The Future of GDN

The Google Display Network, or GDN, is an online advertising platform developed by Google, where advertisers pay to display brief advertisements, service offerings, product listings, video content and generate mobile application installs within the Google ad network to internet users. Simply put, the GDN can help you to reach people while they’re browsing their favourite websites, showing a friend a YouTube video, checking their Gmail account or using mobile devices and apps.

Recently, Google announced a number of new features for the display network that will benefit users in a number of ways. Here are three fabulous new features that have caught our eye:

More language support and new tools for responsive search ads

Responsive search ads let you create an ad that adapts to show more text, and more relevant messages, to your customers. By entering multiple headlines and descriptions when creating a responsive search ad, Google Ads automatically tests different combinations and finds which combinations perform best. These ads are now available in 10 additional languages: Danish, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish and Turkish meaning you can target a wider more relevant audience.

Google Ads are also introducing four new reporting and feedback tools to help create even more effective responsive search ads:

1. See suggested headlines and descriptions when you create a responsive search ad. These suggestions are rolling out in English over the coming months, with more languages to follow.
2. Get real-time feedback on ad strength when creating ads and identify opportunities for improvement before your ads start running.
3. Review ad strength updates in the Status column to see if your ads are losing impressions or are disapproved.
4. Import headlines and descriptions from your existing text ads over to your responsive search ads in the same ad group. This tool will roll out in the coming weeks and will make it easier to increase ad performance.

Introducing pay for conversions in Display campaigns

When using Display campaigns you can now choose to pay for conversions, rather than clicks. Doing so means you only pay when someone converts on your website or app – and you’ll never pay above your target cost per action (CPA).

For example, the target CPA for your display campaign is £10. Over a few days, your campaign drives 30 conversions meaning you’ll pay exactly £300 with an actual CPA of £10.

New call-to-action extension available for video ads

Making videos interactive with features like end screens and a call to action helps viewers learn about your brand, product or service and subsequently take relevant actions. In an effort to simplify their interactivity features across video ad formats, Google will be sunsetting the YouTube call-to-action overlay in order to introduce a new call-to-action extension. Although the new call-to-action extension is yet to be revealed, we predict the interactive elements will enhance viewer engagement and help users to achieve better marketing goals.

Want to know how expertise can help you? View our services or tweet us for additional information on Google Display Network’s latest features.