MTA vs. MMM: Which Marketing Measurement Model is Right for You?
MTA vs. MMM: Understand the differences, strengths, and weaknesses of each marketing measurement model to choose the right one for your business.
Nitin Mahajan
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December 29, 2025
Tired of ads that miss the mark? Let's talk about making your display ads hit home. We're diving into display ads based on keywords or image tags, which is a really smart way to get your message in front of the right people. It's not just about hoping someone stumbles upon your ad; it's about putting it where they're already looking or where their interests lie. This approach can make a big difference in how many people actually pay attention to what you're selling.
Display ads are different from search ads. Search ads wait for people to type in what they want. Display ads, on the other hand, go out and find people who might be interested. Think of it like this: search ads are like a store waiting for customers to walk in, while display ads are like a sales team actively looking for the right people, wherever they might be online. The Google Display Network is huge, reaching most internet users across millions of websites and apps. This gives you a big chance to connect with potential customers at different points in their buying journey.
This approach allows you to introduce your brand to people before they even realize they need your product or service, effectively creating demand. It's a way to get your message in front of the right eyes, even when they aren't actively searching for you.
While search ads are great for capturing people who are already looking to buy, display ads help build awareness and keep your brand in mind. They work by showing your ads next to content that's related to what you offer. For example, if you sell running shoes, your ads might show up on a fitness blog or a sports news site. This means your ads appear when people are already thinking about related topics, making them more likely to pay attention. It's about being present and relevant when it matters.
It's easy to get display ads and search ads mixed up, but they really serve different purposes. Judging display campaigns by search campaign standards just doesn't work. Display campaigns often have longer paths to a sale and need different ways to measure success. They're not about immediate purchases; they're about building interest and guiding people toward a decision over time. Using both types of advertising together can make your whole marketing plan stronger. Search ads grab immediate sales, and display ads build up interest and get people thinking about your brand.
Display targeting is about reaching people based on who they are, what they're interested in, and where they spend their time online. It's a proactive way to connect with potential customers, building brand awareness and driving interest long before they might search for your specific product or service.
So, you've got your display ad campaigns set up, but are they really hitting the mark? Sometimes, just showing an ad to a lot of people isn't enough. You need to show it to the right people, at the right time. That's where keywords come into play for display ads. It’s not just for search anymore; keywords can actually help your display ads find their audience.
Think of it like this: when you're browsing a website about, say, hiking gear, and you suddenly see an ad for a new brand of waterproof boots, that's keyword targeting in action. The system noticed the words on the page – "hiking," "boots," "outdoors" – and decided those words were a good match for the advertiser's keywords. This contextual approach ensures your ads appear alongside content that’s relevant to what you’re selling. It’s about matching the ad to the topic, not just the person.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how it generally works:
Adding keywords to your display strategy isn't just about picking a few popular terms. You need to be smart about it. Start by thinking about what your ideal customer would be searching for or reading about online. If you sell artisanal coffee beans, keywords like "specialty coffee," "pour-over coffee," or even "coffee brewing methods" could be good starting points. You can also use category targeting, which is similar but uses broader themes like "food and drink" or "home goods." This helps you reach people interested in those topics.
It’s also important to balance your keyword choices. Using only very broad keywords might put your ads on pages that aren't quite right, while super-specific ones might limit your reach too much. Finding that sweet spot is where the magic happens. You can explore different keyword options and see what works best for your digital marketing skills.
Once your keywords are out there, the job isn't done. You have to keep an eye on how they're doing. Are they bringing in people who actually click and, more importantly, convert? You might find that some keywords are performing way better than others. It’s a good idea to adjust your bids based on this. Maybe you bid higher for keywords that are leading to sales and lower for those that aren't getting much traction.
Regularly checking your keyword performance is like tuning up a car. You want to make sure everything is running smoothly and efficiently. Small adjustments can make a big difference in how many of the right people you reach and how much you spend to get them.
Here’s a simple way to think about optimization:
Think about scrolling through your favorite social media feed or browsing a news site. What catches your eye? Often, it's the images. Display ads that use visuals relevant to the content a user is currently looking at can really grab attention. This is where image tags come into play, acting like a secret handshake between your ad and the user's current interest.
