Google Ads Display
This domain tests responsive display ads (RDAs), creative asset specifications, audience targeting, exclusions, bidding, and viewability. Display questions often ask you to choose the right asset mix or targeting setting for a stated goal, not just define a term.
Core rules for Display creative
- RDA assets include a short headline (30 characters), long headline (90), description (90), and business name (25). Supply marketing images in landscape (1200×628), square (1200×1200), and portrait (960×1200), plus logos at 1200×1200 and 1200×628.
- Google assembles combinations automatically. Provide multiple images and headlines so the system can learn which pairings perform.
- Targeting can use affinity, in-market, custom intent, remarketing, demographics, placements, and topics. Optimized targeting may expand beyond your selected signals.
- Exclusions matter: placements, topics, content keywords, mobile apps, and sensitive categories can waste spend. Exclude existing customers when the goal is acquisition.
- Bidding options include CPC, CPM, and viewable CPM (vCPM). Viewability generally means 50% of pixels visible for one continuous second for display.
- Frequency capping limits impressions per campaign or ad group per day, week, or month; it does not cap unique reach.
Worked example
A B2B SaaS company promotes a free trial. Its RDA uses the short headline “Try Our CRM Free,” long headline “Manage Your Sales Pipeline in One Place,” description “Start a 14-day trial. No credit card,” a dashboard image, and the company logo. It targets custom intent audiences built from competitor keywords and in-market business software segments, excludes current customers through Customer Match, and caps frequency at three impressions per day. Because the goal is qualified consideration rather than direct response, the team tests vCPM bidding and compares viewable impressions with trial starts.
Traps that cost marks
- Uploading only one image size, which limits eligible placements.
- Using text-heavy images; the copy should carry the message, not the image.
- Confusing viewability with conversion or click-through rate.
- Setting a frequency cap so low that reach collapses.
- Forgetting to exclude existing customers or low-value apps and placements.
Exam focus
Know which asset dimensions are required, which targeting signal matches a goal, and when an exclusion protects budget.