What are the different types of Google Ads marketers should know about?

From Search Ads to Smart Campaigns, Google Ads come in many different forms and having a clear understanding of each one is key to realizing PPC campaign optimization.

If you’re looking to discover the essential Google Ads best practices for your business, you’re in the right place. Let’s start by taking a look at the different types of Google Ads available for you as a marketer and learn which one is best suited to achieve your marketing goals.

An Overview of Google Ad Campaign Types

With a market share of 28%, Google Ads is the biggest PPC platform in the world and yet, not everyone is a hundred percent clear on the different types of Google Ads available on the platform and how each can be utilized to fit your goals, such as brand awareness, traffic, sales, and more.

Essentially, there are nine different types of Google Ads available to marketers: Search Ads, Display Ads, Shopping Ads, Video Ads, App Promotion Ads, Performance Max Campaigns, Local Ads, Discovery Ads, and Smart Campaigns. Each ad type differs in terms of its placement, customization, and features. Keep reading to find out more about each one:

1. Search Ads

Search is what Google is known for so it stands to reason that its Search Ads are one of the most powerful tools at a marketer’s disposal. Google Search Ads are text-based ads that look like the typical link listings that appear on the search engine results page (SERP).

Google Search Ads are keyword-based so getting these terms right is fundamental to matching your ad to the things people are searching for. Search Ads work most effectively when they are relevant, timely and high-quality.

They can work particularly well at capturing high-intent users looking for specific products. If you’re unsure about the right keywords to use in your Search Ads copy, our Google Ads audit can point you in the right direction.

2. Display Ads

Display Ads are visual ads that appear across the 200 million sites, apps, and videos that make up the Google Display Network. They can consist of images, videos, logos, text, or animations and you might find them as banners, to the side of your screen or woven throughout the content you’re consuming.

Best practices for Display Ads include using compelling visuals, clear CTAs, and targeting options for better performance. Although Display Ads have a relatively low click-through rate, their conversion value is high, making them especially good for driving brand awareness.

3. Shopping Ads

Retailers may find that Shopping Ads are the best option for them. Shopping Ads deliver a more visual way to promote products, pairing product images with prices and other details directly in the SERP, Google Maps, and other relevant locations. They work by pulling data from product feeds in the Google Merchant Center.

The benefit of Shopping Ads for eCommerce comes from the way they showcase real, tangible products and drive high purchase intent. Of course, there are other eCommerce-focused platforms out there so even if you’re certain this is the right type of ad for you, be sure to compare Google Ads vs Amazon Ads before you allocate your marketing budget.

4. Video Ads

Video Ads are those hosted on YouTube, acquired by Google in 2006, and other sites within the Google Display Network. They come in various formats, including skippable in-stream ads, bumper ads, masthead ads, and others.

The advantage of Video Ads is how effective they can be for storytelling, brand awareness, and product demonstrations. They say a picture tells a thousand words, well, a moving picture can be even more compelling for getting your campaign message across.

5. App Promotion Ads

App Promotion Ads are tailored to promote app downloads and engagements across Google properties like the SERP, Play Store and others.

Rather than asking businesses to build an ad from the ground up, these work by taking data from your app's Play Store listing, before testing various layouts that align with your keywords. These ads are ideal for mobile-centric businesses, as they are specifically designed to increase app downloads and usage.

6. Performance Max Campaigns

Launched in late 2021, Performance Max Campaigns use Google’s AI to optimize ad performance across all Google ad channels, automating processes where possible. Because Performance Max Campaigns require little from advertisers aside from sharing their campaign goals, they are a great way of optimizing ad placements and budget allocation without the need for much manual work

7. Local Ads

Local Ads are ideal for marketing brick-and-mortar stores to nearby customers and promoting location-specific products. But first, advertisers have to meet Google’s requirements as part of the Local Services Ads hub.

Local Ads are highly targeted ads designed to drive in-store visits and promote local services. After clicking on a Local Ad, individuals can then call or message the business directly.

8. Discovery Ads

Among the various types of Google Ads, Discovery Ads are great for targeting prospects who are open to finding something new. Using visually engaging content, Discovery Ads are displayed on YouTube, Gmail, and the Google Discover feed.

Discovery Ads are another Google Ad leveraging AI, using the technology to tailor ads across channels. Given that 22% of marketers reportedly use AI multiple times a day in their role, this is hardly surprising.

9. Smart Campaigns

Smart campaigns are Google’s AI-driven ad campaigns for small businesses and beginners. Although they require marketers to be a little more hands-on than with Performance Max Campaigns, Smart Campaigns act as a centralized hub for cross-channel advertising, saving brands the hassle of creating separate campaigns for each relevant channel.

Smart Campaigns still provide useful automation features when targeting a range of channels, such as the SERP, Google Maps, YouTube, and others. However, the limited control that marketers are given over settings could be an issue.

Finding the right type of Google Ad for you

If you’re searching for PPC campaign optimization, choosing the right type of Google Ad is key, but this will ultimately depend on what your goals are. Search ads, for example, are great at driving traffic for service-based businesses. Alternatively, if you want to target shoppers in close proximity to your store, Local Ads might be the way to go.

There is real value to be had in testing different ad types to find the best fit for your brand. There’s a lot to consider when setting up a Google Ads campaign (as our Google Ads cheat sheet shows) and no one type of ad is right for everyone. At Channable, we can help your eCommerce business make the most of whichever type of Google Ads you ultimately decide is the best for you.

No matter your growth stage, Channable provides all the key solutions businesses need to successfully advertise on Google, Amazon and Bol. Find more information here.