AdWords Image ads (or banners) are promotional material incorporating graphic elements and displayed within the framework of Google Display Network. A user who clicks the banner is redirected to the website of an advertiser. The Google Display Network (GDN) covers over 2 million websites and reaches up to 90 % Internet users from all over the world.
Banner Ad campaigns
What are AdWords image ads?
In Poland, the number of websites belonging to the network exceeds 40 thousand (the number includes, among others, Onet, Gazeta, WP, and Interia), ensures the reach of 92 % Internet users and generates over 40 billion views of promotional materials per year. The AdWords image ad system is characteristic due to a wide selection of forms of advertising and the ability to manage campaigns in a precise manner. The discussed promotion type is also referred to as display advertising.
Variety of targeting methods
AdWords banner campaigns allow for a number of targeting methods. Thanks to that, it is possible to create efficient campaigns that will meet business needs of the advertiser.
Methods of targeting image advertisements can be divided into those: contextual targeting,behavioral targeting , and placement targeting . What is more, it is possible to set demographic criteria for said options. Contextual targeting is based on keywords included in the content of the website or topical categories to which it is ascribed. In the case of behavioral forwarding, a given ad is adjusted to a particular user, who has shown his or her interest in certain website types. This category also includes the so-called remarketing, which is focused on showing adverts to users who have recently visited the website of the advertiser. The advertiser may also select certain destinations, i.e. websites he or she wants his or her ads to be displayed on.
Targeting methods can be also combined to reach a more specific and precise group of recipients. It is, for example, possible to direct a campaign at people interested in pop music and browsing websites connected with video clips.
Advantages of display ad campaigns
Banner campaigns have a remarkable potential when it comes to promoting brands online. Their major advantages are as follows:
- ability to reach people who have not been looking for particular products or services, but may be potentially interested in them,
- relatively low costs of reaching a vast group of recipients,
- possibility of increasing brand awareness or promoting a new product,
- appealing banner form allowing to publish photos and animations,
- Various forwarding methods, allowing to reach a precise target audience.
Thanks to the aforementioned features, display ads are one of the most popular promotion form on the Internet and spending on this form of promotion increase every single year.
Artefakt’s experience
Experienced agencies enjoying the Google Partner status can achieve more satisfactory effects with a given budget. Check what Google says about that. Even though managing image ad campaign may seem to be trivial at first, it is exceptionally easy to make some costly mistakes.
We have been managing advertising campaigns since 2005. Our team of AdWords experts includes 11 people that exercise supervision over 1500 campaigns at once. The value of promotional marketing we have been managing has recently exceeded PLN 36 million.
Our agency has been awarded with a prestigious status of the Premier Google Partner, which has been given to a limited number of best agencies in Poland only. Thanks to said acknowledgement, it is easier for us to take part in training sessions organized by Google and utilize new AdWords-related functionalities.
Image ad cost
Google display campaigns can be settled in CPC (Cost Per Click) or CPM (Cost Per 1000 views) model. The first strategy is typically chosen when the aim of the strategy is to direct users to a given website. When an advertiser wants as many people as possible to see a given ad, even if they do not click it, the better solution is to opt for the CPM solution. In both cases, ads take part in an auction, during which both the set rate and ad quality decide which banner will be displayed in a given spot. The average CPC of banner campaigns is frequently lower than search engine one, so such a promotional material can ensure a more remarkable reach for a lower price.
The budget to be spent on AdWords image ads depends predominantly on the reach we would like to achieve, as well as on the size of the selected target audience. The more general the criteria, the higher the budget should be. Expenses for such campaigns can be flexible in character, which means that they may start with a lower budget in order to test various promotion methods and gradually increase it to invest in the most beneficial criteria.
Banner campaigns - reporting
Within the scope of AdWords account management, you will be appointed an individual supervisor, who will take care of the validity of ads and optimization of campaign-specific settings. The supervisor will regularly analyze Google Adwords and Google Analytics data, as well as will inform you about key parameters and planned changes.
When it comes to Google Display Network campaigns, it is paramount to examine their direct impact on the conversion rate, as they typically generate less sales than search engine ones. An experienced AdWords expert is capable of specifying the role banner ads play in the sales process.
Cooperation with a proper agency
In order to avoid serious errors while configuring and managing display campaigns, it is worth starting cooperation with a trusted agency which, by taking advantage of its vast experience and set campaign goals, will create an effective promotion strategy.
At Artefakt, we utilize settlement methods adjusted to various needs. Typically, our remuneration is a percentage of the set campaign budget. A detailed price list can be found here.
Available ad formats
Google advertising network can display both text ads, and various image ads, including animations (since 2016, it is possible to use animated Flash banners and HTML5 ones). Using various formats boosts campaign’s reach. Therefore, it is worth knowing them and using them skillfully.
RESPONSIVE DISPLAY ADS
It is a type of ad that can be displayed in various formats and adjusted to the currently available advertising spot. Responsive display ad can therefore take the form of a text ad, standard image ad, or a native one, meaning – a promotional material resembling the content of the website (for example: an introduction to an article). Responsive display ads make it possible to achieve a remarkable reach easily without the necessity to create a set of banners.
