As the biggest advertising platform in the world, Google offers a wealth of products and inventory for advertisers to reach their target audience on. These include running ads via search, display, shopping, video (YouTube), and much more. One of the most popular properties is Google’s Display Network (otherwise known as GDN), which is a vast collection of websites, mobile applications, and other partners providing online ad space. Google Display Targeting Options Google Display is widely used for a variety of reasons, but most importantly are its targeting capabilities. Google Display Network targeting includes the following:
For an in-depth look at each one of these GDN targeting options, we’ve defined them and divided them into four categories: behavioral targeting, contextual targeting, demographic targeting, and other targeting. Behavioral Targeting Arguably the core of all targeting in the modern digital age is behavioral targeting, otherwise known as audience targeting. This method focuses on people with similar interests, buying patterns, behaviors, and intentions. There are at least ten Google Display audience targeting options, including but not limited to:
Contextual Targeting Contextual targeting was relevant before the inception of the digital cookie, still is during the modern digital age, and will continue to be once 3rd party cookies are phased out of advertising. Instead of targeting a specific group of people (wherever they may be on the internet), GDN contextual targeting allows you to place ads next to relevant websites and mobile applications where your target audience is likely to visit. The three types available in Google Display campaigns include placement, topic, and keyword targeting, explained below.
Demographic Targeting Another fantastic Google Display targeting option is the inclusion or exclusion of select demographics. On one hand, demographics can be solely targeted as a part of a mass-reach or general branding strategy. On the other hand, they can be used to further refine contextual or behavioral targeting already selected. Shown below are the four different types of demographic targeting available to advertisers in Google Ads.
Other Targeting When the behavioral, contextual, and demographic targets are chosen, other Google Display campaign targeting options are still required for launch. All are set at the campaign level except for optimized targeting and devices, which can also be set at the ad group level. For locations, ad schedules and devices, you can manually bid up or down, exclude, or let smart bidding decide how to leverage them. On the flip side, operating systems, device models and networks are only able to be excluded entirely or leveraged by smart bidding.
Conclusion Google Display network allows you to maximize reach on desired audiences with cost-effective targeting capabilities. Regardless of the business goals, GDN provides the parameters to find your ideal customers, all within the Google Ads ecosystem. |