Google Ads offers several types of campaigns that cater to different advertising goals and objectives. Here are the main campaign types you can choose from:
- Search Campaigns: Search campaigns are the most common type of Google Ads campaign. They display text ads on Google’s search results pages when users enter relevant search queries. Advertisers bid on keywords related to their products or services, and their ads appear above or below the organic search results. Search campaigns are effective for capturing user intent and driving direct response actions, such as clicks to a website, conversions, or phone calls.
- Display Campaigns: Display campaigns allow you to show visual ads on websites, YouTube, and mobile apps within the Google Display Network (GDN). The GDN comprises a vast network of partner websites that have partnered with Google to display ads. Display campaigns offer a range of ad formats, including image ads, responsive ads, and interactive ads. This type of campaign is useful for building brand awareness, reaching a broader audience, and driving engagement through visually appealing creatives.
- Video Campaigns: Video campaigns focus on displaying video ads on YouTube and other partner websites within the Google Display Network. Video ads can appear before, during, or after YouTube videos or on websites where video ad placements are available. Advertisers can choose from various video ad formats, such as skippable in-stream ads, non-skippable in-stream ads, bumper ads, and video discovery ads. Video campaigns are effective for driving brand awareness, engagement, and storytelling through video content.
- Shopping Campaigns: Shopping campaigns are designed for e-commerce businesses and enable the promotion of products directly within Google’s search results. They feature product images, titles, prices, and store information, allowing users to compare products and make purchase decisions. Advertisers need to set up a Google Merchant Center account and link it to their Google Ads account to run shopping campaigns. These campaigns are ideal for showcasing product inventory, attracting qualified traffic, and driving sales.
- App Campaigns: App campaigns are specifically designed to promote mobile apps across Google Search, Google Play, YouTube, and the Google Display Network. Advertisers provide relevant information about their app, such as the app’s name, description, images, and video assets. Google’s machine learning algorithms optimize the campaign to deliver ads to users who are most likely to install or engage with the app. App campaigns are effective for increasing app installs, driving in-app actions, and maximizing app reach.
- Local Campaigns: Local campaigns aim to drive foot traffic and store visits to physical locations. They combine various ad formats, including search, display, and YouTube ads, to promote business locations within a specific geographic radius. Advertisers provide their business information, such as store locations, ad creative assets, and a call-to-action, and Google’s system optimizes the campaign to reach potential customers in the vicinity. Local campaigns are beneficial for businesses with brick-and-mortar stores looking to increase local awareness and foot traffic.
These are the primary campaign types available in Google Ads. Each campaign type serves specific advertising goals and utilizes different ad formats and targeting options. It’s important to select the campaign type that aligns with your objectives, target audience, and budget. Additionally, Google Ads provides campaign subtypes and customization options within each campaign type to further tailor your advertising strategy.
- Discovery Campaigns: Discovery campaigns allow advertisers to reach potential customers as they browse through Google’s Discover feed, YouTube home feed, and Gmail promotions tab. These campaigns use a combination of text, image, and video ads to engage users who are exploring content relevant to their interests. Discovery campaigns leverage audience targeting and automated bidding to deliver personalized ads that match user intent and preferences.
- Smart Campaigns: Smart campaigns, also known as Google Ads Express, are designed for small businesses or advertisers with limited time and resources. These campaigns simplify the ad creation and management process by using automated features and predefined ad formats. Advertisers provide their business information, ad assets, and goals, and Google’s machine learning algorithms optimize the campaign for maximum results. Smart campaigns are suitable for businesses seeking a straightforward and streamlined approach to online advertising.
- Hotel Campaigns: Hotel campaigns are specifically designed for hotel advertisers to promote their properties and availability to potential guests. These campaigns display hotel booking ads on Google Search, Maps, and the Google Display Network. Advertisers provide details about their hotels, such as rates, availability, and promotional offers, and Google optimizes the campaign to target relevant search queries and reach users looking for accommodations.
- Campaign Drafts and Experiments: While not a campaign type itself, Google Ads offers the ability to create campaign drafts and experiments to test and evaluate changes to your campaigns. Campaign drafts allow you to make and preview changes to your campaigns without affecting the live version. Experiments, on the other hand, enable you to split your campaign’s traffic between the original version and the modified version to assess the impact of changes on performance.
It’s important to choose the appropriate campaign type based on your advertising goals, target audience, and the nature of your business. Each campaign type offers different targeting options, ad formats, and optimization features to help you achieve your desired outcomes. It’s recommended to closely monitor the performance of your campaigns, make data-driven adjustments, and iterate on your strategies to optimize your results. Additionally, leveraging the expertise of a digital marketing professional or agency can provide valuable insights and guidance in selecting and managing the most effective Google Ads campaigns for your business.
