Learn 5 Google Display Ad Mockup Mistakes to Avoid
No matter how experienced you are, there is always room to make a mistake while mocking up a Google Display Ad. These mistakes can range from minor missteps like a typo, to major errors that impact an entire campaign. But you can’t take steps to avoid a mistake if you’re not familiar with some of the most common ones.
In order to help you avoid Google Display Ad mockup mistakes, we’ve come up with five of the most common Google Ad mistakes that we see. In this article, you’ll learn about each of these five mistakes and get a better sense of steps that you can take to avoid these sorts of missteps in the future. We’ll cover all this and more as we explore the following sections:
- Using Dull Stock Imagery
- Forgetting About Responsive Elements
- Ignoring Cartoon/Illustrated Images
- Not Excluding Certain Web Placements
- Putting Your Agency’s Goals First
1. Using Dull Stock Imagery
Sometimes when you start to build a display ad, you naturally find yourself gravitating toward the first image that looks like it’ll fit. However, these images tend to be dull stock photos that everyone has seen before, rendering them virtually invisible to your audience. Even worse, if you present a dull stock image to your client during the mockup stage, you may erode their confidence in your work.
Taking extra time to search for a great image, or better yet creating your own image, can help your ads stand out in a world that is already saturated with advertisements. Custom images also help with typical SEO web marketing, so there’s really only upside to picking a more bespoke image for your display ad.
2. Forgetting About Responsive Elements
It’s easy to get caught up in one version of your advertisement, but that’s a dangerous mistake to make in the world of display ads. Responsive elements can be used to better target certain audience segments without having to make your entire ad from scratch every time. These responsive elements can include alternate headlines, descriptions and even images to help capture the attention of your audience. Showing this to a client can help build their confidence as well, as they’ll appreciate the level of thought you’re putting into their ad.
3. Ignoring Cartoon/Illustrated Images
Stock images of real people aren’t the only thing you can use in your display ads, a cartoon or illustrated image is also an option. Depending on the product you are trying to sell, and the audience you want to reach, a cartoon image may actually be a more effective tool than you might expect. Even in cases where you may not expect an illustrated image to be a viable solution, the brighter colors and more easily readable lines can help attract attention to your advertisement.
4. Not Excluding Certain Web Placements
When it comes to web display ads, you get what you pay for, and if you aren’t excluding certain web placements you may be paying for too many things. The internet is a vast space full of countless communities, many of which won’t want what your client is offering. Make sure to take advantage of web placement exclusions to ensure that your banner ads don’t pop up where they won’t have any effect.
While this tip probably won’t be something that your client will see in a mockup ad, it’s important for them to know that you’re doing your best to ensure that the ad is only being deployed in places where it will be effective and not being shouted into a place where no one is likely to listen.
5. Putting Your Agency’s Goals First
This is one of the most common, and most dangerous Google Display Ad mockup mistakes that we see. It’s easy to get lost in the needs of your business, especially if you’re the person in charge of your agency. We hang out with our coworkers more and are generally more in touch with the needs of our own business than we are with the needs of our client. But when you put your own needs first, you often wind up with a weak advertisement.
Putting the goals of your client first is ultimately the safest route to a great ad, and is also the best advertisement for your own services. Never forget that your goal is to make sure that the client gets their voice heard, and that your job is to facilitate their voice, not steal their megaphone for yourself.
Avoid Google Ad Mistakes with Help from PPC Ad Editor
If you’ve been struggling with these Google Display Ad mistakes or any others, then PPC Ad Editor can help you find the solution. Our wide range of Google Ad services and tools like our expanded text ad generator, and responsive display ad generator can give you the time you need to review your ads and mockups before they hit your client’s inbox.
Additionally, you can leverage our years of experience working in PPC and web ads to make sure that you’re creating mistake free ads that take full advantage of what Google has to offer. To learn more about how we can help you create ads that your clients will love, contact us or explore our blog!
