Search Campaign
Search Campaign is your obvious choice particularly if you are looking for a text based SEM ad format, allowing you to target the people who search for products and services on Google. With this type of campaign, you can create multiple sets of variables that basically include the headlines and descriptions to promote your business or products.
Search campaign has several different formats.
Responsive Search Ads are practically text based SEM ads supported by a concise copy that describes your business or products to appeal to the people to click on from the search results. The more headlines and descriptions you submit, the more variations your ad will have.
Depending on the feedback and outcome, Google will tailor the variations to different groups of potential customers, and show the best performing combination more frequently.
Dynamic Search Ads are similar to Responsive Search Ads, except that you don’t provide text or material to them. Instead, they generate ad copy based on the content from your website. While convenient for marketers and advertisers, Dynamic Search Ads are not recommended for promoting special offers, seasonal discounts or just one or two designated products.
Branded search ads mean that you bid on branded terms to appear in the ad title or text. This is a powerful format for brands, as only the brand owners can use the branded term. If your branded search ad appears along with your organic position in the search results, it gives you twice the exposure you normally would receive online.
A lot of customers prefer a conventional and quicker way to contact a business for enquiries or purchases, instead of going through several more steps for these processes. Call Ads allows you to insert your contact number in the SEM ad headline, giving potential customers a direct way to contact you.
Because of this, it can help you generate leads and sales in a less complicated manner.
In general, Search Campaign is perfect for targeting potential customers who already have a high purchasing intent for a particular brand, service, or product in mind.
Shopping Campaigns
Shopping Campaigns are ads that are tailored for retail businesses and those who look to drive up sales and generate leads efficiently and directly. Shopping ads show your products in Google search results and the Google Shopping tab.
If a potential customer is interested in your product, they can click on the ad and will be directed straight to your website to complete the purchase. While it can bring potential customers to your physical store, shopping ads are built for e-commerce businesses.
Advertisers who wish to run Shopping Campaigns must have a Google Merchant account, and link their product listing and data to the campaign.
Video Campaigns
Video campaigns enable you to run ads on Youtube, and other websites and apps that are Google video partners. With over 120 million active users worldwide, running video ads on Youtube can be a very powerful form of advertising by making your brand visible to the whole world.
Types of video ads include skippable or non-skippable In-stream Ads, Bumper Ads, In-feed Video Ads, and Outstream Ads. In-stream Ads can be played before, during, and after a video.
Skippable version means that the viewer can choose to skip after the ad plays for 5 seconds.
For the non-skippable version, a viewer has to finish watching the whole ad before getting to the actual video they clicked to see.
Non-skippable and In-stream Ads have to be limited to a time length of 15 seconds.
Bumper Ads are 6-second advertising videos that you cannot skip, and appear before, during, and after a video like In-stream Ads as well.
In-feed Video Ads appear on Youtube exclusively, and won’t be played unless you click on its thumbnail.
Also known as video discovery ads, this type of video ad mostly shows up next to related videos, alongside other Youtube search results and on the homepage of the Youtube mobile app.
Outstream Ads are ads that are only available in mobile and tablet versions and displayed on Google video partners.
Like Display Campaigns, Video Campaigns are significantly advantageous for you to build brand awareness and exposure.
Additionally, it can present a multidimensional side of your product or provide a platform for you to conjure up interesting and refreshing ideas to promote your products.
Smart Campaigns
Smart Campaigns are automated SEM ads that only require a few steps for setup to begin running. All advertisers need to provide is their business information, budget, and goal, and Google will do the rest for you.
The ads can be published on Google Search, Google Maps, Youtube, or any other Google partner websites. With automation. Ideally, you can put in minimal effort to manage and maintain the campaign.
Display Campaigns
Display Campaigns are intended for advertisers or brands that aim to maximize brand exposure and awareness.
This type of SEM campaign can be displayed in the forms of photos, GIFs, banners, HTML 5, animations, and videos across the whole Google Display Network which includes websites and platforms that are beyond Google Search and Google owned properties. This widens the reach of your brand and is effective at establishing a clear brand identity for your business.
Its effectiveness however also relies highly on the quality of your visual creatives.
Unlike Search Campaigns which are used to target people with high purchasing or search intent, Display Campaigns are targeted at audiences or potential customers who are randomly browsing the internet but can be interested in your products or services.
Remarketing strategy is regularly employed with Display Campaigns to target those who click on your SEM ad to show interest in your business.
App Campaigns
Formerly known as UAC (Universal App Campaigns), App Campaigns are set up to increase download or install rates and in-app sales for apps. They can show up across Google Search, Google Play Store, Youtube, and more than millions of apps and websites.
Three campaign subtypes are available to select for you to target different goals: App Installs, App Engagement, and App Pre-registration.
If you would like to drive up the install and download rates, then App Install is the option for you; if you would like to increase the interaction between users and the app, with in-app actions for example, then App Engagement is your likely choice. Finally, App Pre-registration is to promote your apps before their official launch in the store.
Like other types of Google Ads, App Campaigns need headlines and descriptions, and you are given the option to provide assets for display including images, video, and HTML5.
Local Campaigns
Local Campaigns enable you to drive more people to your actual physical store. This is an SEM ad type that is good for advertisers that have local businesses or are going to organize local events.
To create Local Campaigns, you have to provide location assets and link up the local product feed you created in Google Merchant Center to this ad campaign.
The ad will show up on Google Search, Google Maps, Youtube, etc, giving you maximum visibility to the potential customers who are looking to go to a physical location or venue and helping to generate more sales at physical stores.
Performance Max Campaigns
Google has introduced Performance Max as a new type of SEM campaign that is more goal oriented. Performance Max Campaigns allow you to promote on all the available Google networks and channels with a simple process to optimize your campaign. In a way, it is similar to Smart Campaigns.
Performance Max expands your reach to a new audience, and it is now included on the “Insights” page to grant your access to more information about how the campaign performs.