Google Display ads are the digital equivalent of a billboard on the Story Bridge, but much smarter. Instead of showing your message to everyone, these ads follow your potential customers across millions of websites, news apps, and Gmail, keeping your Brisbane business top-of-mind exactly when they are ready to buy.
While Search ads capture people looking for you right now, Display ads create the demand in the first place. If you’ve ever felt like a certain brand is "following you around" the internet after you visited their site, you’ve seen the power of the Display Network. In this guide, we’ll show you how to set this up without wasting your budget on junk traffic.
Prerequisites: What You’ll Need Before Starting
Before we dive into the Google Ads dashboard, make sure you have these ready:- A Google Ads Account: Set up with your Australian Business Number (ABN) and valid billing details.
- High-Quality Imagery: At least 3-5 landscape and square images (no blurry smartphone snaps, please!).
- Your Logo: In square and landscape formats.
- A Clear Offer: What do you want them to do? (e.g., "Get a Free Quote," "Book a Consultation," or "Shop our New Spring Collection").
- Google Tag Manager/Analytics: Ideally, you should have conversion tracking set up so you know which ads actually lead to phone calls or sales.
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Step 1: Start a New Campaign
Log into your Google Ads account. You’ll see a big blue plus (+) button or a "Create" button. Click that and select Campaign. What you'll see: Google will ask, "What’s your campaign objective?" Pro tip from experience: Google loves to push "Brand Awareness and Reach," but for most Australian small businesses, I recommend choosing "Sales" or "Leads." This tells Google's AI to look for people likely to take action, rather than just people who have eyes. If you aren't sure, select "Create a campaign without a goal's guidance" to get full control over your settings.Select Display as your campaign type.
Step 2: Campaign Settings (The Budget Drainers)
This is where most people get stuck, and honestly, the interface doesn't help because it hides the most important settings under "More Settings." Campaign Name: Name it something logical like "Display - Retargeting - Brisbane Metro - [Date]"*.- Locations: Don't just leave this as "Australia." If you're a plumber in Chermside, you don't want to pay for clicks in Perth. Select "Enter another location" and type in "Brisbane" or specific postcodes.
- Location Options: Click the tiny blue text that says "Location options." Change it from "Presence or interest" to "Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations." This prevents your ads from showing to people in Sydney who are just searching for Brisbane news.
- Languages: Set this to English.
Step 3: Setting Your Budget and Bidding
How much should you spend? For a local Brisbane business, starting with $10–$20 a day is a safe way to test the waters. Bidding Strategy: This is the trickiest part. Google will likely default to "Maximize Conversions." If you have conversion tracking set up (highly recommended!), leave it on this. If you are brand new and have no data, you might start with "Maximize Clicks" just to get some traffic flowing, but keep a very close eye on it.Warning: Avoid "Viewable CPM" unless you are a massive brand like Woolies. You want clicks and actions, not just to pay for your ad to exist on a screen.
Step 4: Targeting - Who Sees Your Ads?
This is the "secret sauce." You have three main ways to target people:- Remarketing (The Gold Mine): Showing ads to people who have already visited your website. This is almost always your most profitable audience.
- In-Market Audiences: People Google knows are actively researching products like yours (e.g., "People in-market for Home Improvement").
- Custom Segments: You can tell Google to show ads to people who have searched for your competitors' names or specific keywords on Google Search. This is incredibly powerful.
Step 5: Content Exclusions (Saving your Brand)
By default, Google might show your professional business ad inside a toddler's YouTube gaming channel or on a website with sensitive content.Go to Campaign Settings > Additional Settings > Content Exclusions. Tick the boxes for:
- Sensory content
- Tragedy and conflict
- Sensitive social issues
- Digital Content Label: Uncheck "DL-MA" (Mature audiences) if that doesn't fit your brand.
Step 6: Creating the "Responsive Display Ad"
This is where you actually build the ad. Google uses "Responsive" ads, meaning you give them the ingredients, and they mix them together to fit any space on the web. The Ingredients:- Images: Upload up to 15. Use real photos of your Brisbane team or your work. Stock photos of people shaking hands in American-looking offices usually perform poorly here.
- Logos: Upload your square and rectangular logo.
- Descriptions (up to 5): Expand on your offer. Mention local pride, warranties, or specific benefits.
Step 7: Review and Launch
Google will run a quick check to see if you've missed anything. It might give you a "Campaign Strength" score. Don't obsess over getting a "Perfect" score—Google often gives a higher score if you spend more money or use their automated settings which might not be right for you.Check your location settings one last time, hit Publish, and you're live!
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Common Mistakes to Avoid
- The "Mobile App" Trap: By default, your ads will show inside mobile games (like Candy Crush). This usually results in accidental clicks from kids. If you notice your bounce rate is 99%, go to "Exclusions" and exclude all "Mobile App" categories.
- Too Much Text in Images: Google prefers clean images. If your image is 80% text, it will likely be rejected or perform poorly.
- Weak Call to Action: Don't just say "Click Here." Use "Get My Free Guide," "Book Online," or "See Our Work."
Troubleshooting
- Ad is "Under Review": This usually takes 24–48 hours. If it's been longer, check if your images violate any policies (like showing too much skin or mentioning "Click here" in the actual image).
- Getting Impressions but No Clicks: Your images are likely boring or your offer isn't compelling enough. Try changing the main image to something high-contrast or more "local."
- Spending Money Too Fast: Check your bidding strategy. If you're on "Maximize Clicks," set a "Maximum CPC bid limit" to ensure you aren't paying $5 for a display click that should cost 50 cents.
Next Steps
Once your ads have been running for 7 days, it's time to look at the data. Check the "Where ads showed" report. If you see your ad appeared on a website that looks dodgy or irrelevant, you can exclude that specific site.Setting up Display ads can be fiddly, but once they are dialed in, they act like a 24/7 salesperson for your business. If you'd rather have the experts at Local Marketing Group handle the technical heavy lifting and creative strategy for you, we're here to help.
Ready to scale your Brisbane business? Contact our team today for a strategy session.