IMAGE ADS
Those are standard advertising banners. They can be published in the form of graphic files or created in a semi-automatic manner by the system basing on the layout of the destination site. Such ads can be additionally enhanced by opting for animations. Creations made by the advertiser himself or herself gave to meet certain criteria of the AdWords system relating to, among others, file size or animation length. Sometimes to achieve most satisfactory results, it is enough to create a dozen banners in most popular dimensions.
DYNAMIC SEARCH ADS
Such a form of ads is used in the so-called dynamic remarketing. The banner shows products or offers that a given user has browsed recently on the website of the advertiser. Thanks to such materials, it is possible to create a very effective sales boosting campaign by limiting the number of abandoned carts.
LIGHTBOX ADS
This type of promotional material can engage a user to a remarkable extent. When he or she clicks or hovers the mouse over a banner, it can expand to full screen, play a video clip, or provide the user with a set of pictures. In the case of said ads, the advertiser pays for users who have interacted with such a material. When it comes to lightbox advertisements, it is important to encourage the user to interact with the banner by conveying a proper message in the initial part of the ad, namely – in the invitation.
APP CAMPAIGNS
Those are ads that are displayed on mobile phones and encourage users to download a particular app. They are easy to create and optimize with regard to boosting the number of downloads. Such ads can be published on websites, on Google Play, on YouTube, as well as in other applications.
Spots for displaying AdWords image ads
Google image ads are displayed in the advertising network, which predominantly involves websites participating in the AdSense system, but also – the YouTube platform and mobile applications. By choosing a proper campaign type and forwarding methods, we can take advantage of those resources. In order to check where our ads can be displayed after choosing certain settings, we can utilize a campaign planner being a part of the advertising network.
AdWords remarketing
One of the most popular campaign types in the Google advertising network is the so-called remarketing. It is based on directing ads to people, who have recently visited the website of the advertiser and Cookie files have been stored on their end devices. Thanks to that, users can see remarketing ads on other sites making their advertising spots available within the framework of the GDN network. It is one of the most efficient methods of forwarding image ads. Remarketing Google reminds an Internet user about an offer he has browsed and encourages him or her to visit the website again to convert (e.g. to make a purchase). The advertiser can also introduce additional elements in the banner, such as discount codes, information on free shipping, etc.
Additionally, online shops can use dynamic remarketing. Said solution is oriented towards displaying banners with products and offers a given user has browsed. Thanks to personalization, such a form of promotion is always very effective.
What should image ads include?
In order for an advertising banner to be appealing to a recipient and help realize set goals, it should meet certain basic requirements. Adjusting it to technical and editorial principles of Google is too little to be able to make a remarkable banner. An efficient image ad should be, above all else, understandable – it should inform about the offer and its most important features by means of text and images. It is also exceptionally important to include a proper call to action. A user should know what the advertiser expects him or her to do and what he or she can expect after clicking the banner. That is why the call to action is utilized, the aim of which is to encourage the user to visit a given website and perform a particular action, such as making a purchase of filling in the contact form. Image advertisement also has to be relatively straightforward – the excessive number of elements and information causes the banner to be illegible and discouraging. It is also worth remembering about a graphic consistency between the banner and the destination website. If the two discussed elements will be remarkably different from each other, the user may feel lost and leave the website right after entering it.
AdWords ad sizes
When it comes to AdWords, the following banner sizes can be utilized:
- 750 x 200, also referred to as a double billboard. It is the most popular billboard size in Poland,
- 750 x 300, also referred to as a triple billboard. It is the third most popular billboard dimension in Poland,
- 750 x 100, also referred to as a billboard. It is also exceptionally popular,
- 300 x 250 also known as a medium rectangle,
- 336 x 280 also known as a big rectangle,
- 728 x 90 also referred to as a long banner,
- 300 x 600 – sometimes referred to as a half of a page. It generates more views than other ad dimensions,
- 320 x 100, also known as a big cell banner,
- 320 x 50 also known as a long cell banner,
- 468 x 60 typically referred to as a standard banner. It is a classic image ad format, which is currently used much less frequently than in the past,
- 234 x 60 also referred to as a semi-banner, perfect for small spots,
- 120 x 600 also known as a skyscraper,
- 120 x 240 also referred to as a vertical banner,
- 160 x 600 also known as a wide skyscraper,
- 300 x 1050, also referred to as a portrait. It is used to promote a given brand. It gives advertisers the possibility of winning the attention of users,
- 970 x 90, also known as a long banner. It may be expanded to the size of 970 x 415. Said dimension is a suitable one for such content as movie clips, photos, animations, and applications,
- 970 x 250 also known as a billboard. It is a format that is used to promote a given brand.
- 250 x 250 is also known a square,
- 200 x 200 also known as a small square,
- 180 x 150 also referred to as a small rectangle,
- 125 x 125 also known as a button.
Due to their small sizes, formats such as a square, small square, rectangle, or button are used less frequently than other formats.
