Breaking down the New Google Ads Changes and What They Mean for You
Google is about to launch social media-style advertising with a brand new offering: Discovery ads.
Announced at this year’s Google Marketing Live conference, Discovery ads provide another way to advertise through Google. But unlike the text ads that show up in search results, these ads will be image-based.
Just like social media advertising, Discovery ads will be put in front of carefully selected audiences while they browse YouTube, Google Discover, and Gmail. That means there’ll be no need for your ad to be triggered by a search.
How Do Discovery Ads Work?
Google’s new Discover ads will look similar to social media ads, including an eye-catching image, headline, and even a clickable call-to-action.
Audiences will be targeted using data such as:
- Interests
- Affinities
- App usage
- Search activity
- YouTube watch history
- Location
- Device used
Anyone who wants to run Discovery ads will be able to do so by creating a Discovery campaign. The ads will work on a cost-per-click basis, so you don’t pay unless someone interacts with your ad.
“…it’s worth considering the change in direction that’s happening across the digital advertising landscape.”
This is a point of difference compared to social ads. The cost-per-click setup gives you slightly more room for error and experimentation with your audiences.
Most importantly, if your ads are shown to the wrong people, they shouldn’t click, and you don’t pay.
The Future of Google Ads?
Discovery ads aren’t available yet, but they will be later this year. They’ll be launching alongside a number of new and improved Google ad types, such as Showcase Shopping and Gallery ads.
In the meantime, it’s worth considering the change in direction that’s happening across the digital advertising landscape.
Advertising platforms like Google are recognising the opportunity that lies in image-based ads. These ads, including Discovery ads, are a great choice for retailers and service businesses that can show off their work with imagery.
“Most importantly, if your ads are shown to the wrong people, they shouldn’t click, and you don’t pay.”
Not to mention this will be a good option for businesses that are already doing social advertising. It will increase their advertising reach by giving them more places to appear beyond Facebook and Instagram. More than 800 million people use Google Discover alone each month.
It also uses different audiences created with Google’s extensive data, which might prove more effective for your business.