Responsive display ads

Responsive display ads (RDAs) are the default ad format in Google's display network, in which the advertiser supplies a set of separate assets — headlines, descriptions, images and logos — and the system assembles finished ads from them. Rather than designing dozens of banners in different sizes, you hand over the raw assets and Google automatically adapts their layout, size and format to the specific ad slot on the publisher's page.

How the format works

The key here is machine-learning-driven automation. Once your assets are uploaded, Google's algorithm tests different combinations of elements and serves the ones most likely to earn a click or conversion in a given context. The ad may appear as a graphic banner, a native ad blended into the site's content or a simple text layout, depending on the placement across the Google Display Network. Responsive display ads:

• automatically scale to almost any available format and device,
• reach further than static banners because they fit more placements,
• are optimised in real time toward the best-performing combinations,
• lower creative production costs by removing the need to hand-design many dimensions.

Responsive display ads in practice

The format is used in campaigns that build reach and brand awareness across the display network, as well as in remarketing aimed at people who have already visited a site. Best practices include supplying many varied, high-quality images and headlines, avoiding text baked into images, and pairing the format with geotargeting. Performance is judged by metrics such as conversion count, cost per conversion and ROAS, the return on ad spend.