How to Run Google Banner Ads: A Complete Guide
Google banner ads are no stranger to marketers on digital platforms. However, understanding the techniques for optimal execution is something few people truly know. That’s why this article from The7 about how to run Google banner ads will help you master the correct design approach this time around. Your brand and message will stand out more among the vast amount of information customers see every day. What’s more, you’ll learn whether this format is worth the investment, based on reference costs.
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What Are Google Banner Ads?
Google banner ads are an effective online marketing format provided by an Ad Server. Basically, you can insert ads (including images and videos) with compelling content into a website to attract large amounts of traffic. You leverage that site’s visitor base to reach potential customers interested in your products/services. These visitors click the ad and land on your website through the link embedded in it.
The two Google banner ad formats used most often are running GDN (the Display Network) and Google Remarketing. This means there are still many other Ad Servers you can tap into, such as Admicro. Even so, the Google platform remains the most popular choice, thanks to its outstanding advantages in effectiveness and flexibility.

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How to Run Google Banner Ads
Before diving in, you need to understand how Google banner ads work and how they’re displayed. This will help you picture what your ad looks like through the customer’s eyes. Take a look at the placement and layout formats below.
Basically, the ad appears as either a static or an animated image. If someone clicks it, the browser automatically redirects to the brand’s website or landing page. With this format, businesses can pinpoint the audience they want to reach based on demographics, location, interests, and more. The cost of Google image ads is calculated based on impressions or the number of clicks on the ad.
Placement on Websites
When designing a Google Ads banner image, you need to pay special attention to where the banner will appear. That’s because each placement delivers different results and calls for a different design approach to attract customers.
- Top-right corner or top of the website: This placement for Google banner ads guarantees readers see it right away. Many people never scroll down to the bottom of the page and only focus on the section they need. It’s fair to say this area helps you maximize both reach and revenue. If placed first and front-and-center, the Google ad size should follow a 728 x 90 px ratio. When placed vertically in the top-right corner, you’ll need to switch to 300 x 600 px.
- Along both sides of the page: You can easily spot Google banner ads in this position on sites like dantri.vn, kenh14.vn, and vnexpress.vn. These spots don’t get in the way of readers accessing information, yet they still stay prominent. The ad runs alongside the reader’s journey down the page, from top to bottom. The standard Google banner ad size here should be around 120 x 600 px. For a smaller image, you can choose 300 x 250 px instead.

Generally, the more favorable and prominent a placement is, the higher its cost compared to other spots. That’s easy to understand once you look at the traffic volume and conversion potential each position brings.
Placement on YouTube
Online advertising on YouTube is definitely a method you can’t afford to overlook, given its potential. It’s broken down into several different types of Google banner ads, each with its own placement. You’ll get a clearer picture through the comparison below.
YouTube Overlay Ads
- These are rectangular banners that display inside a video the user is currently watching.
- The Google ad image size is usually around 468 x 60px or 728 x 90px. This banner covers about 20% of the video player screen.

YouTube Display Ads
- This appears in the right-hand corner of the screen alongside playing videos. However, this format only appears on desktop screens.
- This Google banner ad comes in many sizes and formats, such as static images or animations.
- Since it doesn’t play sound, it fully preserves the YouTube user experience.

Placement Within Apps
Apps are also an extremely effective channel for reaching customers. That’s why this space is frequently used for placing Google banner ads. You’ll easily spot them the moment you open an app.
The placement varies quite a bit, depending on where the app developer allows ads to be shown. Typically, users will see them at the bottom of their mobile screen. Sometimes, this type of Google banner ad also takes over the entire screen for the first few seconds.

Types of Google Banner Ad Placements
Before hiring an advertising service, you need to know what formats exist. Each type has its own characteristics and is best suited to different situations. So research carefully and compare against your strategic goals before deciding.
What Is the Google Display Network Banner Ad?
The Google Display Network (GDN) is an advertising system built around images and banner placements. Your ad will appear on websites that participate in the AdSense program (Google’s advertising partners).
This format lets brands reach customers and deliver their message extremely fast. Your image ad shows up on thousands of sites, both related and unrelated to your business field. A banner can be set up and successfully activated in as little as 30 minutes. You get to choose your audience by topic, placement, keywords, demographics, interests, and more. Google GDN is typically used to find new customers who have never heard of your brand before.

What Is Google Remarketing Banner Advertising?
Google Remarketing banner ads only appear on websites that belong to this tool’s display network. In the Vietnamese market, Google partners with more than 500 large-scale websites. The ad appears whenever you visit one of these sites.
Remarketing works by showing your ad to the same audience repeatedly. The system targets people who have visited before but haven’t yet completed a conversion action, typically an action you’re hoping for, such as placing an order or completing an online payment. After repeated remarketing exposure, brand awareness improves. Customers get exposed to information they didn’t know before, which pushes them further along the path to purchasing your product/service.

