If you have always wondered about the benefits of using Google’s search services, you should know that Google is not just a search engine; in fact, you are dealing with the biggest advertising company in the world every time you search for something. Google provides various services, including Google Search Engine, YouTube, Google Play Store, and other services.

But when it comes to Google ads, most of us may immediately recall those ads that appear on Google search pages above other results. If you haven’t seen them, the next time you search for something, pay attention to the first results, and you will see the word “Sponsored” on top of the search results. These are paid ads that Google presents alongside other organic results. But this is just one of the different types of Google Ads services that the giant tech company offers. There are different advertising opportunities available through Google Ads, and if you want to know more about them, don’t miss the rest of the article.

Types of Google Ads at a glance

As mentioned, Google Ads services are not just limited to search engine result pages. Google has a variety of networks that can provide many different types of advertising opportunities. Each of these can help you reach a targeted group of your desired audience through factors such as different needs, locations, demographics, and more. Before dissecting it, let’s get familiar with these different types of Google Ads at a glance.

• Search Ads: This type of ad is a well-known service on the Google Ads platform. In this type that works based on keywords and bidding, ads are shown on the Google search engine result pages (SERP).
• Display Ads: These visual ads are shown on websites that are part of Google’s display networks. Note that this vast network includes more than 2 million websites. 
• Video Ads: Google has the most comprehensive video platform. This type of ad appears on YouTube and other video platforms, such as in-stream ads that are played before, during, and after videos 
• App Ads: As you may probably notice, most applications have spaces to show ads. This kind of ad intends to promote mobile apps on the Google Play Store or other apps within the Google Network.
• Shopping Ads: Many people use Google on a daily basis for shopping searches. So, this is a unique opportunity to display ads for a certain product on the Google Shopping tab or even in search results.
• Smart ads: These automated ads are displayed with the help of machine learning optimization ability to show relevant ads across multiple channels and formats, including search, display, and video.
• Local Ads: These ads promote local businesses by showing their ads on Google Maps, Google Local Pack, or other relevant local search results.
• Discovery Ads: These highly personalized ads appear on Google Discover and appear in the form of displayed articles, videos, and other types of content.

Now we know the different types of Google Ads services, and it’s time to learn more about each. But before that, let’s take a quick look at how Google Ads works.

How do Google Ads work?

Google is a search ecosystem that makes money through advertising. They provide a variety of platforms for companies to market their goods and services. Google manages and controls advertising using Pay Per Click (PPC) and bidding techniques. Google prioritizes customers through auctions based on winning bids. They also compute fees for every 1000 ads viewed using the CPM (Cost for Mille) approach. Although CPM is not appropriate for product sales, it can aid in brand exposure. Yet, defining products, brands, and services for customer communities may be expensive. Understanding these techniques can help businesses operate more effectively with any Google Ads platform. Please read the “What are Google Ads” article for more information.

Search Ads

People use the Google search engine to find answers to their problems and questions. Google processes billions of searches daily, and the Search Engine Result Pages show the outcomes (SERP). Due to this, SERPs are a preferred site for advertising. Links, banners, and palettes that appear across the SERP are just a few of the different ways Google shows advertisements to visitors. Effective ad creation may be done using text, pictures, and structure.

Advantages

When you use Google to search for something, you already have a certain goal in mind. This allows businesses to use those search phrases and your request to show relevant ads which are highly targeted and dependent on your search. So if you want to reach audiences that are looking for your products or services, SERP-based advertising is a good choice.

Disadvantages

You should know there are certain limitations associated with SERP-Based Advertising. These kinds of ads are only shown on SERP pages and don’t include interactive tools, multimedia, audio, or video. Due to Google’s usage of AI to regulate content, advertisers have little control over their ads’ details. Moreover, because of limited ads display space, these ads usually appear next to SEO results and those of competitors. Google occasionally may add more suggested content to SERPs, which might overwhelm consumers with information and make it more difficult for advertisements to reach their target demographic.

Is it worth using search ads?

