Summary of Google Ads advertising types

HT Vũ Ngọc 20 Apr, 2025 Google Marketing

With over 20 years on the market, the wide variety of Google advertising formats can easily overwhelm new advertisers. Therefore, in this article, Mega Digital will help summarize all the currently available Google Ads formats, along with a brief overview of their benefits and how each one works.

Types of Google Ads

1. Google Search Ads

Search Ads are advertisements that appear on Google’s search engine results pages. When users enter a search query, Google returns results that may include ads matching or closely related to the keywords in your campaign.

Search ads are most effective when a business has identified the right keyword set for their products or services. Choosing the right keyword list helps your ads show up to the most relevant customers. This is one of the most commonly used and popular types of Google Ads.

Benefits of Google Search Ads

Thanks to Google’s machine learning technology in Responsive Search Ads (RSA), your ads can reach users with more personalized text and messaging. The system allows advertisers to input multiple variations of headlines and descriptions.

Google will then continuously test which combinations perform best based on users’ search queries. This not only boosts ad performance but also saves time by adapting to market changes. Furthermore, RSA can increase clicks and conversions by up to 10%.

Responsive Search Ads dynamically combine headlines and descriptions to build the most optimal ad for each search.

Where Google Search Ads Appear

There are up to 7 ad positions available on a Google Search results page: 4 at the top and 3 at the bottom.

These positions remain consistent across different pages of search results. However, the actual number of ads displayed can vary depending on the industry and competition—some pages may only show 2 or 3 ads.

You’ll find Google Search Ads in:

Google Search Network: Ads appear above or below organic search results.

Example: When searching for “Driving schools in Hanoi,” the first few results marked with “Ad” before the URL are Google Search Ads. These ads are based on keywords and show in text format.
Google Search Partners: Ads can also appear on partner websites within Google’s search network. These partner sites may display ads near or after their search results and can link to your products or services.

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2. Google Display Ads

Display Ads proactively reach users through visual formats such as images and videos.

Benefits of Google Display Ads

Advertisers use Google Display to boost brand awareness. Display Ads can reach users globally via over 35 million websites and apps, as well as Google-owned platforms like YouTube and Gmail. This allows you to expand your reach far beyond the Google Search network.

Where Google Display Ads Appear

Display network ads allow you to engage users while they are:

Watching YouTube
Checking Gmail
Browsing their favorite websites
Using mobile devices and apps

3. Google Video Ads

This is one of the Google Ads formats that allows you to advertise in video format. It’s commonly used to reach new audiences and increase brand awareness, video interactions, views, or product/app promotion.

Benefits of Google Video Ads

Reach the right audience: Connect with users on YouTube and Google video partner sites through keyword targeting, topics, demographics, and more.
Transparent measurement: Track whether you’re reaching the right audience with insights like views, cost, and budget using Google Ads.

Google Video Ads Formats & Placement

Skippable In-Stream Ads: Appear before, during, or after other videos. Viewers can skip after 5 seconds.

Non-Skippable In-Stream Ads: Similar to skippable ads, but these last up to 15 seconds and cannot be skipped, allowing full message delivery.
Bumper Ads: Short video ads (up to 6 seconds) that cannot be skipped, ideal for broad reach and quick brand recall.

In-Feed Video Ads: Appear as a thumbnail with a headline and up to two lines of text, inviting users to click and watch the video on YouTube.
Outstream Ads: Appear on Google’s video partner websites and apps. These are designed for mobile and begin playing without sound, prompting users to tap and expand.

YouTube Masthead Ads: Featured at the top of the YouTube homepage across devices (TV, mobile, desktop). Ideal for product launches or massive reach in a short time.

4. Google Shopping Ads

Shopping Ads display product listings directly in Google Search results based on the user’s query. This makes it easier for potential buyers to browse, compare, and shop without needing to click through multiple links.

Benefits of Google Shopping Ads

Ideal for eCommerce/Retail: Best suited for businesses with online stores. These ads display key product info such as image, price, store name, and more.
Clear presentation: Products stand out clearly in the ad, allowing users to make better buying decisions.
Broader visibility: Multiple Shopping Ads can appear simultaneously, even alongside regular text ads.
Detailed reporting & competition data: Gain insights into product performance at any level of detail you choose.

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Where Shopping Ads Appear

To create Shopping Ads, you must provide complete product data before directing customers to your website. Shopping Ads can appear in:

Shopping tab on Google Search (available in select countries)

Google Search results (separate from text ads) and Google Images
Google Search Partner sites (if campaign includes them – not available for free listings)

Google Display Network (for local product catalog ads only)

5. Google App Ads

App Ads are designed to help you promote your app to paying users across Google’s largest platforms: Google Search, Google Play, YouTube, and the Display Network.

