PPC advertising can be a great way to quickly attract customers to your business, but it can also be very confusing if you do not understand how the different ad formats work. There are several other formats for PPC ads, each with its benefits and drawbacks.
Comparing them will help you decide which one is best for you. This guide will cover some essential information about each type of PPC ad format so that you can make an informed decision about how to use them to advertise your business with the help of a PPC management agency.
Top 8 PPC Ad Formats
Pay-per-click (PPC) ad formats are one of the essential elements of your paid search marketing campaign and can play a massive role in delivering relevant, cost-effective ads. That’s why it’s necessary to understand the various formats available and use them effectively.
Source: PPC Ads
Below are eight of the most popular ad formats and some recommended best practices for each.
1. Banner Ads
Banner ads are the most common format for online advertising. They can be very effective and affordable at the same time. The main advantage of banner ads is their simplicity. They are easy to design and inexpensive to implement, making them an excellent option for small businesses that do not have much experience with PPC advertising.
A typical banner ad contains a headline (which should entice the user), a picture or logo, and a short description of the product or service. To make your banner stand out from other ads, use an eye-catching image and stands out from the crowd. Also, include a solid call to action such as “Shop Now” or “Get Yours”. It is also essential to keep in mind that the size of your banner will affect its performance. Try avoiding flags smaller than 200x200px if you don’t have limited space on your site.
2: Button Ads
Buttons are the most popular form of paid search ad because they’re easy to click. They include a simple call to action such as ‘Learn More’ or ‘Get Started’. And they can be found on the search engine results page (SERP) above, below or to the side of your organic listing.
That means they have a greater chance of being clicked than an organic listing that must be scrolled to find. Buttons can also be more beneficial than a regular text ad because they include five additional links in the same space as the primary link.
Buttons can take up as much space as you like but will only display three lines of text, including your URL and keyword phrase. By linking to additional pages on your website, you are demonstrating to Google that your site is authoritative on that keyword phrase, thus helping secure higher rankings for your site. In addition, by providing users with further information about the product or service you are selling, you increase the likelihood that they will buy from you.
3. Rich Media Ads
Rich-media ads, for example, are only available for specific verticals and are designed to capture the attention of customers who might be on the fence about making a purchase.
Rich media ads are interactive and engaging. They allow users to watch a video, play games or fill out a form without leaving the ad.
Companies use rich Media Adverts to display more information in videos, graphics and sound. In the past, these were only available to advertisers who could pay higher costs per click (CPC). However, Google has made it easier for small businesses to create rich media adverts for free as part of their standard setup.
4. Video Ads
Video ads offer advertisers the opportunity to tell a story about their product in an engaging way. They are best used for products with a specific function or audience that benefits from seeing the product in action. They’re also great for SEO.
Video ads run on YouTube and the Google Display Network (GDN). The video ad is specifically targeted at specific audiences based on the keywords you choose, who you select as the audience to show your ad to, what other content they’ve viewed, and when they’re searching or viewing content.
5. Display Ads
Ads that appear on websites often follow a display format. These ads may be static (non-animated) or animated with GIFs or videos. These images are generally larger but include limited copy or text. They’re great for grabbing attention and providing a teaser for visitors who may not be ready to buy yet but want further information about a product or service.
They are the link units at the top and bottom of a page, between editorial content and on the right-hand side of a page. There are other display ads such as in-app, banners, and video.
Display Ads have been around for many years and are considered the “bread and butter” of internet advertising because they are relatively inexpensive and easy to set up. You can set up an account with Google AdWords, Microsoft AdCenter or Yahoo Gemini and begin placing your display ads within minutes. They will then start appearing almost instantly on popular sites such as ESPN or NY Times.
6. Shopping Ads
Shopping ads that link to a product in your store or serve as links to related products are the most common type of Google AdWords ad. Shopping ads make up more than half of the ad impressions delivered by Google.
Shoppers can click on a Shopping ad to see a product’s page on your website, where they can learn more about it and add it to their shopping cart. If you sell physical goods, use shopping ads to drive sales at your online store.
Source: Shopping Ads
For example, if your business sells shoes, show shoppers the different colors and styles available for other products. Or, if your business is an e-retailer, you can show shoppers a selection of related products that match their initial search query. Shoppers can click the “Shop Now” button on your Shopping ad to visit your store or website and buy the item they clicked on.
7. Local Inventory Ads
Local Inventory Ads can be customized to target only people searching for a specific service or product. You’ll be able to generate leads and collect contact information straight from your ad, so you can talk directly to the potential client before they’ve even made a purchase.
You can also set your budget by location, so you can spend more in areas where it will do the most good.
Source: Local Inventory Ads
For example, let’s say you own a clothing store in New York City but want to target people in Pittsburgh who are searching for “NYC clothing.” Instead of creating an ad that says something like, “NYC clothing delivered to your door,” you can make an ad that reads something like this:
“NYC Clothing Store | 111 Broadway New York NY 10006 | 212-555-5555.”
There are other local inventory ad formats such as “Service Area Map,” which allows you to show the geographical area you service. You can also use Call Extensions, which would enable people to click on your ad and call you right away if they have questions or want more information.
8. Remarketing Ads
Remarketing ads make use of a cookie placed on a visitor’s computer when they visit your website. This cookie remains on their laptop for up to 90 days and is used by an advertiser to display ads to that person throughout the Internet. This is great for businesses because it gives them a second chance to bring in customers who have already visited their site.
Source: Remarketing Ads
Dynamic remarketing ads can be used for search and display networks to reach out to site visitors based on their past activity. When your website visitors perform specific actions, like visiting certain pages or adding items in the cart but not buying anything, these ads will appear in search results or on relevant websites where they will hopefully be interested enough in the product to click on it and read more about it.
Conclusion
Think About What you Want to Accomplish- Clearly, the goal of your ad is going to determine the format. For example, if you want people to click on the ad, you may use a linked ad. To track goals, like getting someone to sign up for your service or fill out a form, it’s best to create an unlinked ad that doesn’t include a destination URL. The best practice is testing multiple formats and determining what works for your business.