Display Ads vs Performance max ads.

1. Display Ads (Google Display Network – GDN)

📌 What they are:

• Ads that appear as banners, images, or rich media across Google’s Display Network (websites, apps, YouTube, Gmail).
• You can manually target audiences, placements, demographics, and interests.

📌 Key Features:

• Control → You choose targeting, ad placement, and bidding strategies.
• Creative focus → Mainly image-based or responsive display ads.
• Awareness-driven → Best for brand awareness, remarketing, and reaching a broad audience.
• Optimization → You need to actively optimize targeting, creatives, and bids.

📌 When to use:

• Building brand visibility.
• Running remarketing campaigns.
• Targeting specific audiences (e.g., “people interested in home decor”).

2. Performance Max Ads (PMax)

📌 What they are:

• A goal-based campaign type that uses Google’s AI + machine learning to show ads across all Google inventory: Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, and Maps.

📌 Key Features:

• Automation-first → Google automatically optimizes targeting, bidding, placements, and creatives.
• Goal-focused → Works toward your chosen goal (sales, leads, traffic).
• Asset groups → You provide creatives (images, text, video), and Google mixes & matches them.
• Broad reach → Access to the entire Google ecosystem with one campaign.
• Less control → Limited visibility into which specific placements drove results.

📌 When to use:

• Driving conversions or sales.
• E-commerce with multiple products (works well with Merchant Center).
• When you want maximum reach with minimal manual optimization.

Comparison Table