What Is a Display Campaign in Google Ads? Simple Explanation

A display campaign in Google Ads is a type of advertising that shows your ads as images or banners on websites, apps, and videos across the Google Display Network. It helps you reach people while they browse online, not just when they search. This campaign type is great for building brand awareness and attracting new customers.

How It Works

Think of a display campaign like putting up posters in many places around town, but online. Instead of just showing ads when someone searches on Google, your ads appear on millions of websites, apps, and YouTube videos that are part of Google's Display Network.

Google uses information about users' interests, websites they visit, and their past behavior to decide where to show your ads. This way, your ads reach people who might be interested in your product or service even if they are not actively searching for it.

This approach helps you catch attention early, like showing your brand to someone walking by a store, increasing the chance they remember you later.

Example

This example shows how to create a simple display campaign using Google Ads API in Python. It sets up a campaign targeting the Display Network with a budget and basic settings.

python

from google.ads.googleads.client import GoogleAdsClient
from google.ads.googleads.errors import GoogleAdsException

# Initialize client
client = GoogleAdsClient.load_from_storage()

# Create campaign operation
campaign_operation = client.get_type("CampaignOperation")
campaign = campaign_operation.create
campaign.name = "Example Display Campaign"
campaign.advertising_channel_type = client.enums.AdvertisingChannelTypeEnum.DISPLAY
campaign.status = client.enums.CampaignStatusEnum.PAUSED
campaign.manual_cpc.enhanced_cpc_enabled = True
campaign.campaign_budget = "customers/{customer_id}/campaignBudgets/{budget_id}"

# Send request to create campaign
try:
    campaign_service = client.get_service("CampaignService")
    response = campaign_service.mutate_campaigns(customer_id="INSERT_CUSTOMER_ID_HERE", operations=[campaign_operation])
    print(f"Created display campaign with resource name: {response.results[0].resource_name}")
except GoogleAdsException as ex:
    print(f"Request failed with status {ex.error.code().name} and message: {ex.failure.message}")

Output

Created display campaign with resource name: customers/1234567890/campaigns/987654321

When to Use

Use a display campaign when you want to:

• Increase brand awareness by showing your ads to many people across the web.
• Reach potential customers who are browsing websites related to your product or interest.
• Retarget visitors who have already been to your website to remind them about your offer.
• Promote visually appealing products or services using images or videos.

For example, a new clothing brand might use a display campaign to show stylish banner ads on fashion blogs and lifestyle websites to attract attention.

Key Points

• Display campaigns show ads on websites, apps, and videos, not just search results.
• They use targeting options like interests, topics, and remarketing to reach the right audience.
• Great for building brand awareness and visually engaging customers.
• Can use images, banners, and video ads for better impact.

Key Takeaways

Display campaigns show ads across the Google Display Network to reach users browsing online.

They help build brand awareness by using visual ads like banners and videos.

Targeting options let you reach people by interests, topics, or past website visits.

Use display campaigns to attract new customers or remind past visitors about your brand.