On this page
Why it matters
Display reaches people while they read or play, not while they search. It can build awareness and bring back past visitors, but it converts very differently from Search.
It is ticked by default when a Search campaign is created, which mixes Display clicks into Search numbers and quietly spends on apps and sites nobody chose. Since June 2026 Google moves Display campaigns into Demand Gen, where the Display Network is one channel next to YouTube, Discover and Gmail. New standalone Display campaigns stop in January 2027.
Where to find it in Google Ads
- Open a Search campaign, then Settings, then Networks, to see if Display is ticked.
- Open Insights and reports, then When and where ads showed, on the Where ads showed tab, to see the sites and apps that took money.
- Open Audiences, keywords and content, then Content, then Exclusions, to exclude placements, topics and content types.
- Segment by Network to separate Display results from Search.
An example
A Search campaign with Display ticked shows a cost per conversion twice what the team expected. Segmenting by network shows Search converting well and Display clicks from mobile games converting not at all.
Common mistakes
- Leaving Display ticked in Search campaigns.
- Running Display without placement or app exclusions.
- Comparing Display click-through rate with Search.
Checks that look at it
The audit checks Oppy runs on this, each with its own page.
Related terms
- Placement: A website, app or YouTube channel where a Display or Video ad showed.
- Frequency cap: A limit on how many times one person sees a Display or Video ad in a period.
- Search Partners: Sites outside Google that show Google search ads, such as other search engines and site search boxes.
- Responsive display ad: A Display ad Google assembles from your images, logos, headlines and descriptions to fit each slot.