How to Set Up Google Display Ads: Complete Step-by-Step Guide for 2025

display campaign remarketing strategies Nov 18, 2024

Setting up a Google Display campaign correctly is the first step to building brand visibility and generating low-cost traffic. Whether you're new to Google Ads or planning your 2025 strategy, this guide will walk you through how to set up Google Display Ads step by step — with tips tailored for better results in today’s competitive environment.

Key Takeaways

Start with a clear objective before creating your display campaign (e.g. sales, leads, awareness).
Use Standard Display Campaigns for full control—avoid Smart Display if you want manual targeting and bidding.
Disable Optimised Targeting for remarketing, but leave it on for awareness campaigns to increase reach.
Upload high-quality creatives and write multiple headlines and descriptions for responsive display ads.
Use Maximise Conversions for performance goals, and Viewable Impressions for visibility campaigns.
Build audience segments before launching—Google requires at least 1,000 users for remarketing.
Don’t judge performance too quickly; wait 3–5 days before making any changes.

What Are Google Display Ads?

Google Display Ads are visual ads that appear across a vast network of websites, mobile apps, and YouTube channels. Unlike Search Ads, which rely on keywords and search intent, Display Ads focus on audience targeting — allowing you to reach users based on their interests, demographics, and online behaviour.

You can run static banners, animated creatives, or use responsive display ads, which automatically adjust size, format, and layout to fit different placements. When combined with a smart bidding strategy and solid audience targeting, Google Display campaigns can be a cost-effective way to grow your business online.

Why Use Google Ads Display Campaigns?

Boost Brand Awareness: Your ads are seen multiple times, building familiarity and trust.
Cost-Effective Engagement: With PPC bidding, you only pay for clicks while still gaining exposure.
Support for Other Campaigns: Display ads complement search and shopping campaigns, enhancing overall account performance.

Google Display Campaign Strategy: What to Plan Before You Launch

Before diving into the setup process, you need to define your display ad strategy. A clear plan will guide everything from audience targeting to creative execution and bidding.

Here’s what to consider:

1. Set a Clear Objective

Are you running a campaign for brand awareness, retargeting, or conversions? Your campaign goal will determine your bidding strategy and creative assets.

Use Maximise Conversions for performance-led campaigns
Choose Viewable Impressions for upper-funnel brand visibility
Use Target CPA only once you’ve gathered enough conversion data

2. Choose the Right Campaign Type

Google gives you multiple ways to run Display ads:

Standard Display Campaign – Full control over placements, audiences, and bidding.
Smart Display Campaign – Google automates bidding and targeting using AI. Best suited for accounts with strong historical data.

If you’re managing the account directly and want precise control, stick with Standard Display.

3. Map Out Your Audiences

Build audiences of at least 1,000 users. Check this in the Audience Manager under Tools in Google Ads. Google Display targeting is flexible, but a successful strategy starts with knowing who you’re trying to reach:

Remarketing: Target past site visitors or abandoned cart users.
In-Market: Reach users actively researching products in your category.
Custom Segments: Build audiences around specific keywords or competitor websites.

Plan your audience segments in advance using Google Ads’ Audience Manager.

4. Prepare Your Creative Assets

Strong visuals are the backbone of any display campaign. Make sure you have:

Logo and brand colours
Images in multiple aspect ratios (landscape, square, portrait)
Attention-grabbing headlines and clear CTAs

Use Responsive Display Ads to allow Google to auto-optimize asset combinations across placements.

Step-by-Step Setup for Google Ads Display Campaigns

Now that you’ve planned your strategy, it’s time to set up your Google Display campaign. Whether you're managing ads in-house or for a client, this step-by-step process will help you set up a high-performing campaign from scratch.

Step 1: Create a New Display Campaign

Log in to your Google Ads account and click the “+ New Campaign” button.
Choose your objective. For performance-focused campaigns, select “Sales” or “Leads”. You can also skip the goal to get full manual control.
Choose “Display” as your campaign type.
Select Standard Display Campaign (not Smart Display) if you want more control over targeting, bidding, and placements.

