How to Target the Right Audience on The Google Display Network
Unlike ads on the Google Search Network, display ads are not delivered to people who are actively looking for something. Instead, they’re placed on websites, apps and other platforms to distract users from their current activity and draw their attention to the ad.
What is the Google Display Network?
Just like Google Ads, the Google Display Network is designed to help your advertisements reach your target audience. With an array of targeting options, advertisers can strategically show their message to potential customers at the right place at the right time.
Along with traditional search advertising (Google Ads), there’s an opportunity for advertisers to place their ads on a variety of websites across the internet.
The collection of websites, which varies from news sites to YouTube, is referred to as the Google Display Network.
What Targeting Options Are Available?
As with any style of marketing, one of the keys to success is targeting the right audience who are most likely to engage and convert.
Finding the right audience across millions of websites can be a challenge. But to overcome this, the Google Display Network allows businesses to get the right message to the right audience at the right place and time.
A common question asked by businesses is, “How do ads on the Google Display Network reach the right people?” Google offers 7 forms of targeting which businesses can use exclusively or combine to ensure their ads reach the right people and to maximise their conversion rate:
- 1. Contextual targeting
- 2. Placement targeting
- 3. Remarketing
- 4. Interest categories
- 5. Topic targeting
- 6. Geographic targeting
- 7. Location targeting
- 8. Demographic targeting
If you’re unfamiliar with the Google Display Network, all the different options can be overwhelming and a bit daunting – but its important businesses understand the difference between the categories.
1. Contextual Targeting
This method of targeting uses the keywords and topics that you have selected in order to match your ads with relevant websites. Advertisers can connect with their audience as they read web content that’s directly linked to what they’re selling.
The Google Display Network uses keyword-level targeting and bidding to ensure that advertisers reach their target audience and maximise their spend and reach.
2. Placement Targeting
The Display Network enables businesses to pick their own websites and target the sites that their customers are visiting. For example, if you sell cooking appliances, you might want to consider placing your ads on cooking / baking websites.
Or, you can reach specific segments of your audience on specific websites by utilising contextual and placement targeting at the same time. If you advertise your cooking appliances on a cooking website, for instance, then Google’s contextual targeting will find pages on the cooking website that specifically discuss appliances.
3. Remarketing
Google’s display remarketing enables you to reengage past website visitors.
Remarketing is a method to connect with people who have already interacted with your website or mobile app. It enables businesses to strategically position their ads in front of their past website visitors as they browse Google and its partner websites.
Remarketing on Google helps businesses advertise to people who have previously visited their website or used their mobile app. Past visitors can see your ads when they use websites that are part of the Google Display Network, or when they conduct a search for terms related to your product / service on Google.
We’ve discussed the ins and outs of remarketing on Google before, for the latest information visit: How Does Remarketing on Google Work?
4. Interest Targeting
Google has a selection of predefined interest groups that are on offer for targeting. Advertisers can choose from a list of categories (like beauty, fashions, travel, sport) and Google will display your ads based on users who are interested in the specific categories.
Google analyses what users are reading online in their current session and what they’ve viewed over the past 30 days, reviewing how recently and often they have landed on relevant pages.
5. Topic Targeting
There’s the option to categorise internet users based on their interests; they can also reach people in certain topics. Much like interest targeting, advertisers can target people based on the websites that they view.
Topic targeting allows businesses to place their ads on web pages and apps about given topics, whether it’s sport or fashion related (or something else entirely).
6. Geographical Targeting
Regardless of how eye-catching your display advertisement is, it won’t have optimal performance if it doesn’t appear in the right places.
It’s unlikely that you want your ads to reach people from across the world. Location targeting permits your ads to be eligible in the geographical locations that you want, ranging from:
- – Countries
- – Locations within a country
- – Radius around a location
- – Location groups
7. Language Targeting
Obviously, you want your ads to be displayed to people who can understand them.
Google’s language targeting allows you to target audiences based on the languages those customers understand. For example, you might want to target English speakers worldwide or English speakers in a given city.
Bear in mind that Google does detect and look at the languages of pages or apps that users visit to decide which ads to display. But specifying languages just adds the extra security.
8. Demographic Targeting
If your usual customer is in a particular age range or gender, you can use demographic targeting to display your ads to people who are mostly likely to convert.
Demographic targeting is usually in addition to another form of targeting to refine the market. For example, advertisers could combine demographic and interest targeting to reach people within the right age range 30 – 45 years and those who are likely to be interested cooking.
What Targeting Options You Should Use
There are different targeting methods available on the Google Display Network and each have their own advantages with a unique way to reach the right audience.
With no shortage of targeting availability, the difficulty businesses face is finding the right style to work best for their business and reach their goals.
Ready to Reach the Right Audience on the Google Display Network?
Targeting the right audience on the Google Display Network is a vital part of running a successful campaign.
As always, expertise and time is key! Different Gravy Digital can work with you to optimise, plan and run your display campaigns to maximise your results and reach the right audience.
Contact us for a free, no obligation consultation:
Book a meeting: michaelgoldman.co.uk/
Telephone: 0161 706 0004