Major Advantages of Running Google Banner Ads
As you know, there are hundreds of Ad Servers operating around the world. Yet online advertising through Google banners has always held a dominant position. This is thanks to standout features that outperform every competitor.
Proactive Targeting of the Websites Where Ads Appear
Running ads based on keywords searched on internet search engines has become very common. The GDN system focuses on harnessing Google’s power across its entire scale of operation. You get to target pages based on keywords in the content or the site’s topic. Businesses can even choose exactly where they want to appear.
Say, for example, you sell sports shoes. In that case, your online ad would be inserted into pages with content related to sports, fashion, and so on. You could even appear prominently in the trusted Sports sections of newspapers like Dan Tri and VNExpress.

Compatible With Mobile Devices, Tablets, and Laptops
Customers access the internet from many different devices. That’s why designing for compatibility across various screen sizes is so important. With Google banner ads, you’ll find the service provider has done this very well.
The banners display in full, fully conveying the brand’s call to action. What’s more, these ads don’t cover up the main content. Any discomfort for people trying to access information is kept to an absolute minimum.

Displayed in the Best Positions on the Page
Google banners are always placed on a website’s homepage, category pages, or other prime spots. Thanks to this feature, you can attract potential customers more easily. This effectiveness is backed by concrete data. Google GDN reaches up to 6.6 billion impressions per month. Page-view sessions have consistently stayed above 3.9 billion over the same period.
As a result, its ability to reach 93% of online users is entirely reliable. Now you no longer need to worry about whether your visibility will be high enough, because your brand always claims the spotlight in the prestigious positions of reputable partner sites.

Ads on Major News Sites at an Incredibly Low Cost
Bidding for a banner spot directly on VNExpress, Lao Dong, Zing News, VietNamNet, Tuoi Tre, Tinhte, Dan Tri, and similar outlets isn’t easy at all. A business could end up spending tens of millions of VND for each of these placements. And of course, you still wouldn’t know exactly how many people clicked that banner or saw it each day.
But with Google banners, your ad displays simultaneously across 500 leading websites in Vietnam. That covers nearly all the major news sites, at a much lower cost. You’ll see this very clearly when comparing it to the traditional approach.
Choosing an engagement-based pricing model makes it even more cost-effective. This delivers greater economic benefit, and you don’t need to worry about how many times the ad gets displayed. Of course, even with a budget like this, you still get to choose where your ad appears based on keywords and topics.
How Do You Target Customers With Google Banner Ads?
In the sections above, you learned that Google banner ads let you choose the characteristics of the audience you want to reach. In this section, you’ll dig deeper to figure out which approach you should apply, so your customer base doesn’t get spread too thin and stays focused on the right marketing target.
By Interest
- This tool lets advertisers target people who have shown interest in something specific, whether that’s a brand, a website, or a product/service similar to your line of business.
- Here, you’ll find every interest imaginable, from fashion and travel to pets and sports, and more.
- All you need to do is choose your criteria and complete the ad setup steps to your own standards.

By Demographics
- You can target by age, gender, marital status, location, and more. Even more specific traits, such as women who already have children, can be reached easily too.
- If this step is well optimized, your campaign’s chances of success rise significantly, because nothing matters more than understanding your customers and giving them what they need.
Targeting People Who Have Previously Interacted With Your Website
- Through cookies, Google tells you when a user has taken an action on certain pages, such as filling out a form, purchasing a product, visiting the cart, or completing other actions.
- This strategy has its own dedicated term: Remarketing. Through it, you get the chance to target people who are genuinely interested in your brand, resulting in higher engagement and conversions while keeping costs to a minimum.
Targeting Based on Ad Placement Location
- As mentioned above, you have full control over where you want your ads to appear on the web. You can even decide which places should never display your brand.
- What’s more, to join the Display Network, partner websites go through a rigorous review process. As a result, most of these sites carry high credibility and stable traffic. In Vietnam, the majority of them are leading news outlets.
How Much Does Running Google Banner Ads Cost?
Running Google banner ads uses two basic pricing models. You’re free to choose either one and can easily switch whenever your needs change.
- Cost-per-engagement pricing: A charge for every click and every redirect to your website. The ad keeps running continuously until it hits the exact target you registered for beforehand. The specific price is set by the service provider, based on how competitive your industry is. Your investment budget covers everything, with nothing extra added on.
- Cost-per-impression pricing: You typically pay for every 1,000 ad impressions. This format is much cheaper than engagement-based pricing. It’s especially effective when you want to run Google banner ads for a promotional event. If you need to expand your brand awareness, this approach is also worth applying.

Above is how to run Google banner ads and everything you need to understand about this online advertising format on the leading search engine. To save time and effort, you should use the full-package service from The7. Get in touch via hotline: 082.246.7979 or website: https://the7digital.com for the best full-package marketing support. We always put our heart into designing impressive Google banner ads for your business.
>>>> Read more articles:
- What Is Google Shopping Advertising? A Guide to Running It Effectively
- Google Smart Campaign: What Is It? Secrets to Attracting High Traffic
- How to Run Effective Gmail Ads for Your Business
- Google Discovery Ads : What Is It?
- How to Run Display Ads Effectively
Nguyễn Đình
Bảo
As CEO of The7, I am committed to sharing practical, useful knowledge with every reader. Every article on The7 is based on my 7 years of hands-on experience in marketing — Facebook advertising, LinkedIn advertising, Google advertising, and marketing strategy. I hope you take away plenty of insight from these posts and apply it successfully in practice.
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