The Google Display Network (GDN) is a network of Google on which advertisements can be placed. Unlike AdWords ads, the advertising campaigns can have different ad formats and are not only played out in Google Search, but on certain websites that participate in the Google AdSense program. The GDN contains many of these websites that rent advertising space to companies for product campaigns, for example.
Different ad formats in the Display Network (GDN)
In the GDN there are, as already mentioned, different ad formats for the advertisements.
These can be banner ads (images) in different size formats, which are optionally animated.
Another ad format is video ads on YouTube. There are two different formats here: The in-stream format, where the video ad is played at the beginning or in the middle of a YouTube video, or the in-display format, where the video ad is placed in the search function on YouTube or on ad spaces next to videos.
A third ad format is rich media ads. These can be either image or video ads that contain animated or interactive components that users can click on.
Placing ads on the Display Network (GDN) can also serve as a brand building tool for companies, as graphic elements in particular can influence the perception and popularity of the brand.
Control and targeting of advertising campaigns in the GDN
The advertisements can be aligned to different factors. The Display Network (GDN) has the most precise settings for controlling ads.
The strategies of which users are shown which type of ads are called targeting. When, where and how often the ad is presented to the user depends on the targeting settings.
For example, the display of the ad can be based on demographic aspects, such as the gender or age of the target group. Demographic targeting is thus a very precise option for reaching the right users. Another precise option is placement targeting, because here specific websites can be specified as the desired location for displaying the ad.
Furthermore, advertisements can be aligned to certain topics, here the ads are assigned to websites that correspond to the preset topic areas. The interests and preferences of the target group can also be set in advance, and the ads are displayed to the appropriate users depending on their user behavior.
