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Google Brain Thinks Up Smart Display Campaigns

Over 80Are you ready to give up control to reap the exceptional benefits of SDC?

The Google Display Network (GDN) comprises over 3 million websites and apps and you have the opportunity of reaching your target customers at the right time with relevant messaging thanks to AdWords Smart Display Campaigns (SDC). Their reach extends to over 80% of users worldwide.

You no longer have to find your own customers and shape creative to speak directly to them. You also don’t have to set optimal bids –smart display campaigns are taking over the reigns so you can get higher conversions with a lot less effort and a lot more accuracy.

The Power of Machine Learning

This latest innovation leverages the power of Google’s machine learning capabilities to deliver improved results for your brand. Advertisers who have started using SDC have already experienced a 20% increase in conversions at the same cost per action (CPA) compared to their other display campaigns.

You can let the precision of automation step in to take over almost all aspects of your campaign. It runs on autopilot fueled by AI machine learning. It handles the complex tasks of targeting and bidding to enable businesses to grow profits at scale. You get the benefit of Googles mega storehouses of big data and algorithms that work tirelessly on your behalf. No more guesswork required.

Relevant Bidding to Increase Performance and ROI

SDC gives you the best possible return on investment, by determining the likelihood of the target resulting in a conversion, before placing the bid in the auction. Your bids are only entered in the most relevant auctions for your product/service which basically means the highest possible ROI. SDC are searching for your ideal target by tracking demographics, locations, intent signals etc. to ensure the highest possible conversion rate.

Never Create a Custom Ad Again

The best part is that you don’t have to create a separate ad for every possible ad space. You will select a CPA goal and then provide AdWords with all the headlines, images, descriptions and logo’s that can work together in any configuration. AdWords SDC then mixes and matches them to be able to fit any ad space format (image, text, display and native ads) across the GDN. AdWords will show you example ads of the permutations of the assets you have provided (literally thousands can be generated). So, say goodbye to having to create custom ads ever again (Unless perhaps you’re an A-type needing total creative control?).

sdc works like magicYou put in the ingredients and AdWords makes the delicious, attention grabbing cake. SDC let’s you create an effective display campaign in mere minutes. Just days after you launch your SDC you can find out how your adverts are faring. The analytics provided give you direction on what headlines or images need changing to further increase conversions.

SDC optimizes your ads based on what scores the highest conversions. This advertising innovation does not require extensive input and micro management –you just let it work its magic on your behalf while you sit back and reap the profit from increased conversions.

Who Qualifies to Use SDC?

To qualify to use SDC you must already have conversion tracking set up on GDN and have received at least 50 conversions (or 100 conversions from Search Ads) within the past 30 days. You must use target cost per action (CPA) bidding and set a daily budget to account for 20X the target CPA bid. This provides sufficient bandwidth for your SDC to explore 24/7.

You must also apply any site exclusions. Advertisers are also able to utilize dynamic retargeting through SDC by simply attaching a feed to the campaign

simple sdc setup

Simple SDC Set up Scenario

  • Create a display campaign within AdWords –Click +Campaign and select Display Network only.
  • Select a marketing goal from under the “Drive action” header (pick one of the first four).
  • The check box option to create a SDC will appear. Check this box.
  • Choose your geographic and language targeting for your campaign.
  • Give your campaign a budget.
  • Choose a CPA bid.
  • You will be prompted to create your first SDC advert.
  • You upload your assets (not a completed ad) prompted by Google. Or you have the option of Google scanning your website for appropriate campaign images.
  • You can add 5 text headlines, 5 text description lines, 15 marketing images and 5 logos (fully interchangeable with each other).
  • Enter one landing page.
  • AdWords will automatically generate a selection of responsive ads to test.

Be aware of your asset size restrictions before you start so you have all your ducks in a row before you start creating your SDC.

  • Headlines: 25 Characters
  • Descriptions: 70 Characters
  • Display URL: No limit
  • Final URL: no limit
  • Images (optional): 1200 x 627 (1 MB limit)
  • Logos (optional): 1200x 1200 or 1200 x 300 (1 MB limit)

That’s it. Your work is done. Google takes over and starts targeting your ads. You will then be able to gauge your different assets performance as “Best”, “Good” or “Low” thanks to the analytics AdWords delivers to you. You can check this report in your “View asset details” in your “Ads” tab. You can then replace those headlines, descriptions or images that are scoring “Low”. If you see a status that says “Waiting” –it means the system is still gathering data.

SDC Optimization

You can trust AdWords to put your content in front of the right target group and you can leave your assets in their hands to work wonders for you. But don’t completely forget about it. Remember to keep checking in to see what vital adjustments you can make to optimize your efforts.

If your SDC is yielding incredible conversions, you might want to increase your campaign budget to scale your success. Of course if one of your campaigns is stumbling along you might want to restrict your budget spend until its performance improves. (perhaps from intervention on your part by changing an assets content).
You must continue to test your ad copy in your SDC and replace any assets that fail to deliver conversions. But only review your creative content on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

You can always go back and change your target CPA. Sadly, you can’t set a Cost-Per-Click (CPC) or Cost-Per-Thousand (CPM) bid within a SDC.

You are able to exclude individual placements from showing your ad in your SDC, especially sites whose content doesn’t align with your brand. You can create an extensive exclusion list in your account’s shared library.

Get Smart

Smart Display Campaigns are built for simplicity and transparency to reach target customers at all stages of the buying cycle. Be aware that SDC provides more mid-funneling targeting so ensure your chosen bid is in line with your spending on acquiring new customers. Never adjust your bid more than once a week so as to minimize volatility, and only by 10 -20% increments when you do adjust.

Give your campaign at least 1-2 weeks before you make any major changes. You want it to stabilize first. After 4 weeks you can assess the overall performance of your campaign and make any substantial changes that are required.

Smart Bidding

Google Smart Bidding relies on Google brain to power the machine learning algorithms. You can be assured that the Google machine learning will keep evolving and innovate quicker, learn faster and serve more ads. It’s also learning every day from search, YouTube and shopping Ads, not just from display ads. It engages in creative testing across billions of combinations to provide you with the best option for you ad.

Are you ready to let AdWords SDC increase your conversions and ROI? Is it time to hand over the reins?

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