Step 2: Define Your Campaign Settings

This part of the setup is essential for controlling your reach, spend, and visibility.

Campaign name: Use a clear naming convention like Retargeting - Display - Aug 2025.
Locations: Target specific countries, regions, or postcodes. For remarketing, select all regions where your customers are located.
Languages: Choose the language your ads are written in.
Budget: Start with 5–10% of your total Google Ads budget. You can scale once performance data comes in.
Bidding strategy:

Use Maximize Conversions for performance-based campaigns.
Use Viewable Impressions for upper-funnel visibility or brand awareness.
Avoid Maximise Clicks, as it may prioritise low-quality traffic.

Step 3: Set Up Targeting and Audiences

Effective audience targeting is critical when setting up a Google Display campaign.

Audience segments:

For retargeting, select your website visitors, cart abandoners, or app users.
For prospecting, use custom segments, in-market audiences, or interests.

Optimised targeting:

Turn this OFF for remarketing campaigns.
Keep it ON for broader reach if you're running a top-of-funnel awareness campaign.

Placement targeting (optional): You can manually select specific websites, apps, or YouTube channels. This works well when you want full control over where your ads appear.

Step 4: Build Your Ads

The creative stage is where your strategy meets execution.

Responsive Display Ads:

Upload multiple images, logos, and videos that match Google’s size requirements.
Add multiple headlines (30 characters) and descriptions (90 characters) to allow Google’s system to auto-test combinations.

Write headlines and CTAs that are action-driven and relevant to the audience segment.
Preview your ad formats to see how they’ll appear across placements.
Add final URL and UTM parameters for proper tracking in Google Analytics.

Step 5: Launch and Monitor

Review all campaign settings for accuracy.
Hit Publish to launch your campaign.
Set reminders to review performance after 3–5 days (earlier for remarketing, longer for cold audiences).
Don’t make changes too quickly—give Google’s algorithm time to stabilise results.

Advanced Tips for Optimizing Your Display Campaigns

Leverage Remarketing: Prioritize re-engaging users who’ve already shown interest in your brand.
Focus on Conversions: Set up conversion tracking to measure ROI effectively.
Use Targeted Placements: Refine ad placement by selecting specific websites, apps, or YouTube channels.
Monitor and Adjust: Regularly review your campaign’s performance to tweak bids and targeting for better results.

FAQ

How do I set up a Google Display campaign in 2025?

To set up a Google Display campaign, log into Google Ads, click “New Campaign,” choose your goal (like Sales or Leads), and select “Display” as the campaign type. Set your locations, bidding strategy, audience targeting, and upload your creatives. Use Responsive Display Ads to maximise reach across placements.

What’s the best bidding strategy when starting a Display campaign?

For performance-focused campaigns, start with Maximise Conversions. If you're aiming for awareness or reach, Viewable Impressions is more suitable. Avoid Target CPA until you have sufficient conversion data (at least 30 conversions/month).

Should I use Smart Display or Standard Display campaigns?

Use Standard Display campaigns if you want manual control over targeting, placements, and bidding. Smart Display campaigns are more automated and better suited for accounts with strong historical data.

How much budget should I start with for a Display campaign?

Start with around 5–10% of your total monthly ad spend. Monitor early results and scale only once you’ve seen consistent performance over a few weeks.

What audience should I target for a new Display campaign?

It depends on your goal. For conversions, start with remarketing audiences. For awareness, use in-market or custom segments built from keywords or competitor URLs. Ensure your audience lists meet the minimum size requirement (usually 1,000 users).

Should I enable Optimised Targeting for Display campaigns?

Enable Optimised Targeting for awareness campaigns to let Google find high-performing users. For remarketing or narrow targeting, it's best to disable it to keep your audience tightly controlled.

How long should I wait before optimising a Display campaign?

Wait at least 3–5 days before making changes to a new Display campaign. Give Google enough time to gather data and stabilise performance before adjusting bids, creatives, or audiences.