximized conversions

since we're in the change history you

can see that nothing else was done that

day and these campaign parameters that

started on December 18th were literally

just campaign parameters but immediately

on December 12th we started seeing

clicks come through it's the only thing

that changed this is the tracking

changes and then all the way on January

3rd after in about a month of

performance maybe a little less we

changed the bid strategy back to

maximize conversions and although the

click volume and the click-through rate

that you can see kind of all dropped

because we're focusing on conversions

rather than clicks we were able to

retain the volume coming through it

might be easier if I switch this to the

week view

yep so you can see that we started off

with high clicks higher click-through

rate which is the red line once I made

the change in bidding strategy both of

those things dropped but we retained

traffic throughout if you start off a

gdn campaign on maximize conversions and

it doesn't get any traction try

switching it to maximize clicks for a

short period of time and then switching

back to maximized conversions once it's

got a little bit of volume under its

belt Google insists that you shouldn't

have to do this and yet this is just one

of many real world examples that I run

into where it ended up working out

pretty well the second type of

optimization and review that I want to

walk you through is ADD variations

there's a couple different ways we're

going to do this because I don't have

the perfect account for this example I'm

going to use this other client account

but I'm going to use ads across

campaigns not within if you're getting

nitpicky on me I know that it's not

perfect but it's a good example so I'm

going to head over to the ads and assets

and click on ads the first thing to note

when you're reviewing any sort of Google

Display Network ad copy performance is

that there are two categories of ads and

we have a couple of them here you can

see in the add type column we have image

ads and we also have responsive display

ads those assets are very different

because image ads are going to be

specific dimensions like 728 by 90 320

by 50 468 by 60 whereas responsive

display ads are going to fit into any of

the different shapes I already alluded

to the responsive display ad video that

we have in the intro this video so I'm

not going to go further into that but

when reviewing ad performance I want

want you to always make sure that you

know when you are comparing a responsive

display ad versus an image ad so one of

the different things that I will do for

this is just use my filters I'll filter

for add type and I'll check the box next

to either responsive display ad or image

ad depending on which I want to review

and then I can compare them on the whole

whether by looking down at the filtered

ads which you can see here that have

thirteen thousand dollars in spend which

the total account in this instance which

has 62 000 which isn't a perfect

comparison but you can also compare the

stats among the different ad formats so

here this would be the easiest way for

us to compare which responsive display

ad is performing the best because they

need to be compared to each other as

opposed to compared across all different

ad formats because again responsive

display ads can show up anywhere whereas

banner ads have their own specific area

so here I would probably decide that the

top two responsive display ads are

performing relatively well and then I

would probably want to do something to

change or or remove these next three

responsive display ads because they're

just not doing very well but right now

I'm only looking at the conversion

performance there's also another stat

around the click-through rate that I

want to talk about that I don't think

people pay as much attention to as you

can see here this one has a 3.82 this is

2.7 and then Things fall off a cliff and

we're at 0.32 0.51 0.23 but this is the

overall click-through rate the number of

total clicks divided by the total number

of Impressions but the display network

has a few nuances because of the way

that the ads appear so I'm going to

close the filter and now I'm going to go

to columns and click modify and here I

want to show you the viewability metrics

we already have some of these as

suggested columns down here on the side

but one of the metrics I like to use is

viewable CTR as you can see by the

example here it represents how often

people click your ad after it becomes

viewable it might seem silly but an ad

is only considered viewable when 50 of

it shows on a web page for at least 1

one second so what that means is that a

number of the times that your ad is

populating on a page or generating an

impression it's not actually viewable

because you can't say 50 of it and it

wasn't viewable for at least one second

so one of the other suggested columns

Google has is this viewable Impressions

I'm gonna go ahead and add it and that

is the number of times an ad was

viewable and again fifty percent at

least one second I'm going to move these

to a better place in our column so we'll

be able to see it better in the live

example and just click apply now when

we're looking at these same ads we can

see that we have a little bit of a

difference here the number of

Impressions that a viewable are a bit

less than those total so it's not too

far off but you can see that the

click-through rate is also a bit

different there's not really any change

in performance here we still see that

the top one has the best by far the next

one is the next one down and so on and

so forth in the same order that they

were before but you can see that the

viewable click-through rate is quite a

bit higher than the click-through rate

overall so when you're reviewing your

Display Network work ads I encourage you

to look at viewable CTR for performance

compared to other ads rather than

click-through rate because what you want

to know is how the users are engaging

with your ads they can't engage with

them or make a determination about if

they like them if they don't actually

see them so use viewable CTR instead of

CTR overall for ad copy review on

Display Network the one other caveat I

want to talk about is four image ads so

I'm going to change my filter here the

same thing applies for click-through

rate versus viewable click-through rate

but I also want to caution you against

saying that this top ad is better than

the second ad because this top one has

dimensions of 468 by 60. it only shows

up in placements that fit that the

