Display Campaign Setup and Targeting
Display campaign setup and targeting tests whether you can turn a reach or demand-generation goal into a correctly structured Google Ads Display campaign. The exam focuses on campaign subtype, targeting-method logic, audience versus observation settings, and exclusions.
Core rules
- Standard Display campaigns give manual control over targeting, bids, and creative; Smart Display campaigns automate much of that setup from your inputs.
- Targeting methods in the same ad group are combined. If you add an audience and a placement, ads are eligible only where both conditions are met. Multiple criteria of the same type are OR'ed.
- Audience targeting restricts reach. Observation does not restrict; it lets you see performance and apply bid adjustments.
- Campaign-level settings commonly include locations, languages, budget, and frequency capping. Ad-group level holds audiences, demographics, keywords, topics, and placements.
- Targeting expansion can widen delivery beyond selected criteria. Content exclusions and placement exclusions block unsuitable inventory.
- Location targeting has presence-or-interest and presence options. A local advertiser should generally use presence to avoid showing to people merely interested in the area.
- Frequency capping limits impressions per user and is set separately from targeting.
Worked example
A UK golf retailer wants golfers and golf-media placements, with a £2,000 monthly budget. Putting a Golf enthusiasts audience and three golf placements in one ad group creates an intersection and may shrink reach to almost nothing. Better: create an audience-led ad group with the golf affinity audience plus demographics, and a placement-led ad group with the three placements. Set location to United Kingdom with presence, language English, and exclude competitor sites and irrelevant app categories. The two ad groups can then be budgeted and measured separately.
Traps
Assuming that adding targeting methods widens reach; mixing targeting and observation; leaving targeting expansion on when precise placement control matters; using presence-or-interest for a store-radius campaign; and judging success on impressions before checking viewability and conversion quality.