We answer the question below: “What is the Reach of the Google Display Network?”
We will also clarify:
- What the Google Display Network (GDN) is
- Its pros and cons
- How to run ads on this platform
- How to expand the GDN reach to target more people
You will also get pro tips from experts to maximize your campaign’s Return On Investment (ROI).
What is the Google Display Network?
The Google Display Network (GDN) is an online advertising platform.
It goes along with the other promotional options that Google offers:
- Search
- Video
- App
- Shopping
Google Display Ads are the fifth kind.
As the name says, GDN Ads focus on visuals. We detail their format in the next section.
To get started with the Google Display Network, follow these steps:
- Log in to your Google Ads account
- Launch a new ad campaign
- Select “Display Network Only”
The Google Display Network is a useful channel for new brands to enter the market.
Differences Between Google Search and Google Display Networks
People often confuse SEM with GDN Ads.
While Google manages both, they are completely different.
Google Ads Search implies the following:
- Higher user search intent
- People are more active with what they search for
- Typically, fewer users interact with the ads, but their quality is higher
While Google Display Network Ads work like this:
- Low user conversion intent
- People passively watch the GDN Ads
- Those ads reach lots of people, but very few interact with them
Business owners often consider Google Ads Search (SEM) more valuable than Google Display Ads (GDN) because search ads convert better.
However, it does not mean we should always run Search Ads and nothing else.
Search Ads don’t work for new brands or products without a significant search volume.
Display Ads allow marketers to reach online users, even if no one knows the brand. With SEM, people can’t search for what they don’t know.
Besides, GDN Ads are great for building our first audiences. Since it collects tons of data (much more than SEM Ads), we can leverage it for later remarketing campaigns.
More on this in the next section below.
Google Display Network Ad Formats
The Google Display Network focuses on visual ads.
Here are the main GDN ad formats:
- Images
- Animated banners
- Videos
- Gmail Ads
Google offers different options for advertisers to prepare their visual creatives.
We can upload custom images to the GDN Ads tool. Or we can also let the system automate responsively.
Same for videos.
Gmail Ads appear in Google users’ inboxes at various locations. For example, it can be an expandable banner at the top tab of the user’s email.
Regarding the banner formats on the Google Display Network, the best-performing ad sizes are:
- Medium rectangle (300×250)
- Large rectangle (336×280)
- Leaderboard (728×90)
- Half page (300×600)
- Large mobile banner (320×100)
Note that Google limits the ad banner file size to 150kB. Make sure your visual creatives are top quality but also “light-weighted.”
Google Display Network Benefits
Here are the main advantages of running GDN Ads:
- Can target people who don’t know the brand yet
- Can select suitable user profiles to reach
- Can leverage user data for remarketing strategies
- Can benefit from a massive reach at a low cost
- Can benefit from huge visibility, even if people do not click on the ad
Even though GDN implies “passive” advertising, this top-of-the-funnel strategy is great for raising brand awareness.
Businesses can start running ads on GDN with a small budget. On this platform, the targeting options and visual creatives are more important than the bidding itself.
What is the Digital Coverage of the Google Display Network?
When businesses advertise on the Google Display Network, they publish their ads on Google’s affiliate websites.
GDN Reach – Overall
The GDN reach is global. It includes many affiliate websites and the YouTube channel.
According to Google, the GDN’s worldwide reach in 2025 was:
- 90% of global internet users
- 2 million affiliate websites and smartphone apps
- 4.9 billion users
- 2+ trillion impressions per month
It justifies the immense reach of Google Display Network.
GDN Reach – For Your Campaign
As we said above, Google works with over 2 million affiliate websites. It does not mean that your GDN Ads will be featured on all of them.
The actual coverage of the Google Display Network for your campaign varies depending on your settings.
For example, the country plays a major role in the GDN’s reach. They can reach 4% of U.S. internet users, above the global average of 90%.
The ad placements change over time. And the list of affiliate websites updates continuously.
Now, if you want to target people interested in cars, your ads will appear on the Google Display Network, which is well-suited to people with an interest in automotive systems.
So, the GDN reach for your specific campaign will always be lower than the total potential reach. We will discuss this in more detail below.
