I have recently been studying up with Google Ad Words Academy to learn the ins and outs of running Google Ads.

I learned a lot of valuable information. I learned how to pick audiences, how to target people with SEO, how to make the most of your SEO by adding negative keywords, and most importantly I learned the differences between Google’s network.

Google is made up of two completely different networks. Its primary network is the Google Search Network. This network is a classic. It’s what we all expect when we think of Google. It’s composed of the search box, and it produces text results.

The search network is where you operate when you are looking for information. You search, and Google shows. It’s where we find roofers, florists, dentists, and naturally the answers to our Spanish homework. (Okay, maybe not the Spanish homework!)

Google’s other network is called the display network. The display network is home to pictures and videos. The display network is where we find the new shoes we want to buy. We search, and Google shows us pictures.

If you think of the search network like Twitter, you can expect to find a lot of text. So when you think of the display network, you can think of Instagram and expect to see a lot of pretty images.

When you use Google to run ads; some ad formats can only be displayed on one network or the other. It’s important to understand where the ad is going to be displayed so that you can make it an efficient investment.

Google displays text ads, call only ads, app promotional ads, and ads with extensions in the Search Network. Google will also partner the search network with search partners to show some image and video ads. What is important to understand is that these ads don’t show on the Google Search Network, only within the partner networks.

Google displays responsive ads, image and video ads, app promotional ads, and rich media ads in the Display Network. Depending on the extension the display network can also be home to ads with extensions.

Overall, Google has poured more time and money into creating a system that works – now it’s our job to learn how to get the most out of it! When choosing ad styles, you have to decide what your goal is. Do you want to give people information (search network) or showcase your products/creativity (display network)?

Once you determine your goal, you can proceed with creating your campaign, managing the budget, and fine-tuning your ads performance.