At the recent annual Google Performance Summit, the main focus of the event was ads and analytics for a mobile first world. In addition to the announcements made regarding search, Google also announced additional changes and innovations to the Google Display Network.
Responsive Ads
Just as text ads are being revamped for a mobile first world, ads on the Google Display Network (GDN) are also getting an upgrade in both appearance and ease of creation.
Creating all available ad sizes within the GDN can be a time consuming and expensive process as there are more than 20 unique sizes. Due to this fact, Google announced at the Performance Summit, that they would be rolling out a new responsive ad format. Google stated these new display ads will “adapt to the diverse content across the more than two million publisher sites and apps on the Google Display network (GDN)”.
All advertisers have to provide is a headline, description, image and a URL, Google will then automatically design responsive ads to fit the content of any web pages in the GDN. Google said these ads will enable advertisers to “unlock new native inventory so you can engage consumers with ads that match the look and feel of the content they’re browsing”.
The ads will now adjust to fit any size or app on the Google Display Network no matter which device they are viewed on, while the old standard text ads will now include an option to add an image. This will give a native ad feel to the Google Display Network’s ads as well as looking much slicker on mobile devices.
Cross-Exchange Buying on GDN
Along with these new responsive display ads, Google also announced the extension on the available reach of GDN remarketing campaigns, to now include access to the Cross-Exchange inventory for both AdWords and DoubleClick accounts. While the network already claims to reach 90% of all internet users, Google is expanding the reach and inventory of the GDN further, with the addition of 30 more networks. This in turn will greatly increase the reach of the campaigns.
In Google‘s statement they announced that:
The broader reach of multiple ad exchanges can improve Display Network remarketing performance in the following ways:
- Greater access to your most valuable audiences across more sites and apps
- Increased potential conversion volume and return on investment
These changes will come as a welcome development, allowing advertiser’s to create more optimised ads as well as saving them a lot of time. With over half of all searches now on mobile, Google has reacted to this shift by introducing new updates and innovations to provide increased control for advertisers and allow for a more mobile-friendly experience.
With these GDN announcements, along with the other updates from the Performance Summit, search marketers will have the opportunity to serve even more relevant information to more relevant consumers in appropriate ‘micro-moments’.