Home › Google Ads Course › Display, Video & Demand Gen

Google Display Ads (GDN): What They Are & the 2026 Move to Demand Gen

Image ads across 2 million-plus sites and apps — how the Display Network works, where it earns its keep, and how it’s moving into Demand Gen.

VDBy Vikas Disale·8 min read

Quick answer

Google Display ads are image and banner ads shown across the Google Display Network — over 2 million sites, apps and videos — rather than on search results. They target by audience and placement, and earn their keep mostly in awareness and remarketing. In 2026, standalone Display campaigns are moving into Demand Gen via a migration tool; you can still run GDN-only, but you build it inside the Demand Gen workflow now.

📢

2026 updateGoogle is retiring standalone Display campaigns. From June 2026 a migration tool moves your Display campaigns into GDN on Demand Gen, and new standalone Display campaigns will eventually be unavailable. You can still serve GDN-only — you just build and manage it inside Demand Gen now.

1What Display ads are

Image ads across the web, not the search page

Display ads are the image and banner ads you see on websites, apps and YouTube — not on the search results page. They run on the Google Display Network (GDN), which reaches across more than 2 million sites, videos and apps. Where Search captures people looking for you, Display puts you in front of people while they browse.

2How Display works

Audiences and placements, mostly upper funnel

Because there’s no search query to match, Display targets by who people are and where they are — audiences (in-market, affinity, your remarketing lists) and placements (specific sites or topics). Most of its value is in awareness and remarketing: cheap impressions to build recognition, and re-reaching people who already visited you.

💡

Display’s sweet spotFor most small businesses, Display earns its keep as a remarketing channel — quietly following up with people who didn’t convert the first time — rather than cold prospecting.

3The 2026 move to Demand Gen

Same inventory, new home

The big change: standalone Display campaigns are being folded into Demand Gen. The GDN inventory and reach don’t go away — you can still run Display-only — but you build and manage it inside the Demand Gen workflow, which adds video formats, Lookalike segments and better reporting.

⚠️

Don’t lose your exclusionsIf you’ve spent years pruning junk placements (low-quality apps, parked domains), review how those exclusions and brand-safety controls carry over after migration — clean GDN traffic still matters.

4Making Display work

Creative, frequency, and hygiene

Responsive display ads: supply several images, headlines and descriptions; Google assembles them to fit each placement.
Frequency caps: stop showing the same person your banner dozens of times a day.
Placement & content exclusions: keep your ads off irrelevant or low-quality inventory.
Strong remarketing lists: Display works hardest re-engaging warm audiences.

Key takeaways

Display ads are image/banner ads across 2M+ sites and apps on the GDN.
They target by audience and placement, not by search query.
Their strongest use for most businesses is remarketing, not cold prospecting.
In 2026, standalone Display campaigns are moving into Demand Gen.
Use responsive display ads, frequency caps, and placement exclusions to stay efficient.

?Frequently asked

Display ad FAQs

What are Google Display ads?

Image and banner ads shown across the Google Display Network of over 2 million sites, apps and videos, rather than on the search results page.

What is the Google Display Network?

Google’s network of more than 2 million websites, apps and videos where your image ads can appear, reaching people as they browse rather than search.

What is Display best used for?

Awareness and remarketing. For most small businesses, Display works hardest as a remarketing channel, re-engaging people who already visited but didn’t convert.

Are Google Display campaigns going away?

Standalone Display campaigns are being retired into Demand Gen in 2026. The Display Network inventory remains, but you build and manage it inside the Demand Gen workflow.

What are responsive display ads?

Ads where you supply several images, headlines and descriptions, and Google automatically assembles the best combination to fit each placement.

How do I stop my Display ads showing on bad sites?

Use placement and content exclusions to keep your ads off low-quality or irrelevant inventory, and review these carefully when campaigns migrate to Demand Gen.

→Keep learning

Related lessons

Vikas Disale

Author · Digital Marketing

Vikas Disale is a digital marketer with around a decade of hands-on experience running and teaching paid search. He builds practical, example-led Google Ads training for business owners and marketers. More about Vikas →

Running Display and not sure about the migration?

The move to Demand Gen changes how Display is managed. I can help you migrate without losing your exclusions or performance.

Get in touch →