Paid Search and Display Ads can be used together but there are factors that businesses can consider when they need to choose between the two. Deciding between these two types of advertising campaigns can be difficult but these factors can help organize the decision process.
Search and Display Ads are both effective but are completely different. They target different audiences and intentions. Having an understanding on how both work can help choose which type fits your company better. This can help maximize your advertising budget by focusing your advertising to your goal.
Intent and Target Audience
Before choosing the type of campaign, decide on what you want out of it. Paid Search and Display Ads have distinct purposes. This can simplify your decision process.
Search Ads connects you to people looking for your products or services while display Ads connects you to people who may be interested in the type of products or services you sell.
When targeting customers, Search Ads look more appealing but Display Ads don’t appear randomly either. While Search Ads target customers who already have intent to buy, Display Ads target customers who have expressed interest in the product or service you provide through their browsing history or have similar browsing behavior to your target customers.
If you already have a target in mind and can easily choose between these two, then, you have found the campaign for you. If not, you can look at the search volume.
Search Volume
Search Ads have a smaller target but these customers are already towards the end of the sales funnel while Display Ads can reach a wider audience and can introduce your company to new customers.
If you don’t know which of these two fits you better, the AdWords Keyword Planner tool and Google Trends can help you choose. You can look at the search volume of your brand, product or services you sell. If there is a big amount of people looking for what you sell, Search Ads is a good starting campaign. Knowing that your target audience already exists and in big volume assures that your campaign has a target to reach. If there are not a lot of people searching for your brand or product, then a search ad wouldn’t be as effective. A display ad would fit your company better. Display ads can help build your brand awareness. You can keep tracking your search volume and see when and if you need to switch the type of campaign.
This is tied with another factor, which is brand awareness.
Brand Awareness
Similar to Search Volume, this is related to the amount of people you are targeting. If the product or service you are selling is generally unknown or if your company is new, a Display Ad campaign is a good place to start. It is a great way to put your brand in front of people to build awareness. Recall goes a long way when they do decide to buy.