Image tagging is basically the process of adding descriptive labels or keywords to images. For advertisers, this means that when a website or platform uses images, those images can be 'read' and understood by ad systems. If an image on a travel blog shows a sunny beach, and it's tagged with 'beach,' 'vacation,' or 'tropical,' your ad for swimwear or sunscreen could potentially show up right there. It's about making sure your ad appears when the visual context is just right.
The goal is to connect your ad's visual message with the user's current visual environment.
This type of targeting goes beyond just keywords. Instead of guessing what someone might be searching for, you're showing them an ad based on what they are looking at right now. If someone is viewing an article with pictures of delicious-looking pasta, an ad for a local Italian restaurant or a gourmet pasta sauce could be a perfect fit. It feels less intrusive because it's directly related to the visual information they're consuming.
Here's a simple breakdown:
This method taps into a user's immediate interest, making the ad feel more like a helpful suggestion than an interruption. It's a way to be present at the moment of inspiration or need, driven by what the user is visually engaged with.
Using image tags for display ads offers some pretty neat advantages. For starters, it can lead to higher engagement rates because the ad is so relevant to what the user is seeing. People are more likely to click on an ad that visually complements their current experience. Plus, it helps avoid placing your ads in inappropriate visual contexts, which can sometimes happen with keyword targeting alone. It's a way to ensure your brand is associated with the right kind of imagery, making your advertising feel more natural and less jarring.
So, you've got the basics down for keyword and image tag targeting. That's great! But to really make your display ads sing, you need to get a bit more sophisticated. It's not just about who might be interested; it's about reaching the exact right person at the exact right moment. This is where we move beyond simple targeting and start building really smart campaigns.
Think of audience layering like putting on multiple pairs of glasses, each with a different prescription, to see something with incredible clarity. Instead of just targeting people interested in "hiking gear," you can layer that with "lives in Colorado" AND "recently searched for "national park permits." This creates a super-specific group that's much more likely to be in the market for what you're selling. It’s about stacking targeting criteria to narrow down your audience to the most qualified prospects. This means less wasted ad spend and a much higher chance of a conversion.
Ever wanted to try out a new targeting idea but were scared it would tank your campaign performance? That's where observation mode comes in handy. It's like a test kitchen for your ad targeting. You can add new audience segments or targeting criteria to your campaign, and instead of only showing ads to that new group (which could limit your reach), your ads will still show to your existing audience. The platform then just tracks how that new group performs separately. This lets you gather data and see if a new targeting approach is worth pursuing without risking your current campaign's success. It’s a safe way to experiment and find new, high-performing audience segments.
This is where things get really interesting. You don't have to stick to just one type of targeting. For example, you could start with a broad audience based on interests (like "fitness enthusiasts") and then layer on remarketing to people who visited your website but didn't buy. Or, you might use keyword targeting for people actively searching for solutions you offer, and then use image tag targeting on sites where visually similar products are being discussed. The trick is to understand how these different methods can work together. You might even exclude people who have already purchased from you from your acquisition campaigns, or exclude audiences that have shown no interest from your remarketing efforts. This strategic combination helps you reach more of the right people while avoiding budget waste.
The real magic happens when you stop thinking of targeting methods as separate tools and start seeing them as building blocks. Each block adds a layer of precision, and by combining them thoughtfully, you can construct campaigns that are both incredibly specific and broad enough to achieve significant scale. It’s about building a finely tuned machine, not just throwing darts at a board.
So, you've put together some slick display ads, right? Maybe you're targeting folks based on keywords they've searched or images they've looked at. That's great, but how do you know if it's actually working? It's not enough to just launch a campaign and hope for the best. You've got to track things.
When we talk about display ads, the usual suspects like clicks and impressions are important, sure. But display campaigns often play a longer game, building awareness and influencing decisions before a user even clicks. So, we need to look a bit deeper.
Here are some of the main things to keep an eye on:
It’s really about understanding which ads are getting seen, which ones are getting clicked, and most importantly, which ones are leading to actual business results. You can check out Demandbase campaign metrics to get a better handle on this.
