Google Ads gives businesses several ways to reach potential customers online, but two of the most established options are Google Search Ads and Google Display Ads.
While both are paid advertising formats, they work in very different ways. Search advertising focuses on reaching people when they are actively searching for something, while display advertising uses visual ads to reach users across websites, apps and other online platforms.
Understanding the difference between display vs search ads can help you decide where to allocate your ad spend and how each campaign type could fit into your wider marketing strategy.
What Are Google Search Ads?
Google Search Ads are text-based ads that can appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) when someone searches for a relevant query.
For example, someone searching for:
may see paid search results from businesses offering relevant insurance services.
Search campaigns are built around keywords, with advertisers selecting specific keywords or themes that are relevant to their products or services. Google then considers factors such as the search query, user intent, bid and ad relevance when determining which ads are shown.
Across all industries, the average click-through rate for Google and Microsoft ads averaged out to 6.64%.
The key advantage of search advertising is that it can reach users who are actively searching for a product, service or solution.
How Do Search Ads Work?
Search advertising typically follows a relatively direct journey:
Search query → Search ad → Landing page → Conversion
An advertiser creates a search ad campaign with relevant keywords, ad groups, campaign settings and landing pages.
When a user’s search matches the advertiser’s targeting, their ad may be eligible to appear alongside the organic search results.
This makes search advertising particularly useful for capturing high intent traffic.
Someone searching for “emergency plumber near me”, for example, has a very different level of commercial intent from someone who sees an advert for plumbing services while reading an unrelated article.
What Are Google Display Ads?
Google Display Ads are visual advertisements that appear across the Google Display Network and other relevant online environments.
Rather than waiting for users to enter a search query, display campaigns allow advertisers to reach people while they are browsing websites, using apps, watching content and engaging with various online platforms.
Display ads can include:
- Banner ads
- Image ads
- Video ads
- Interactive ads
- Rich media
- Responsive display formats
This makes display advertising much more visually focused than its paid search counterpart.
How Do Display Ads Work?
Display ads work by placing visual advertisements in front of a target audience based on factors such as audience signals, interests, demographics, online behaviour, contextual relevance and campaign settings.
For example, a business selling outdoor equipment could use display advertising to reach people browsing relevant websites or content about hiking and camping.
The user does not necessarily need to be actively searching for the product at that exact moment.
Instead, display advertising can introduce the brand to potential customers earlier in their customer journey.
A typical journey could therefore look like:
Display ad → Website visit → Consideration → Search → Conversion
This is one of the fundamental differences when comparing display ads vs search.
Display Ads Vs Search Ads: The Key Differences
While both are forms of PPC advertising, display and search ads serve different purposes.
| Search Ads | Display Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary format | Text-based ads | Visual ads, including image and video |
| Where they appear | Search engine results pages | Websites, apps and other online platforms |
| Targeting | Primarily search queries and keywords | Audiences, interests, context and behaviour |
| User intent | Often higher intent | Often lower or less immediate intent |
| Main strength | Capturing existing demand | Creating awareness and reaching new audiences |
| Marketing funnel | Consideration and conversion | Awareness and consideration |
| Creative | Text and assets | Visual and interactive creative |
| User behaviour | User is actively searching | User is generally browsing |
| Typical objective | Leads, sales and conversions | Awareness, consideration and remarketing |
Neither ad type is automatically better. The right choice depends on your advertising strategy, target audience and business objectives.
Search Ads Are Based On Intent
One of the biggest advantages of search advertising is the ability to respond to user intent.
When someone searches for a specific product or service, their query provides an immediate indication of what they want.
For example:
- “best accounting software” suggests research intent
- “accounting software for small business” suggests commercial investigation
- “buy accounting software” suggests stronger transactional intent
A well-structured search campaign can target these different stages with relevant ad groups, keywords and landing pages.
This makes Google Search Ads particularly effective for businesses looking to capture demand that already exists.
However, competition for commercially valuable search queries can also be high, meaning businesses need to carefully manage their bids, ad quality, targeting and landing pages.
Display Ads Are More Visual
The biggest distinction between display ads vs search ads is arguably the creative format.
Search advertising is primarily text-led. Display advertising can use images, video, animation and interactive elements to communicate a message.
This makes display ads particularly useful for:
- Building brand awareness
- Introducing a new product
- Promoting visual products
- Supporting wider campaigns
- Reaching new audiences
- Remarketing to previous website visitors
A compelling visual can communicate a brand or product much faster than a text-based ad.
Display campaigns can therefore play an important role earlier in the marketing funnel, before someone has decided that they need a particular product or service.
