HTML5 display advertising creative example for Google Ads campaigns

What are Google ads?

Google Ads and the wider Google Marketing Platform power a large share of digital display advertising, covering trafficking, creative management and performance tracking. At Banner Squad, we’re digital display specialists who build HTML5 ads for Google’s ad platforms, using Google Web Designer and full validation to ensure creatives meet specs and perform reliably at scale.

Start a project

Laptop displaying Google Ads banner placements on a webpage

Graphic labelled “Standard Display Ads” with image placeholder and cursor icon

DCM (Standard Media)

DCM, short for DoubleClick Campaign Manager, is part of Google’s DoubleClick Suite. It hosts ad creatives and records metrics and performance indicators. Standard builds within DCM cannot include video and are limited in file size, usually ranging from 150KB to 300KB. Hosting creatives on DCM involves uploading ZIP files containing ad units, images, CSS, JS, and other relevant files. It’s crucial to ensure media agencies have the necessary access for trafficking units.

The HTML Validator tool from Google checks DCM creatives, providing a quality assessment of HTML, click tags, assets, and potential issues. DCM units are standard, excluding video. Examples include animated banners and standard media.

Graphic labelled “Rich Media” with video play icon and cursor

DC Studio (Rich Media)

DCS, or Studio, is a system for dealing with more robust creatives, classified as dynamic or rich media builds. These builds start at 200KB and can go up to around 2.2MB. DCS builds, whether dynamic or rich media, undergo a quality assurance process called DC QA after uploading. Dynamic campaigns, comprising hundreds of ads, generate variations based on a master unit and animation style.

For dynamic creatives, assets like a master HTML file, Studio profile, Profile field, and Dynamic feed may be necessary. Examples of DCS builds include rich media banners with dynamic features.

Google Ads, with its 80% market share, stands as the undisputed leader in digital display advertising. As a versatile platform encompassing Adwords, DFP, DCM, and DCS, Google Ads offers a comprehensive solution for publishers and advertisers alike. From standard media to rich media, Google Ads provides a dynamic and robust framework for creative campaigns. With a meticulous technical breakdown and HTML validation, Banner Squad simplifies the complexities, ensuring precise campaigns. Elevating creativity, our insights guide the creation of compelling banners, videos, and dynamic content.

Start a project