It can be difficult for both new and experienced advertisers to decide whether to employ search advertisements, display ads, or both. When selecting which kind of campaign is best for you, there are several different things to think about. This article will be helpful whether you are just beginning your digital advertising efforts or have years of expertise but are still unsure of the difference between search and display ads.
Here are four important things to consider when deciding whether search or display advertising is more effective for your PPC objectives. In addition, we’ll include a bonus with an example of how you might mix the two for the best outcomes.
Here are some differences between Search ads and Display ads.
1. Search Volume
The first significant distinction between the two types of ads is that search ads employ a pull strategy, whereas display ads use a push strategy. In other words, people who view your search advertisements are already interested in your product, whereas display ads are typically seen by people after they have watched a video, read an email, or browse the web. Knowing the differences between these two methods will enable you to choose the best course of action based on the level of recognition you have for your brand, product, or service.
You may use Google Trends and the AdWords Keyword Planner tool to find out how frequently people are searching for your brand or products. It makes sense to launch a search advertising campaign if your brand or the things you sell receive a lot of search traffic. If there aren’t a lot of volumes, though, you might gain more from developing display advertisements that will ultimately aid in raising awareness of your company and its goods. You can see keyword suggestions based on “PPC services” as well as search volume and keyword competition in the table below.
2. Brand Recognition
Start by concentrating on branding with your display ads if your business is new or you are marketing an unpopular good or service. The Google Display Network is a fantastic approach to reaching out to potential clients who are unfamiliar with your business.
Display campaigns resemble arena advertising, using a practical illustration. Although there are sponsorships and banners all throughout the arena, nobody is paying attention to them. However, since they are familiar with their target market and can connect their brand or advertisement to their sporting experience, advertisers can still make money off of this move because their advertisements are very relevant to the intended demographic.
This strategy is comparable to display advertising in that you can target a certain audience to ensure that they will pay attention to your ads and make your investment worthwhile, despite the fact that individuals who encounter display ads are typically engaged in other online activities. You can target consumers with display advertising based on their demographics or the keywords they are reading.
Additionally, you can target those sites by placing bids on particular websites on the display network if you are aware of the particular websites that your audience frequents. Remember that the audience you’re targeting might not make a purchase right away, just like someone attending a sporting event might not buy a product right away.
You can design a search campaign that solely uses branded terms to assist evaluate the effectiveness of your branding display efforts. As the display campaign progresses, you should, at the very least, observe an increase in the number of impressions on these phrases. In order to create the pull, this strategy employs the push method.
3. A Small Budget
Establishing your budget is the next step in choosing your plan. What size is it? Based on the facts, where is there room to expand?
Search advertisements are generally the greatest option to start with if your budget is tight. Building your brand with display ads typically requires a significantly greater expenditure and is unlikely to produce a profitable return on investment. This is so that an increase in the budget can be justified because search advertising often has greater conversion rates. Once you can justify investing more money, you can choose between adding to your successful search campaign or expanding to the display network with the additional dollars.
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4. Emergency Services
It’s probably a smart idea to start with search ads if you view your company as providing an “urgent” service. Numerous businesses might be considered “urgent” services, including locksmiths, tow trucks, 24-hour veterinarians, and dentists. If someone is reading the news and happens to notice your display advertisement, they are not likely to rush out and pay for your services. On the other hand, if someone is locked out of their home or their car breaks down, they are more likely to look for a service to assist them right away.
Another thing to keep in mind with “urgent” services is that they will very certainly be looked up on a mobile device. Not only are smartphone searches increasing year over year, but voice searches are also rising thanks to hands-free technology. So, if your company offers “urgent” services, you should advertise on mobile.
While businesses have been making their websites mobile-responsive due to an increase in smartphone searches, the rise of voice searches may make responsiveness somewhat less crucial. In the case of hands-free searches, the user might not have the time or want to visit a website and choose to make a quick phone call. You can use call extensions to make it easier for the user to search. This encourages the searcher to buy from you more quickly. When looking up “tow truck” on a mobile device, call extensions like the ones below are an example. The searcher can call the advertiser immediately by clicking the red “Call” button.
Using Both Search AND Display PPC Techniques
The final option is to use both search and display advertising. Although display ads are sometimes seen as branding strategies, advances in technology and a well-defined attribution method make it possible to demonstrate the effectiveness of display campaigns. Cross-device conversions, for instance, track when a user clicks on a mobile ad but converts later on a different device, and vice versa, to assist demonstrate the effectiveness of mobile ads.
Both can work if you have the necessary funds. Running two distinct campaigns, one on the search network and the other on the display network is how I advise doing this. It can be difficult to analyze stats and, more crucially, optimize when the two campaigns are combined. You can compare analytics when you divide your campaigns. This will enable you to decide between them more effectively, which may result in moving forward with both. An illustration of simultaneously conducting a search and display campaign is provided below. As you can see, the campaign view makes it simple to monitor high-level metrics.
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What option should you pick?
According to our professional judgment, the answer to the question “should I use search or display advertising?” is straightforward it depends. You should evaluate a number of things before making that option, as we stated above, so be sure to do so before making a final decision. If you have the money, conducting search and display advertising at the same time will yield the best results. You can take help from a Digital marketing company. They would help you out with the selection of the best campaign that suits your goals.
