On one end you’ve got Google Display Network (banners and video ads), then you have YouTube ads, and then there’s Google Search Network (conventional keyword ads). There’s also Google Search Partners (essentially an extension of Google’s own targeting) – not to be confused with Google’s official partners in the UK. That’s us and other verified partner agencies.

All these platforms serve different types of ads:

• Search ads
• Display or banner ads (also includes HTML5 animated banners)
• Video ads
• Shopping ads
• Dynamic ads
• Smart ads
• Remarketing

If all these are given the same budget and targeting strategy, the results will be significantly different. This is because each of these adverts uses different creative solutions, some use AI to generate copy and visuals, some are text-only.

For example, those who see search ads are generally at the end of the conversion funnel and are quite certain in terms of what they are looking for (hence the use of keywords). In contrast, banners or videos are outbound marketing mediums, capturing your potential customer profile. The latter are people who may not even be aware of your brand, products, and services.

In the first case, a company might get a website visitor at an average CPC (cost per click) 7x higher, but the probability of conversion would be tens of times greater. Meanwhile, display and video ads can reach 100K targeted impressions and 600-1200 website visitors for an average of €100 – great for brand awareness but usually delivering significantly lower conversion rates. Sometimes as low as 0.01%.

A strong strategy targets the conversion funnel as a whole. A healthy percentage of the budget goes towards demand generation and brand awareness, another healthy amount of your budget goes to lower funnel visibility – to be the top result for high relevance keywords. The third segment is remarketing and retention.

Adverts also contain extras called Ad Extensions. These can be anything from a few lines of additional text to hyperlinked phone numbers and lead forms. You can also add your business logo to your adverts and include one picture to go with a search ad, for example. The most common Google Ads ad extensions are called:

• Sitelink Extensions – these provide additional links to specific, relevant pages on your website. It could be a link to your contact page, a promotional landing page, or a specific product/service-related webpage.
• Call Extensions – these extensions allow you to add a phone number to your ads, making it easy for prospects to call your business directly from the search results. But call extensions currently only work on smartphones.
• Location Extensions – they feature your business address, phone number, and a map marker with your ad text. Great for brick-and-mortar businesses looking to generate visitors but needs you to have set up your Google My Business profile.
• Callout Extensions – these offer the opportunity to include additional descriptive text in your ads. You can use this to highlight unique value propositions or seasonal offers.
• Structured Snippet Extensions – they allow you to highlight specific aspects of your products or services by selecting a predefined header like “Destinations” or “Service catalogue”.
• Price Extensions – these are great for fixed price products and services. You can show prices directly under your advert. This helps users get a sense of your pricing before they click through to your site. When clicking on a price extension box, they are immediately directed to the landing page of that product or service.
• App Extensions – good if you have a mobile app. Use the app extension to link directly to your app on the Apple App Store or on Google Play Store. Sneaky, isn’t it!
• Promotion Extensions – these are useful for highlighting temporary sales and promotions. They allow you to show an offer or discount directly in your ad. No need for visitors to run around your website to find what they were looking for.
• Image Extensions – these enhance your ad with images, making them more visually appealing and informative. Keep in mind that this image cannot include text. It should be an image that illustrates that product or service. Or perhaps a value proposition.
• Message Extensions – these fun little extensions let users send a text message directly from your ad. It’s ideal for customers who might prefer texting over calling or browsing a website.
• Lead Form Extensions – these allow you to add a lead form directly in your ad, enabling users to submit their contact information without leaving the search results page. You can even link these with your CRM’s and link it up with your emailing platform to have a fully automated lead generation machine that communicates with prospects for you.
• Affiliate Location Extensions – these are useful for manufacturers who sell products through retail chains, they help users find nearby stores that carry your products. Quick and easy!