second one is 320 by 50. what would be a

better comparison is saying that this ad

which is 320 by 50 is better comparable

to another ad which is 320 by 50. so let

me set up a filter for names real quick

and now we can see all of the different

ad creatives that are 320 by 50 compared

to each other so we still see that this

top one has click-through rate of 0.34

first 0.36 as a viewable CTR but this

add variant down here further has a

viewable CTR of 0.77 and the one down

even a little bit more is 0.98 this I

would categorize as better than this top

one because it's being clicked on at

almost three times the rate even though

it's not being shown very often so

whenever you're comparing your ad

variants on the Google Display Network

make sure that you're doing comparable

across ad formats and within formats as

well as within add sizes to get the best

performing for that specific ad variant

the next thing I want to talk about is

expanded and optimized targeting and for

that we're going to head to the

audiences tab I'm going to go ahead and

choose one of these campaigns and I

chose this specific campaign because I

know it is opted into expanded targeting

but if you've been setting up your

display campaigns or if somebody else

set them up for you and you have opted

into that Network which if you're

interested in learning more about and

expanded targeting you can review the

video at the top of the screen right now

but if you want to know how that's

performing you just need to come to the

audiences tab be in this audience

segment section and then click show

table and now down below we only have

one competitor customer segment in this

campaign but you can see that we have

different line items for total segments

and total expansion and optimized

targeting so if we scroll over a little

bit this table isn't super easy to view

you can see here that our segments have

generated 58 conversions for 124 dollar

cost per lead whereas the targeting

expansion and optimized targeting has

generated six at a 363 dollar cost per

lead the click-through rate is also bad

and the cost per click is higher this in

my mind is not a good idea so in this

example I would suggest turning this off

and to do that we would need to jump

into the ad group itself jump into

settings then click on ad group

targeting and then all the way down at

the bottom here you'll see optimize

targeting that you can just uncheck the

Box on and click save clearly Google

doesn't really want you to do this

because they hit it pretty well it's not

just in any of the other settings but

now you know how to do it for the last

piece I want to talk about placements

mobile apps and content controls because

once your ads have been running for a

while you need to make sure that they're

showing up in safe places so the first

thing to do is review the placements

where your ads have shown and that's

going to be in the content section under

where ADS showed from here you'll easily

be able to review the individual

websites or mobile applications that

your ads showed in so you can just

review regular performance metrics for

these and try and optimize what you want

if you want to exclude a placement all

you need to do is check the box next to

it you can click edit and you can

exclude from the ad group or for the

campaign but if you notice like with

this list of placements here a lot of

them are mobile apps depending on

whether you want your ads to show on

mobile apps and how they're performing

you can first set up a filter so let's

just go for placement and see how mobile

apps do

overall these are pretty bad they have

1600 in spend zero conversions this does

not make sense to me so I already showed

you how to exclude individual placements

which can be by checking the box but if

you want to exclude wider swaths of

content you can head over to the

exclusions tab then you need to choose

whether you want to exclude topics

placements or keywords for this one I

want to exclude placements click the

pencil to add new ones exclude

placements and now to exclude all mobile

apps you just need to come down to app

categories and you can check the box

next to all of these different

categories to exclude them and by

checking the box next to all of these

including all of the Google Play Pieces

down here which is only the one you'll

be able to exclude all mobile apps from

your campaigns now it does take a little

bit to go through and check all these

boxes you can't just do it automatically

in one box check but that's neither here

nor there this is the way you exclude

mobile apps from your gdn campaigns I'm

not going to say this right now

but let's say you don't want to exclude

individual placements or apps as a

category let's say that you noticed in

that placements list that you were

showing up alongside a lot of content

that you really don't want to be next to

so rather than taking care of that on

this content tab you can actually run to

the settings tab within your campaign

click on additional settings and down

here at the bottom you'll see content

exclusions which will open up a little

bit and this section allows you to opt

out of showing your ads on content that

doesn't fit your brand at the campaign

level we have a video that Joe has put

together that already covers all the

different ways these content exclusions

work whether it's from the campaign

level or at the account level which you

can see a handful of these are already

excluded at the account level so I'm not

going to go too far into it but just for

sake of being able to see it here if you

wanted to exclude all of your ads from

being on parked domains or live

streaming YouTube video or if you want

to make sure that you're not alongside

any of the sensitive content categories

or just making sure that you're

following only certain content labels

you can easily check the box for that at

the campaign level rather than adjusting

it in the content controls and

exclusions Display Network campaigns

definitely have a few nuanced ways of

optimizing them that are different than

other campaign types whether video or

search campaigns and they might not

always necessarily be intuitive to

people who haven't run those campaign

types before so hopefully this rundown

of this four to five optimization tricks

for Google Display Network campaigns is

going to help you make the most of your

ad Budget on the network but if you have

any additional questions about some of

these optimizations or display campaigns

in general feel free to leave us a note

in the comments below thanks for

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