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Google Ads vs Outbrain: What are the differences?
Target Audience: One key difference between Google Ads and Outbrain is the target audience they cater to. Google Ads primarily focuses on reaching a wider audience and has a larger reach compared to Outbrain. It allows advertisers to target their ads based on keywords, demographics, location, and interests, among other factors. On the other hand, Outbrain specializes in native advertising and focuses on reaching engaged audiences within premium publishers, targeting readers who are already consuming content related to the advertiser's offering.
Ad Placement: Another important distinction between Google Ads and Outbrain is the placement of ads. Google Ads primarily operates through the Google Search Network, displaying ads in search engine results pages. Additionally, Google Ads also offers display advertising options across various websites and apps. On the contrary, Outbrain serves ads as native content recommendations on publisher websites, including popular news sites, blogs, and other content platforms.
Ad Format and Creatives: Google Ads and Outbrain also differ in terms of ad format and creatives. Google Ads offers a wide range of formats, including text ads, image ads, video ads, and responsive ads that adapt to different screen sizes. It also provides options for interactive ads with features like product carousels or lead forms. In contrast, Outbrain typically serves native ads with recommended content thumbnails, headlines, and descriptions that blend in naturally with the publisher's site design, ensuring a non-disruptive user experience.
Bidding and Pricing Model: Bidding and pricing models vary between Google Ads and Outbrain. Google Ads operates on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, where advertisers pay when users click on their ads. Advertisers can set maximum bids and budgets to control their costs. On the other hand, Outbrain primarily employs a cost-per-click (CPC) model as well but also offers alternative pricing models like cost-per-engagement (CPE) or cost-per-view (CPV) depending on the campaign objectives.
Campaign Objectives and Reach: Google Ads and Outbrain also differ in terms of campaign objectives and reach. While Google Ads can be used for various objectives such as driving website traffic, increasing brand awareness, or achieving conversions, Outbrain is typically used for content discovery and native advertising campaigns, aiming to increase engagement, time on site, or newsletter sign-ups. Google Ads offers broader reach due to its extensive network, while Outbrain is more suited for targeted campaigns on specific publisher sites.
Platform and Reporting Tools: The platforms and reporting tools provided by Google Ads and Outbrain exhibit notable differences. Google Ads offers a comprehensive platform for campaign creation, ad management, and performance tracking, with powerful analytics and reporting features. On the other hand, Outbrain provides a user-friendly platform specifically designed for native advertising campaigns, offering insights into viewability, engagement, and conversion metrics within their network of publishers.
In Summary, Google Ads and Outbrain differ in terms of their target audience, ad placement, ad format, bidding and pricing models, campaign objectives and reach, as well as the platforms and reporting tools they provide for advertisers.
