Google Display Advertising shows banner, image, and responsive ads on 35 million+ websites, apps, and YouTube across Google’s Display Network. Unlike Search Ads, Display reaches users before they search — making it ideal for brand awareness and retargeting past website visitors.
Google Display Advertising is the second pillar of Google Ads after Search, and it works in a fundamentally different way. Where Search captures intent (people who are already looking), Display creates and maintains awareness before and after the search. This guide explains what Display Advertising is and when South African businesses should use it. See also: Google Ads campaign types explained.
What is the Google Display Network?
The Google Display Network (GDN) is a collection of over 35 million websites, apps, and YouTube channels that partner with Google to display third-party ads. When you create a Display campaign, your ads can appear on news websites, blogs, e-commerce sites, recipe platforms, sports sites, mobile apps, and YouTube — anywhere that has Google AdSense or Google Ad Manager code installed.
In South Africa, the GDN reaches the vast majority of internet users through their normal web browsing. South African news sites like News24, Times Live, Daily Maverick, and thousands of niche websites participate in the network, meaning your ads can appear alongside content your target audience is already consuming.
Google Display Ad Formats
- Responsive Display Ads (RDA): You provide images, headlines, descriptions, and a logo. Google automatically creates and tests combinations. The most efficient format.
- Static image ads: Fixed banner ads in standard sizes (300×250, 728×90, 300×600, etc.) designed by you or a designer
- Animated HTML5 ads: Animated banners that play through a short sequence — higher engagement but require design production
- Gmail Ads: Ads that appear in Gmail users’ Promotions or Social tabs, expanding when clicked
Display Advertising vs Search Advertising: Key Differences
- Intent: Search reaches people actively searching; Display reaches people while they are browsing
- Format: Search is text-only; Display is visual (images, logos, banners)
- CPC: Display CPCs are significantly lower than Search — typically R0.50-R5.00 vs R20-R100 for Search
- Conversion rate: Display converts at a much lower rate than Search due to lower intent
- Best use: Search for direct lead generation; Display for brand awareness and retargeting
When Should South African Businesses Use Display Ads?
- Retargeting: Showing ads to people who visited your website but did not convert — the highest-ROI Display use case
- Brand awareness: Building familiarity with your brand before potential customers are actively searching
- Long sales cycles: B2B businesses where the decision takes weeks — staying visible during the research and comparison phase
- New product or service launches: Generating awareness for something potential customers do not yet know to search for
- Competitor conquest: Targeting audiences who visit competitor websites or content categories
Display Advertising Targeting Options
- Audience targeting: Reach people based on their interests, purchase intent, or demographic characteristics
- Remarketing audiences: Reach past visitors to your website, users of your app, or people who engaged with your YouTube channel
- Contextual targeting: Appear on websites whose content matches keywords or topics you specify
- Placement targeting: Appear on specific websites or apps you choose
- Customer match: Upload your customer email list and target (or exclude) those specific individuals
Google’s Display Advertising guide covers the full range of targeting options, ad formats, and bidding strategies available for Display campaigns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Google Display Advertising worth it for South African small businesses?
For most South African small businesses, Search campaigns should come first. Display is most valuable once you have a reasonably active website (500+ monthly visitors) to build a retargeting audience from, and once your Search campaigns are running profitably. Display retargeting — showing ads to people who visited your website — is the most cost-effective Display use case for most SMBs.
How much does Google Display Advertising cost in South Africa?
Display CPCs in South Africa typically range from R0.50-R5.00, significantly lower than Search CPCs. However, conversion rates are also much lower — a 0.1-0.5% conversion rate on Display traffic is typical compared to 2-8% on Search. Your effective cost per lead from Display is usually similar to or higher than Search, even at the lower CPC.
What image sizes do I need for Google Display Ads?
For Responsive Display Ads, you need a landscape image (1.91:1 ratio, minimum 600x314px), a square image (1:1 ratio, minimum 300x300px), and optionally a logo (1:1 or 4:1 ratio). Google uses these assets to automatically generate ads in all required sizes. For static image ads, the most important sizes are 300×250 (medium rectangle), 728×90 (leaderboard), 160×600 (wide skyscraper), and 300×600 (half page).
Can I exclude specific websites from showing my Display Ads?
Yes — in your campaign settings, use the ‘Content exclusions’ and ‘Placement exclusions’ features to block specific websites, categories (e.g., sensitive content, parked domains), or types of content. Regular review of your placements report and exclusion of irrelevant or low-quality sites is an important Display campaign maintenance task.
What is the Google Display Network reach in South Africa?
Google does not publish country-specific GDN reach figures, but the network claims to reach over 90% of internet users globally. In South Africa, where major local news and entertainment websites participate in AdSense, GDN reach is substantial — covering most of the South African online population through their normal web browsing behaviour.