Benefits of Google App Ads

Campaign automation: Google Ads will automatically generate your ad using the text, budget, language, and targeting settings you provide—no need to design individual ads.
Boost conversions: Drive app installs or in-app actions (like subscriptions or purchases). App Ads can generate both downloads and revenue through additional services.

Where App Ads Appear

App Ads appear throughout Google’s ecosystem:

Google Search Network
- Your ads match with search queries related to your app or its category.
Google Play
- Search results
- Related app sections (“You might also like” or “Related to this app”)
- Home page suggestions (“Recommended for you”)
YouTube
- Appear in placements where users are likely to engage and download or pre-register for the app.
Google Display Network
- Ads may show on:
  - Gmail
  - Other mobile apps
  - Mobile websites (news, blogs, etc.)

Local Campaigns (Google Maps Ads)

Local campaigns are a type of Google Ads that help restaurants and eateries provide essential information to potential customers. The goal is to encourage customers to decide when and how to visit the restaurant in person.

When customers search for and explore a local place on Maps, Google Ads automatically evaluates whether your restaurant’s activities and characteristics match the customer’s search behavior. Customers who are nearby or show interest in your location will see your Local Campaign ads.

Benefits of Local Campaigns

Local campaigns help drive real-world business goals. When setting up a campaign, you need to provide your business location, campaign budget, and ad assets so that Google can optimize the bidding process.

Where Local Campaigns Appear

Google Maps: Local campaigns can help you attract customers who intend to visit various destinations. For example, when someone searches “chicken rice,” your ad may appear at the top of the search results page.

YouTube: This is a powerful platform for drawing attention to your physical store.

Google Display Network: Google Ads will optimize your ad placements to gain the most attention for your store and products.

Business Profile Page: Local Campaigns help showcase offers and special products to customers, while highlighting location attributes to attract visits and purchases.

Gmail: Your Local Campaign ads can reach users on mobile Gmail platforms.

However, as of August 2022, Local Campaigns were officially upgraded and merged into Performance Max campaigns.

Smart Campaigns (Google Smart Ads Campaigns)

Smart Campaigns are a newer feature designed for small businesses in the Asia-Pacific region. You simply select a business goal and the area to display the ad. Then, Smart Campaigns will automatically seek out potential customers.

Benefits of Smart Campaigns

Create multiple campaigns for a business: With Smart Campaigns, the process is simplified with easy steps for creation and management, automatically tripling visibility to the right audience.
Ad variations: Information you provide about your business and website content is used to create alternative ads. Google will run both original and alternative versions to determine which performs better.

Where Smart Campaigns Appear

Smart Campaign ads are automatically shown to potential customers on:

Google Search
Google Maps
YouTube
Gmail
Google’s partner websites

Example formats of Smart Campaigns include simple, auto-generated ad variations based on your business info.

Discovery Campaigns (Google Discovery Ads)

Discovery Ads allow advertisers to present products to users even before they start searching. This ad type leverages advanced targeting and machine learning to optimize campaigns across YouTube, Gmail, and the Discovery feed.

Benefits of Discovery Campaigns

Reach a wide audience: Engage your ideal customers at scale through a single campaign.
Increase engagement: Visually appealing and relevant ads improve interaction.
Seamless appearance: Naturally integrated visuals across Google products.
Automated bidding: Helps you reach your content performance goals more effectively.

See more products: Buy advertising accounts

Where Discovery Ads Appear

Discovery Ads are personalized with rich visuals, driving user engagement across YouTube, Gmail, and the Discovery feed.

There are two unique Discovery ad formats:

Standard Discovery Ads: Feature a single image.
Discovery Carousel Ads: Feature a rotating set of images.

Performance Max Campaigns

Performance Max Campaigns are goal-based campaigns that allow advertisers to maximize performance across all Google Ads channels with a single campaign.

Benefits of Performance Max Campaigns

Increase conversions: Customize important business goals and maximize both conversions and conversion value.
Automated ad setup: Uses machine learning to predict the best-performing combinations of ads, audiences, and formats.
Detailed insights: Reports on trending search behavior help you understand performance changes and develop large-scale strategies.

Where Performance Max Campaigns Appear

These campaigns run automatically across all Google channels, including:

YouTube
Display
Search
Discovery
Gmail
Maps

Which Ad Format is the Most Popular and Effective?

The best ad format depends on the industry, product, brand, and advertising objective. In reality:

Google Shopping Ads are highly favored due to their ability to show both product images and information directly on the Google Search results page.
Video Ads can reach a quarter of the global population who watch YouTube daily. While they were once used primarily for brand awareness, video ads are now designed to engage users more directly.
Google Search Ads remain one of the most widely used formats, thanks to their ability to effectively target users’ search intent. They are among the most popular and effective Google Ads formats for both beginners and long-term advertisers.

Above all, advertisers should clearly define their target audience in alignment with their product or service’s demand. This is the most important factor in capturing customer attention and achieving business goals.

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