You’ve invested the time and energy into your Google AdWords campaign. You’ve double checked your work and everything is as it should be.

Still not getting the results you want? Having trouble getting the traction your campaign deserves? It’s not always easy to get your foot in the door, but using Google Display Networks can help you get there.

Google Display Networks can be intimidating. The good news is, they don’t need to be. We have everything you need to know about Google Display Networks. We’ll give you the tips you need to get them working for you and your business.

What Is a Google Display Network?

If you’re new to a Google AdWords account, you may not have come across the Google Display Network—also referred to as “GDN”—yet. Though it’s made to work directly with the Google AdWords platform, it functions quite differently. Don’t let this intimidate or overwhelm you, though.

While it is different from AdWords, it’s certainly still navigable. The GDN is actually more similar to the Facebook advertising platform than Google AdWords. If you already have experience with advertising on Facebook, using the GDN interface to improve your website’s results shouldn’t be a problem.

There’s one large difference when it comes to Facebook and GDN that’s worth noting—one that’s good for you and your business. While Facebook’s advertising options are limited to the time you spend on Facebook, the GDN will allow your advertisement to appear on many different sites.

The GDN will pop your advertisement into available locations across the web. The GDN serves as a screening process that identifies your ideal customer and then targets them. Your targeted ads are brought directly to those who are most likely to want and purchase them.

How Does the Google Display Network Actually Work?

The concept behind the GDN is simple enough—you’re putting together a profile of your ideal customer. Google will then use that profile to screen potential shoppers. Based on their browsing history and information, internet users will fall into your ideal customer category.

To use the GDN most successfully, you’ll need to spend a little bit of time doing some groundwork. Start by identifying the prime target customer for your product. Old, young, married, or single—you’ll use this information to fill out target fields.

It’s crucial you have an accurate profile of your consumer to get the best results the GDN can deliver. Once you’ve identified your consumer, go ahead and complete the GDN setup using this information. Now, when people who fall into those categories hit the internet, your ad will pop up wherever they happen to be surfing.

In addition to targeting your ideal audience, these banner-style advertisements also give you new options for engaging advertisements. You can capture your future consumer’s attention with videos and pictures.

The text is, of course, a cornerstone of advertising. If your audience isn’t reading the advertisement, though, even the best text won’t get you results. Visual interest can help snag your audience’s attention when words haven’t.

This isn’t to say that your traditional Google AdWords campaign can’t be effective and valuable. It can be. It can also be even more successful by incorporating GDN into your marketing approach.

How to Get the Most out of Your Google Display Networks

Setting up your GDN right the first time will help make sure you’re getting the biggest return for your monetary investment in advertising. Here’s what you can do to keep your GDN working hard for you—and get you that ROAS you’ve been working toward.

Be Selective

The GDN is all about narrowing down the field of your audience. Yes, you want your advertisement to reach more people. Most importantly, though, you want it to reach people who will be interested in clicking and purchasing—that’s where you’ll see a monetary return.

To really do this, you need to be selective when it comes to choosing your demographics. You may reach fewer people in the process. However, the people you will reach will be the ones who are more likely to go through with a purchase.

Do Your Research

While setting up your GDN you can choose to include specific websites. Don’t skip this step. Instead, take the time to look into well-known sites that are relevant to your product. These sites will be attracting your niche audience and if they’re well-travelled, they’re creating traction for you.

If you’re unfamiliar with your products’ area, sink some time into researching. Targeting your audience will be worth the time you’re investing up front.

Remarket

If you haven’t been using remarketing to your advantage already, now’s the time to start. A remarketing campaign brings your product back to a potential consumer after a period of time. Think about it as a reminder to your consumer that they’d been interested in your product before—and that they should go ahead and continue with their click-through.

We live in a fast-paced, highly digital world. People are frequently multi-tasking and for a variety of reasons might not be able to purchase their item the first time they see it. By the time the moment is right, they’ve forgotten or can’t remember the exact item. A remarketing campaign brings your product back to that consumer—hopefully when the time is right.

Don’t underestimate the importance of the remarketing campaign. When used with your Google AdWords campaign and your GDN, the remarketing campaign can add real value to your marketing plan.

Mobile Game Advertising—a Word of Caution

Advertising on mobile games may appeal to you. While there are plenty of players out there you might reach in the process, there are some good reasons to pass on mobile game marketing.

The first reason? If you’re like many mobile game users out there, you may not be invested in those advertisements. This is where people look up from their phone or walk away to complete a chore. You may be spending your advertising monies without ever reaching a potential consumer.

This is even truer when the mobile games your advert runs on is geared toward children. Children aren’t likely to be in charge of making a purchase. While you may have a captive viewer or audience, this might not translate into an uptick in sales.

Not only is the likelihood of reaching your audience lower, but you may also find there are plenty of accidental clicks. These clicks can eat up your advertising budget without increasing your sales, bringing down your ROAS. Overall, your best bet is to opt out of mobile game advertising altogether and put your marketing monies somewhere else.

Combining Approaches to Find the Success You’re Looking For

A comprehensive approach to marketing will give you the most return for your investment. You’ll be able to tap consumers from multiple markets and approach them from multiple angles. This can translate to more sales and a bigger ROAS for you.

Using Google Display Networks alongside your Google AdWords campaign can get you the traction you’ve been searching for. If you’ve been struggling to get everything to click firmly into place, try implementing a Google Display Networks approach. While it may seem complicated at first, it doesn’t need to be—and it can help you get those results you’ve been craving.

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