Search network vs. Display network which should I use?
There is often confusion from those inexperienced in online marketing over the difference between running a pay-per-click AdWords campaign on the search network or the display network. If you are wondering yourself quite what the difference between the two is, you’re in luck; the answer is relatively simple. The search network is essentially the advertisements you see appear on search engines. This does not only include Google but also all the other search engines that are listed as Google search partners, which covers several different search sites, including big names like AOL and Ask.com. These ads are entirely text-based, and the targeting is determined by using the search time being queried. The display network (A.K.A. the content network) is an enormous network of web pages that use Google AdSense. These are the advertisements you are likely seeing when you are surfing random web pages, blogs, online articles, and even YouTube. Unlike the search network, advertisements that run on this network can include several different types of dynamic content, including pictures, animation, and video. So which ones should you use? Well, that is entirely dependent on what you are trying to sell and the types of places that you want your ad to appear. The display network, while bigger, often requires a much tighter rein on how they are set up. If they are too broad, then your ads will appear on a large number of web pages that just aren’t relevant, meaning a poor return on your investment. So to make sure Google doesn’t run away with all your money, you must closely monitor where your ads are being displayed and all the time keep an eye on the budget. Not keeping a high enough tap on your online marketing campaign is often why people experience a much lower traffic quality from this network. However, I don’t want to scare you off from using your pay-per-click advertising on this network, as there are some benefits to using it. Your ads do reach a larger volume of people, and with a cleverly run campaign, it is entirely possible to make sure your ads appear only in the most relevant of places. Another benefit of this type of display network is that, as you can display advertisements in a rich media format, they can be a useful way of simply spreading brand awareness, thereby increasing your sales indirectly. So which to use? I am afraid I cannot answer that question for you. It is often a case of trial and error to see which form of advertising works best for you, but the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to always keep a check on how it is going and make any changes necessary before it has been dragging on for a long time and you have wasted a lot more money than you needed to.