One thing to be aware of when it comes to display ads is something called ‘banner blindness’. This is where audiences become desensitised to display ads on websites due to being overloaded with ads and information. However, with clever ad design, bold CTAs, and correct placement, banner blindness can be mitigated.
Search Vs Display: Which Has Higher Intent?
Generally, search ads have higher immediate intent because users are actively entering search queries.
Someone searching for “buy running shoes online” is already demonstrating a clear commercial need.
A person who sees a display ad for running shoes while reading a news article may have an interest in running, but they may not currently be looking to make a purchase.
However, this does not mean display advertising is less valuable.
Display ads can help create demand, increase familiarity and keep a brand visible throughout the customer journey.
In many cases, the strongest paid advertising strategy uses both.
When Should You Use Search Ads?
Search advertising can be particularly effective when your objective is to capture users who are already looking for what you offer.
Search campaigns can work well for:
High-Intent Products And Services
If customers commonly search for your product or service before converting, search ads can put your business in front of them at an important point in their journey.
Lead Generation
Businesses such as professional services firms, financial providers and B2B companies can use search campaigns to generate enquiries from users searching for relevant services.
Local Searches
Search ads can be effective for businesses targeting location-specific queries, particularly where users are looking for a nearby service or provider.
Transactional Searches
Where users are searching for a specific product with a clear intention to purchase, search advertising can help capture that existing demand.
When Should You Use Display Ads?
Display advertising can be particularly useful when your objectives extend beyond immediate conversions.
Building Brand Awareness
Display ads can introduce your business to people who may not yet know about your brand.
Reaching New Audiences
Display campaigns can use audience targeting and contextual signals to reach relevant users across the Google Display Network.
Remarketing
Display ads can help reconnect with users who have already visited your website but did not convert.
Supporting The Wider Customer Journey
Not every customer converts after their first interaction with a brand. Display advertising can help maintain visibility while potential customers research their options.
Can You Use Search And Display Ads Together?
Yes. In fact, combining search and display ads can create a more comprehensive advertising strategy.
Search can capture users who are already demonstrating intent, while display can help generate awareness and remain visible throughout the customer journey.
For example:
1. Awareness: A potential customer sees a display ad.
2. Research: They later search for the product or service.
3. Consideration: They compare different providers.
4. Conversion: They click a search ad and complete an enquiry or purchase.
This approach allows businesses to support different stages of the marketing and sales funnel rather than relying on one ad type.
However, campaigns should still have clear objectives and appropriate targeting. Simply running both types of paid ads does not guarantee better results.
Google Display Ads Vs Search Ads: Cost
The cost of display vs search ads can vary significantly depending on the industry, audience, competition, campaign settings and advertising objectives.
Search advertising commonly uses a cost-per-click model, meaning advertisers pay when someone clicks their ad.
Display campaigns can also use different bidding approaches, including models based around impressions. Cost per thousand impressions (CPM), for example, measures the cost of receiving 1,000 impressions.
This means comparing the two purely on cost per click can be misleading.
Search ads may have a higher cost per click because they can capture users with strong commercial intent. Display ads may generate cheaper exposure but reach users who are earlier in the buying journey.
The more useful question is therefore not simply “Which is cheaper?”, but “Which generates the right outcome for my business?”
Search Ads Vs Display Ads: Which Is Better?
There is no universal winner when comparing search ads vs display.
Search advertising is generally better suited to capturing existing demand and reaching users with a relevant query and stronger intent.
Display advertising is generally better suited to generating awareness, reaching new audiences and supporting the wider customer journey through visual advertising.
Your choice should depend on factors including:
- Your target audience
- Your advertising objectives
- Your sales funnel
- Existing search demand
- Your budget and ad spend
- Your creative assets
- Your landing pages
- Your customer journey
- Your wider marketing strategy
For many businesses, the most effective approach is not choosing between the two, but understanding how search and display ads can work together.
Build A Smarter Google Ads Strategy With DNRG
Understanding Google Display Ads vs Search Ads is only the starting point. The real value comes from knowing how to structure, target and optimise paid campaigns around your business objectives.
At DNRG, we create data-led PPC and Google Ads strategies designed around your audience, customer journey and commercial goals. From high-intent search campaigns to display advertising and wider digital marketing activity, we can help you identify where your budget is most likely to make an impact.
Whether you want to capture more high-intent traffic, build brand awareness or create a joined-up paid advertising strategy, our team can help.
Ready to make more of your Google Ads account? Speak to DNRG about your PPC strategy.
