Google Ads vs AdSense: Features Summary and Comparison

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Even just hearing Google Ads vs AdSense can be confusing. After all, they are both Google services. They both have similar names. And they are both related to advertising.

But what exactly are they, and how do they differ? On paper, it’s pretty easy to mix them up. And even if you have managed WordPress, database, and application hosting like what we offer here at Kinsta , you’re still going to have to figure out how to use these platforms on your own.

To avoid confusion, we'll define Google Ads and Google AdSense, offer direct comparisons between the features of these advertising platforms, and discuss who they're for and how they work.

Let's get started!


What is Google Ads?
Google Ads homepage with a headline reading “Reach new customers online with Google Ads” followed by a blurb that says, “Be seen where your customers are searching, browsing, and watching across Google Search, YouTube, and the web. Get the most of your marketing budget with automated solutions from Google Ads.” To the right of this text is a mobile phone overlaid with a Google search result for the phrase, “office supplies.”
Google Ads Home Page
Google Ads (formerly called Google AdWords ) is a service where advertisers bid to place ads on search engine results pages (SERPs) or the Google Display Network (GDN) to drive traffic to their websites.

According to W3Techs , 98.4% of websites that belong to a known advertising network use Google Ads, which is 46.1% of all websites.

Ads in the SERP are text-based and typically appear above Google’s primary search results for a keyword phrase. For example, we searched for the phrase “web design,” and the following Google ads appeared in the search results:


How Google Ads Appear in SERPs
Instead, GDN ads appear on websites, apps, and anywhere else Google ads appear.

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What makes it an attractive option for advertisers and digital marketers is the way it can show your ads to highly targeted potential customers, and at the perfect time.

Additionally, display ad campaigns reach 35 million websites, apps, and Google properties like YouTube.

These ads can help you find new customers or engage with existing ones by exploring new audience segments. The system is designed to encourage more clicks and conversions through an automated targeting process.

Automated targeting finds audience segments that are performing well and sends your ads to them when the system determines they are in the right phase of the sales funnel. You can also set a variety of goals, including:

Boosting sales
Increase leads
Boost website traffic
Create brand awareness
The system is based on machine learning to achieve better canada whatsapp number data campaign results.

Additionally, automated bidding adjusts the bid for your ads to appear on the GDN to stay within your predetermined budget and maximize your conversion rate.

What is Google AdSense?
Website owners can place ads on their websites, apps, and other spaces with an AdSense account. You can designate specific areas or web pages on your website as advertising space.

Publishers receive a commission in exchange for advertising space and displaying AdSense ads. This ties directly into what we discussed earlier about Google Ads: Website owners and publishers are also part of the Google Display Network. So it is these spaces on a publisher’s website that advertisers bid on within Google Ads.

The Google AdSense program is one of the primary ways bloggers monetize their websites and is often implemented in conjunction with affiliate marketing campaigns to diversify revenue streams.

There are a multitude of ad campaign display options available to publishers. Let’s look at some of the most popular options, as well as the numerous ad types available to publisher websites.