SERP-based ads are an affordable and efficient method to reach potential customers. Google’s accurate method of displaying ads, SEO, and FAQ links also is a good opportunity for businesses to deliver their message to their desired customers. Furthermore, Google recently enhanced its ad user experience, which led to more engagement with potential customers. Therefore, if your goal is to increase leads and traffic to your website and you don’t have a marketing plan, this is a perfect option.

Display advertisements

You can reach a large number of users with your ads, thanks to Google’s extensive network of ad displays. You can control your advertising budget and choose whether or not this is a good fit for your company using the Built-in CPM tool. These kinds of ads appear on content that Google users read, watch, or visit online. So, all in all, the Google display network is the best place to be if your goal is to increase your brand awareness.

Advantages

According to Google, your display ads can appear on millions of websites, applications, Gmail, and YouTube. Although the actual number depends on how many websites are added to or removed from the Google network. You may alter your advertising strategy and manage how your customers see your adverts when you use display ads based on results and goals. Display ad campaigns are simple to run and may be completed quickly. However, it might require continued work and research to be optimized for the greatest performance.

 Disadvantages

Although it is possible to reach a broad audience across a big network of websites, apps, and platforms with display ads, setting up a campaign and managing your budget is not simple. Certain disadvantages include a lack of accurate targeting options, competition over ad space, and poorer conversion rates. Before selecting display ads for your advertising campaign, it’s crucial to analyze your target demographic and goals carefully.

Video Ads

Whether you are a business owner or an advertising expert, you can create ad videos and share them with large audiences using Google Ads’ vast Networks such as YouTube. Video ads can appear in the form of discovery ads, which show up in search results or next to relevant videos, or appear in-stream, playing before, during, or after videos. Various targeting tools allow you to target your audiences based on demographics, location, and hobbies by optimizing your video ads.

Advantages

Video content’s creativity and storytelling potential can attract more audiences, making it ideal for creating and increasing brand awareness and loyalty. Moreover, video ads can be used to reach specific audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors, ensuring that your message will hit the target. Perhaps the most important advantage of video ads is the availability of a wide range of platforms for display, including YouTube, which has over two billion monthly active users.

Disadvantages

When it comes to video ads, it is important to know that they are typically more expensive than other ad formats. Additionally, there is always a chance that viewers will skip the ad after just a few seconds, so you need a strong and engaging storyline to avoid that and attract them. Furthermore, video ads may not be suitable for all products or services and may not effectively reach all target audiences.

Application Ads

App ads are meant to introduce you to other mobile applications based on your app download history or the ones you use now. You may have encountered apps where part of their features is free, but you must pay for other parts named in-app purchases. Sometimes, you can watch related ads instead of paying for those restricted features. Those ads usually encourage you to install similar apps and are called “App Campaigns for Install.” Another campaign type, “Universal App Campaigns,” is designed to promote anything from app installation to in-app action based on your goal. Like other ads, app ads can be modified to reach specific audiences based on demographics, interests, behavior, and device types.

Advantages

This is the best choice for app developers and marketers who want to reach a large audience across various Google platforms. It can also be designed to target specific audiences based on demographics and interests. App ads also have the ability to optimize ad bids and targeting using machine learning. You can also measure your campaign success rate and design a cost-effective plan with a pay-per-click model. All in all, app ads can increase app installations and engagement and allow you to check the campaign’s success rate.

Disadvantages

If you want to use or run an app ads campaign, you should know that they include high costs per click or install. Other issues with this type of advertising include intense competition, user ad fatigue, less effective ad placements, and the risk of fraudulent clicks. As a result, to achieve maximum results and avoid these negative sides, you need proper campaign optimization and management.

Shopping Ads

Among the different types of Google Ads services, shopping ads are designed to promote your product on Google’s search engine shopping tab, the results page, and other Google platforms. So if you are a retailer or own an e-commerce business, this suits you more than anything. To build or run a shopping ad campaign, you must create a data feed that includes product information, such as title, description, image, price, and availability. Then Google’s algorithm matches two data sets together, including user searching and product data you provided, to display relevant ads.

