In short: Display is not Search: nobody is looking for what you sell, so it interrupts instead of answering. That is why its numbers read differently (very low CTR, view-through conversions that mislead) and why its best use in a small account is remarketing, not cold prospecting.
So far the Basic level has revolved around Search, for one reason: it is the network of intent, the easiest one to measure and almost always the one that pays first. But the map is not complete without the other campaign types. This module introduces them one by one, at an introductory level: what they are, what they are for, what they need and which mistake to avoid. We start with the oldest one: Display.
What is the Google Display Network?
A Display campaign shows graphical ads (an image, sometimes text or a short video) across the more than two million websites, apps and videos in Google's Display Network: news sites, blogs, Gmail, YouTube, mobile apps. The person is not searching: they are reading or playing, and your ad gets in the way. It is the network of reach and recall, not of immediate demand.
What do Display ads look like?
Display ads today are responsive: you upload several images (landscape, square), logos, up to 5 short headlines, 1 long headline, 5 descriptions and your business name, and Google assembles the banner that fits best in each slot on each website. Same spirit as RSAs (Module 4): assets that work in any combination, and clean images without baked-in text (Google crops them).
How do you target a Display campaign?
| Criterion | What it does | What for |
|---|---|---|
| Your data (remarketing) | People who already visited your site, bought, abandoned a basket | The most profitable use of Display: reminding people who already know you |
| Google audiences | Interests, in-market, life events, demographics | Reach to profiles similar to your customer |
| Custom segments | People who searched certain terms or visit certain sites/apps | Approximate intent outside Search |
| Topics / placements | Sites about a topic, or specific sites you choose | Context control; low volume |
| Optimized targeting | Google expands on its own beyond what you chose | On by default: untick it when you start |
Dynamic remarketing shows each person the exact products they viewed on your site (it needs a feed, like Shopping): it is the advanced version of remarketing and the one that converts best in ecommerce.
What is Display really for?
- Remarketing: recovering visitors and abandoned baskets. Cheap and measurable.
- Awareness for launches or new brands: getting known before people search for you.
- Supporting Search: someone who has seen your banner is more likely to click your text ad afterwards (an effect that is hard to measure, but real).
What it is not good for: capturing direct demand first time round with broad audiences. The clicks are cheap because they are not worth much.
Which rules should you follow in your first month of Display?
- Start with remarketing, using only your data. If you do not have the visit volume (fewer than ~1,000 a month), wait or invest in Search.
- Review placements every week (Module 7): exclude apps unless you are promoting an app, exclude domains you do not recognise, and use content exclusions (sensitive topics, parked domains).
- Judge with click conversions and short windows; view-through ones are only indicative (Module 8).
💡 Ninja trick: Display is where ad fraud lives — site farms, apps with accidental clicks, non-human traffic — and where reviewing placements by hand does not scale. Ninja Shield analyses the sites you appear on every night, scores their legitimacy and excludes farms as networks, at account level. The full fraud module is at Advanced level; for now, stick with rule 2.
What you should remember
- Display = reach and interruption, not intent.
- Responsive ads: clean assets and images.
- Start with remarketing; switch off optimized targeting; review placements every week.
- Click conversions to judge.