What is the Google Display Network? How to run GDN ads effectively

GDN, or Google Display Network, is one of the ad types used by businesses of all sizes around the world. So what is GDN? How does it work and where do the ads appear? And how do you run GDN for the best results? Let's MONA Media find out in the article below.

What is GDN?

What is GDN? GDN stands for Google Display Network, an advertising format that lets businesses place banners or show ad content as images, video, text and more across Google's network of partner websites.

This format works in many fields such as news, services, fashion, sports and travel. That is why GDN is regarded as one of the online marketing tools that deliver strong results for businesses on the market today.

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Google Display Network ad placements

You may not know that choosing the Google Display Network lets your ads appear on 2 million websites, which is equivalent to reaching more than 90% of internet users,through display on websites, mobile apps, video, Gmail and more.

Where ads appear is decided by your campaign setup and the targeting
you choose, such as:

• Choosing specific websites and pages
• Defining related keywords and topics
• Targeting customer groups by interests, demographics, number of visits to your website and more

Note: Depending on your targeting setup, an ad placement may or may not relate to the content of the ad.

How Google Display Network works

What is GDN and how does Google Display Network work? There are two main ways it works:

• Contextual advertising
• Placement targeting

With placement targeting, a business can pick a specific website, app or video from GDN's website available network according to the Target it has set, in order to run ads.

Contextual advertising, on the other hand, runs ads based on topics and keywords the business has chosen. Google analyzes the main topic, content, language, page structure and link structure of the sites that carry ads and checks how well they match the business's topic. Google Ads then picks the most suitable sites to show the ad.

Main GDN ad display formats

Google Display Network supports many ad formats, giving businesses more flexibility in getting their message to customers. These are the most common:

Text ads

The simplest type of ad, made up of a headline, a URL and a few short lines of description. It is easy to create, low in cost and good for testing many messages. However, it is less visual, so it is harder to catch the eye than an image or video.

Multimedia ads

These combine animated images, effects or interactive elements to attract attention. They usually give an engaging experience and hold users' attention longer. However, they cost more to produce and do not suit every campaign.

Image/Banner ads

Static or animated banners designed to catch the eye, usually shown in many places across a website. Image ads help a brand stand out and be remembered. 

Video ads

Most often shown on YouTube or in apps on the GDN network, in short or long form, skippable or not. Video gets a message across vividly, with emotion, and raises brand recognition.

Responsive Display Ads

A flexible ad type where Google automatically adjusts the size and layout to fit the available space. You only upload images, headlines and descriptions, and the system optimizes the rest. 

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Advantages and disadvantages of Google Display Network ads

Google Display Network is a popular online advertising channel with many benefits for expanding reach and attracting customers. But like any form of advertising, GDN has its own limits that businesses need to know in order to use it well.

What are the advantages of Google Display Network?

Google Display Network is one of the most powerful online advertising channels, with many benefits for reaching and winning customers.

• Wide reach: GDN covers more than 2 million websites, apps and platforms, helping your brand reach more than 90% of internet users.

• Low cost of reach: CPC on GDN is usually cheaper than search ads, saving budget while still reaching many potential customers.

• Stronger brand recognition: With images, video and varied display formats, GDN makes ads stand out and stay in users' minds.

• Effective remarketing: GDN lets you follow up with people who have visited your website, remind them to come back and raise the chance of conversion.

• Precise targeting: Customize your audience by interests, behavior, demographics, keywords or even individual websites, so your ads reach "the right people in the right place."

• Easy measurement and optimization: Detailed reports let you track performance, evaluate and adjust campaigns for the best results.

What are the disadvantages of Google Display Network?

Alongside its clear benefits, Google Display Network (GDN) has some limits that businesses should weigh before using it:

• High advertising cost: GDN is usually a long-term campaign and needs a steady budget to build brand recognition.

• Hard to control results: Ads sometimes appear on unrelated websites, wasting budget.

• No control over user behavior: Ads can only target audiences by interests or behavior; they cannot change what users do.

• Depends on many factors: Results depend on ad creative quality, target audience, budget and even timing, so constant optimization is needed.

3 types of GDN display campaigns

GDN offers several display campaign types, so businesses can choose by goal: building brand awareness, attracting potential customers, or following up with people who have already visited the website.

Standard Display Campaign

The standard display campaign is one of the three GDN display campaign types, and the most basic one on Google Display Network. With this campaign you have full control over the audience you want to reach. So once you know exactly who your customers are and what you want to tell them, this is the better choice.

Smart Display Campaign

The smart display campaign shows your ads across Google's display network in many formats, reaching more targets and audiences without you having to recreate content or a bidding strategy for each group.

With a smart display campaign, however, you have less time to create content and test combinations, because Google tests and optimizes the ad formats for you automatically.

Remarketing Campaign

A remarketing campaign is a display campaign aimed at people who have visited your website or interacted with your business. Instead of reaching new people, it keeps reminding potential customers about you, so they are more likely to return and convert.

For example, a customer looks at running shoes on your website but does not buy. When they visit news sites or other social platforms later, your running shoe ads keep appearing and encourage them to come back and complete the order.

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Steps to set up an effective Google display campaign

Step 1: Create a new display campaign

To start creating a GDN ad campaign, sign in to your Google Ads account. 

In the Google Ads interface, in the left menu, select "Campaigns" → click “+ Create campaign" to start setting up a new campaign.

Step 2: Choose a campaign goal

Before creating a new campaign, Google asks "What is your advertising goal?". You can choose goals such as Sales, Leads, Website traffic, Product and brand consideration, Brand awareness and reach, or App promotion.

For each goal, Google suggests suitable campaign types. For example, if you choose website traffic, you can run Search, Display, Video or Shopping campaigns. If you have no specific idea yet, you can also choose create a campaign without a goal and set it up yourself.