Advantages

Increased product visibility, more informed purchases, higher click-through and conversion rates, targeting specific audiences, and cost-effectiveness are the most important advantages of shopping ads. With shopping ads, you can offer potential customers more detail about your product, making the shopping experience more delightful, which makes your campaigner more successful. Additionally, Google’s detailed information lets you track and optimize campaigns based on clicks, impressions, and conversion rates.

Disadvantages

If you want to launch a shopping campaign, there are some catches that you should e aware of. These catches include high competition, a complex setup that requires a product data feed, limited ad copy, a need for high-quality product images, and limited targeting options compared to other ad formats. So it is up to you to weigh the potential advantages and disadvantages before deciding to invest in a Shopping campaign.

Smart Ads

Smart Ads appear on all of Google’s display networks, including Google Search, Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail, and Google partner websites. Of the various types of Google Ads services, smart ads use machine learning to optimize new campaigns based on performance data. Once you launch a new smart campaign, Google Ads automatically creates different variations of your ads to see which one works better to deliver the best possible results. Google Ads also uses machine learning to adjust bids, targeting, and ad placement to maximize return on investment and improve campaign performance.

Advantages

If you don’t have enough time or expertise to manage your campaign, the smart ad is made for you. Smart ads come with benefits, including automated optimization, improved targeting, cost-effectiveness, enhanced performance, time-saving, and detailed insights into campaign performance. Its advanced targeting options let you reach the most relevant audience; therefore, reducing costs and improving the overall cost-effectiveness of campaigns are among its benefits.

Disadvantages

Although smart ads have some obvious benefits, due to automation, you have less control over some aspects, including targeting, ad creative, and the bidding process. There is little room for the customization of smart ads because it uses machine learning. There is also one significant issue that may drive you away from smart ads, which is uncertain costs. This is due to automated bidding that uses machine learning and may increase your costs because it only aims for the maximum result, not necessarily an optimized one.

Local Ads

Google’s Local Ads is a geographically-based advertising service. You can use these ads to inform customers about your business in Google Maps service and search engines. If a user searches for “a cafe near me,” Google uses these ads to show your business location to the customer. You can use images, links, schemas, and texts in these ads.

Advantages

You can use this service if your services or products are highly dependent on the specific location. Real estate or food delivery are examples of location-dependent services. Local Ads help your customers find you on the maps and reach your location by selecting the best path. These ads also appear on search results if people search for products or services in a specific location. Local ads could have various formats, including text ads, image ads, and responsive ads. These ads can include business information such as phone numbers, addresses, and reviews, making it easy for customers to get in touch with or visit the business.

Disadvantages

Limited reach, local competition, the need for accurate business information, and ongoing maintenance requirements may undermine local ads’ values and make it difficult for businesses to continue local competition. Local ads also require regular maintenance to ensure accuracy and performance, which is difficult for local businesses.

Discovery Ads

Discovery Ads are a type of Google Ads service that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to reach the right audience. It is best for displaying highly relevant and personalized ads on Google Discover, YouTube Home Feed, and Gmail Promotions Tab. Discovery Ads are designed to appear in various formats, including static images, carousels, and videos like native content.

Advantages

With Discovery Ads, your promotions appear on multiple Google platforms, including Google Discover, YouTube Home Feed, and Gmail Promotions Tab. This ability increases your business’s visibility and will result in higher engagement and conversion rates.

Disadvantages

Limited audience and targeting options, less prominent ad placement, and cost considerations are factors that make you think twice before going for Discovery Ads.

Summary

As you can see above, Google has many services that can be used for your business promotion. Each Ads service comes with its advantages and disadvantages that depend on your goals and target. Therefore, if you want to achieve the maximum result from your campaign, you have to choose the right ad type in the first place. This is not an easy job to do by yourself and may cost you some money if you make a tiny mistake. As a google premier partner, we at AfrakAds are ready to consult you for free about these considerations. So don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you are thinking of using google ads to boost your business.