GDN Reach – How to Target Audiences
When running ads on the GDN, businesses must select targeting options.
At this stage, buyer personas should be clear. Based on this preliminary research, advertisers will segment their audiences and target them by interest.
Keep in mind, the more target filters you apply, the narrower the reach will be. This is important for the client segmentation that we will mention below.
The basic targeting options include age, gender, and location.
The Google Display Network also allows targeting by websites. If you want your banner ads to appear on specific domains, just copy the URLs into the tool.
Besides, there are 4 more advanced targeting settings:
- Affinity audience
- Custom affinity audience
- In-market audience
- Remarketing audience
For affinity audiences, advertisers choose interests that align with the buyer persona. Businesses can select around 80 groups of interest.
The custom affinity audience is more precise. You can enter keywords directly into the tool. The system will feature ads on websites from the Google Display Network that rank for those keywords. As explained above, you can also input the URL of those websites.
The in-market audience focuses on people actively looking for products. Google tracks users’ online behavior through cookies. Based on this profiling data, the GDN Ads target people who added similar products to their online shopping carts or users who visited websites similar to yours. In-market audiences are calculated from past views, clicks, and conversions.
The GDN has a remarketing feature. It displays ads to people who have already visited your website. This is a great conversion tool because online users who interact with a brand several times are more likely to do so again. Remarketing helps achieve a lower Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) and a higher Conversion Rate (CR) by focusing more on the bottom of the sales funnel. It is also possible to target audiences using remarketing lists based on email addresses.
Once you complete this step, Google makes reach estimates. Advertisers know what to expect from their campaign before they launch the ads.
Of course, those are estimations. Real metrics may differ slightly.
GDN Reach – How to Measure Your Performance
Businesses should not measure their Google Display Network ad campaign from direct sales.
The conversion rate on the GDN is rather low. It does not mean it is not worth advertising.
Instead, companies should follow these metrics:
- Ad impressions
- Website visitors
- Views
- Clicks (or taps for mobile)
Use your Google Analytics to track your campaign performance. Set up the right Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) tags to track accurately.
Be aware that the remarketing feature works well on the Google Display Network thanks to its integration with Google Analytics.
Businesses know which pages the online users visit thanks to the GDN ads, which is priceless for optimizing the campaign.
GDN Reach – How to Expand it for Your Campaign
The Google Display Network’s online coverage is broad by default.
To increase its reach further, consider these pro tips:
- Segment your audience into small groups
- Target audiences showing interest
- Use display exclusion lists
- Use the responsive display ads feature
- Optimize performance follow-up
- Adjust your bidding
Test your targeting options filters on small groups. The smaller they are, the easier it is to identify what works. This allows advertisers to spend their budget wisely, thus expanding their reach.
In-market and remarketing audiences are excellent ways to focus on potential customers. Online users who visit a competitor’s website, or your website, are more likely to purchase from you than people who have never heard of your products.
By default, Google keeps the display exclusion lists all open. Same as negative keywords in Google Ads search, exclusion lists save your media spend. For example, you should exclude websites or mobile applications for which you are certain that visitors will show no interest in your brand.
The responsive display ads automatically create and test banner variations. From experience, we know that it is always better to craft ads manually if you have the time and required graphic skills. If not, you can trust Google’s machine learning, which has become solid with time.
Watch out for your campaign analytics and insights. You must be able to identify what works versus what doesn’t. Like most ad platforms, the Google Display Network requires continuous improvements.
The more you bid, the broader your reach will be. We strongly recommend you never launch a new campaign with a huge budget. If your ad account is a “fresh” one, you will most likely be blocked by the platform for suspicious activity. Instead, start with a small budget and progressively increase it as you optimize your campaign.
Is Google Display Network Worth It?
If you are looking for online sales or people subscribing to your newsletter, then the Google Display Network will not help you much if you run them alone.
If you are a new brand entering the market, then the GDN is one of the best online options to raise your awareness and get noticed by potential customers.
The best way to get started is to ask for help from experts. Contact Prodima Vietnam’s team if you are looking for strong support to run your Google Display Network ads.