This is where display advertising gets interesting. A view-through conversion happens when someone sees your ad but doesn't click it, yet later goes on to convert on your website. Think about it: they saw your ad, it stuck in their mind, and when they were ready, they came to you. Display ads can work their magic even without an immediate click.
Display ads often work in the background, influencing decisions over time. They might not be the last touchpoint before a sale, but they can be a significant part of the journey that gets a customer to your door. Ignoring this indirect influence means you're likely underestimating your campaign's true impact.
Tracking these is a bit trickier than direct clicks, but many ad platforms offer ways to measure them. It gives you a more complete picture of how your ads are affecting customer behavior.
Attribution is all about figuring out which marketing efforts get credit for a conversion. With display ads, this is super important because, as we just talked about, they might not be the final click. Someone might see your display ad, then later click a search ad, and then buy. What gets the credit?
Different attribution models exist, like first-click, last-click, or data-driven models. For display campaigns, using a model that considers multiple touchpoints, like a data-driven approach, is often best. This helps you understand the full role your display ads play in the customer's path to purchase, not just if they were the last thing they saw. It helps you see the whole story, not just the ending.
Running display ads isn't a 'set it and forget it' kind of deal. You really have to keep an eye on things. Think of it like tending a garden; you water it, pull weeds, and sometimes you need to move things around to get more sun. The same goes for your ad campaigns. You need to look at the numbers regularly, see what's working, and what's not. This isn't just about tweaking things randomly; it's about making smart adjustments based on actual performance data. The goal is to make every dollar you spend work as hard as possible.
Platforms often give you reports that break down how different groups of people are responding to your ads. It’s pretty neat, actually. You can see if your ads are hitting the mark with younger folks, older folks, people in a certain city, or those interested in specific hobbies. This information is gold. It tells you where to put more money and where you might be wasting it.
Here’s a quick look at what you might find:
Once you know which audience segments are really responding well, you can get more granular with your bidding. Instead of having one bid for everyone, you can tell the ad platform to bid a bit higher for those valuable groups. This means you're willing to pay a little more to get in front of people who are more likely to become customers.
It’s about being smart with your money. If you know that people aged 25-34 in California who are interested in hiking are way more likely to buy your product than, say, 18-year-olds in Florida who like video games, you adjust your bids accordingly. You don't want to overpay for clicks that are unlikely to lead to a sale.
This kind of fine-tuning helps you get more bang for your buck. You’re not just throwing money at the wall; you’re strategically placing it where it’s most likely to yield results. It takes a bit of effort, but the payoff in terms of better campaign performance and a healthier return on investment is usually well worth it.
So, we've talked about how display ads can really change the game for finding new customers. Instead of just waiting around for someone to type in what you sell, you can actually go out and find them. Whether it's by matching keywords on a page or using image tags, you're getting your ads in front of people who are likely interested. It's about being smart with your targeting, mixing and matching different approaches to really nail down who you want to reach. Don't be afraid to experiment, especially with tools like observation mode, to see what works best for your specific goals. When you get it right, display ads can be a powerful way to build awareness and bring in new business.
Think of search ads like catching people who are already looking for something specific, like when they type a question into Google. Display ads are more like introducing your brand to people who might be interested, even if they aren't searching for it right now. They show up on websites and apps while people are doing other things.
When you use keywords for display ads, your ads show up on web pages that have content related to those words. For example, if you sell running shoes and use the keyword 'running,' your ads might appear on articles about marathon training or fitness blogs.
Image tags are like labels that describe what's in a picture. When ads use image tags, they can show up on websites that feature images similar to those tags. So, if you have an ad for a beach vacation, image tags could help it appear on travel blogs with photos of beaches.
Absolutely! You can mix and match targeting options to get super specific. For instance, you could target people who are interested in hiking (an interest) and also show your ads on websites about national parks (contextual targeting).
Observation Mode lets you test out new targeting ideas without changing your current ad setup. It's like trying on a new outfit before you buy it. You can see how a new audience or keyword might perform without risking your campaign's success.
You'll want to look at things like how many people click your ads (Click-Through Rate) and if those clicks lead to sales or sign-ups (Conversions). For display ads, it's also important to consider 'View-Through Conversions,' which means someone saw your ad and then later bought something, even if they didn't click the ad first.
