Research for a client who owns used car dealerships show that people who visit his website also visit certain popular car blogs.
Correct Answer
Placements
Why is this the correct answer?
Placements are the right targeting method when research shows your target audience visits specific websites. In this scenario, the used car dealer knows his potential customers visit popular car blogs, making placements the ideal tool. Placements allow advertisers to manually select specific websites, apps, or pages on the Google Display Network where ads will appear. Unlike topics or keywords which cast a wider net, placements give precise control over exactly which car blog URLs show the ads, ensuring budget reaches the most relevant audience.
Why are the other options incorrect?
Remarketing
Remarketing targets people who have already visited the client's website — it would not help reach new audiences on car blogs who have not yet visited the dealership site.
Keywords
Keywords on the Display Network target pages containing those words, but this is less precise than placements — the ads could appear on unrelated pages that happen to mention car-related terms.
Topics
Topics targeting shows ads across a broad category of websites, not on specific blogs. This would dilute spend across many irrelevant sites beyond the known car blogs.
Real-World Example
A used car dealership in Manchester knows customers research on AutoTrader, PistonHeads, and Car Magazine before buying. Using placements targeting, they serve display ads directly on these three sites, achieving a 4.1% CTR and 18% lower CPA compared to topic-based targeting.