(MKTG 297) Week 8 - Keyword and Display Network Targeting

Google AdWords provides several options to help you best target your audience. In general there are four options for targeting:

1. Keyword Targeting
2. Display Network Targeting
3. Location and Language Targeting
4. Device Targeting

This blog will discuss the first two options for targeting: keyword and display network. The next blog will discuss the last two options for targeting: location and language and device. 

You can use keywords to reach your target audience. As previously explained in another post, you can use display network or search network to accomplish this task. Google AdWords has something called a keyword match type. There are five different keyword match types you can use to reach your audience. These include:

1. Broad Match: Your ad will pop-up on searches that are misspelled, have similar words, or are somewhat relevant to the search being made. 
2. Broad Match Modifier: The search contains a modified word in any order but not a similar word. 
3. Phrase Match: Just as it sounds, a phrase similar to what your phrase is. Ex: the search term is purchase dog collars with your keyword being "dog collars"
4. Exact Match: an exact match to what your keyword is. Ex: the search term is dog collars with your keyword being dog collars.
5. Negative Match: Searches that do not relate to your term at all. Ex: the search term is tennis shoes with your keyword being children.

You can only use keyword match types on campaigns that show up on Search Networks not Display Networks. This is because keywords on display networks are all considered broad matches. 

There are three different ways you can target your ads to your audience on the Display Network. These include:

1. Contextual Targeting: Matching your content to relevant sites. You can do this by using keywords or topics similar to your sites content. 
2. Audiences: You can target your audiences in different ways. If you want to increase brand awareness you can use affinity audiences. If you want to reach as many people as you can what want a product in a certain area you can try custom affinity audiences. If you want to reach people who are currently seeking out a product or service that you offer you can use in-market audiences. You can target your audience by their interests using Internet categories. You can also use demographic factors to target your specific audience.
3. Managed Placement Targeting: With this option you can pick specific websites or apps that you want your ad to be displayed. You probably know your audience pretty well so you may know sites or apps that your customers may frequent.