Step 3: Choose a campaign subtype

Although it is called a "subtype", think it over carefully, because you cannot change it after choosing. Google currently has 3 campaign subtypes: standard display campaign, smart display campaign and Gmail ad campaign.

At this step, choose the conversion type the system should focus on optimizing, and give the campaign a clear name so it is easy to manage. If your goal is not in the list, you can click "Add goal" to add it. If you don't need a goal, click the "…" icon next to it and select "Clear”.

Step 4: Set location and language

In campaign settings, you can choose the geographic location and language for your ads. Besides targeting, you can also exclude areas you do not want, for example running ads across the whole United States but excluding one specific state. Make sure the language matches your ad content so you reach the right customers.

Step 5: Set bidding for your Google display ad campaign

Your budget decides how often your ads appear, and your bidding strategy decides how Google spends that budget to reach your goal. On Google Display Network you can choose automated, smart or manual bidding, depending on your strategy.

Daily budget: This is the average amount you want to spend each day. For example, if you set 200,000 VND/day, your monthly spend will be about 6,080,000 VND (200,000 x 30.4). Some days may cost more and some less, but spending will not exceed this average.

Bidding strategies:

• Smart: Google optimizes automatically to reach your goal. For example, if you set a target CPA of 50,000 VND per customer, the system tries to keep the average cost at that level.
• Automated: Focuses on maximizing clicks or impressions. For example, if you want more website traffic, Google distributes your ads to get as many clicks as possible within your budget.
• Manual: You adjust the price per click (CPC) yourself. For example, you are willing to pay 5,000 VND for each click on your ad.

Step 6: Set up targeting

Targeting is an important step in online advertising that you cannot skip. There are two kinds: audience targeting and content targeting. It helps you find not only the right audience but also the right place and time, which contributes to the success of your ad messages. 

Google Display Network lets you reach users in several flexible ways:

• Optimized targeting: Google automatically finds the customer group most likely to deliver the best results. This is the simple choice, suited to widening your reach to new customers without manual adjustments.

• Add targeting signals: You can add criteria such as audience segments or keywords. Google uses these signals to find more similar customers while still optimizing your reach.

• Turn off optimized targeting: If you only want to focus on a specific customer list (for example, existing customers), you can turn this feature off and use the data you already have.

Step 7: Create an effective GDN ad campaign

Image ads

This is one of the most common formats on Google Display Network (GDN). You upload a static image or an animated image (GIF), and Google shows exactly that content to users. It makes your brand more visual, more noticeable and easier to remember than text ads.

Notes when designing image ads:

• File format: JPG, PNG, GIF.

• Maximum file size: 150KB.

• Standard dimensions: Google supports many sizes such as 300×250 (inline rectangle), 728×90 (leaderboard), 300×600 (half-page ad) and 320×100 (large mobile banner).

Choosing the right format and size helps your ad display smoothly and correctly on every device and improves how well it reaches customers.

Responsive display ads

Responsive display ads are Google's smart ad type. They automatically change size, format and display to fit the ad slot on different websites, apps and devices.

Instead of designing a whole set of banners in different sizes, you only need to prepare:

• 1 landscape image (ratio 1.91:1, size 1200×628)

• 1 square image (ratio 1:1, maximum size 1200×1200)

• Logo (ratios 1:1 and 4:1)

• A short headline and description

Google automatically combines and optimizes your ad to display correctly in every placement. This saves a lot of design time and cost, and keeps your ads looking good and professional.

Tips for running GDN ads effectively

To get better results from your Google Display Network campaign, keep in mind the factors MONA suggests below:

• Run a remarketing campaign: This is an important strategy that keeps you in touch with potential customers who have visited your website.
• Set suitable ad placements: Check where your ads appear regularly and remove unsuitable placements. This helps you manage budget and goals and raises conversion rate more effectively.
• Focus on the banner message: This is a very practical factor for attracting attention and raising conversion rate. Your Google Display Network banners should be well designed in size, message and eye-catching images, with a clear CTA and without too much text.
• Build a clear landing page that drives conversion: A landing page needs a good layout, a detailed and clear product catalog, and ways to guide customers by hotline, form or chat support, moving them closer to buying.
• Test several ad creatives: When you start, split your budget into smaller parts and test several ad formats. That gives you the most accurate basis for choosing the creative that best fits your advertising goal.

≫ Read more: How to Run Google Ads

Frequently asked questions about Google Display Network

1. Why do large businesses often use GDN?

Google Display Network is Google's advertising network, which shows banners, images and video on millions of websites and apps. Large businesses often choose GDN because it widens brand reach, promotes products to a large audience and makes a strong impression with visual, eye-catching ad formats.

2. Is GDN really effective?

Google Display Network (GDN) is an online advertising format that is considered very effective for businesses. GDN shows ads to the right audience, saves cost and supports remarketing to raise the rate of closed orders. Many traditional ad channels cannot offer this.

3. What should you watch out for with GDN?

Now that you know what GDN is, what should you watch out for when using GDN ads?

• Keep a separate budget: Do not merge your GDN budget with Search Ads, because the two ad types work differently. Keeping them apart makes results easier to measure and avoids waste.

• Do not choose too many targets in one campaign: If you target too many topics, placements or interests at once, your ads struggle to reach the right customers and results are hard to track. Split them up and run one goal at a time so they are easier to optimize.

• Limit spending on mobile app ads: Ads in mobile games get a lot of impressions, but most viewers (children and young people) pay little attention, so conversion is low.

That is the detailed answer to the question “What is GDN?" and the most effective ways to run Google Display Network ads. We hope the information just MONA Media shared gives you a basis for choosing the right options for your business and getting the best ad results!