Google Discovery Ads Guide: Feed Advertising for 2026

What Are Google Discovery Ads

Google Discovery Ads are visually rich, feed-based ad formats that appear across Google’s owned-and-operated properties. Unlike search ads that respond to explicit queries, Google Discovery Ads surface content to users who are browsing, scrolling, or catching up on interests — making them an intent-driven alternative to traditional display prospecting.

Google rebranded Discovery campaigns as “Demand Gen” campaigns in late 2023, though the underlying placements and mechanics remain largely the same. Throughout this guide, we use both terms interchangeably, as many advertisers still search for the original name.

The core premise is straightforward. Google uses its understanding of user behaviour — search history, YouTube watch patterns, app usage — to place your ads in front of people who are likely to be interested, even though they have not searched for your product or service at that exact moment. This makes Discovery Ads a mid-funnel tool: warmer than cold display prospecting, but broader than search.

For businesses in Singapore running Google Ads campaigns, Discovery Ads fill the gap between awareness and conversion. They let you reach users at scale while maintaining the visual quality of social media advertising — all within Google’s ecosystem.

Where Discovery Ads Appear

Discovery Ads serve across three main placements, each with its own user context and engagement pattern.

Google Discover Feed

The Discover feed is the content stream that appears on the Google app home screen and on the mobile browser’s new tab page. Users scroll through a personalised mix of news articles, blog posts, and product recommendations. Your ad appears natively within this feed, styled to match organic content cards. In Singapore, Discover usage is high given the prevalence of Android devices and Google app adoption.

YouTube Home and Watch Next

Discovery Ads appear on the YouTube home feed and in the “Watch Next” recommendations below a video. These are not the skippable in-stream ads you see before a video plays — they sit within the browsing interface itself. This placement captures users in exploration mode, making it effective for brand introduction.

Gmail Promotions and Social Tabs

Ads appear at the top of the Gmail Promotions tab, expanding into a full email-like experience when clicked. While this placement reaches fewer users than Discover or YouTube, it tends to attract higher-intent clicks because users are already in a reading mindset.

You cannot select individual placements — Google distributes your budget across all three based on where it predicts the best performance. This lack of placement-level control is a trade-off: you get broader reach, but less granularity than running separate campaigns for each surface. If you need placement-specific control, display advertising offers more options.

Creative Requirements and Best Practices

Discovery Ads come in two formats: single-image ads and carousel ads. Both are assembled from assets you upload, with Google optimising combinations automatically.

Single-Image Discovery Ads

For single-image ads, you need the following assets:

  • Headlines: Up to five, each a maximum of 40 characters
  • Descriptions: Up to five, each a maximum of 90 characters
  • Images: Up to 15 images in landscape (1.91:1), square (1:1), and portrait (4:5) aspect ratios
  • Logo: At least one square logo (1:1), recommended 1200 x 1200 pixels
  • Business name: Up to 25 characters
  • Call to action: Automated or selected from a preset list

Carousel Discovery Ads

Carousel ads let you show two to ten cards that users swipe through. Each card has its own image, headline, and landing page URL. This format works well for showcasing product ranges, service tiers, or a step-by-step narrative.

Creative Best Practices

The quality bar for Discovery Ads is higher than standard display. These ads appear in content feeds, so they compete with editorial content for attention. What works:

  • Use high-resolution lifestyle imagery rather than product-on-white-background shots
  • Keep text overlays minimal — the headline and description handle the messaging
  • Lead with benefit-driven headlines rather than brand names
  • Upload all three aspect ratios to maximise placement eligibility
  • Test at least three to five image variants to give the algorithm room to optimise
  • Avoid stock photos that look generic — authentic imagery outperforms consistently

Google rejects images with excessive text overlays, misleading content, or low resolution. Review the asset-level reporting to see which combinations perform best and replace underperformers monthly.

Audience Targeting Options

Targeting is where Discovery Ads differentiate themselves from display. Because they rely on Google’s first-party data, the audience signals tend to be more accurate than third-party cookie-based targeting.

Custom Audiences

You can build audiences based on search terms people have used on Google, URLs they have visited, or apps they have used. For example, a Singapore-based travel agency could target users who have recently searched for “weekend getaway Bali” or “flight deals from Changi.” This is one of the most powerful targeting options because it bridges search intent with feed-based delivery.

In-Market Audiences

Google categorises users into in-market segments based on their recent browsing and search behaviour. If someone is actively researching accounting software, they fall into the “Business Services > Accounting Software” segment. These audiences are pre-built and updated continuously.

Affinity Audiences

Affinity audiences capture longer-term interests rather than active purchase intent. A user categorised under “Foodies” may not be searching for a restaurant right now, but they regularly consume food-related content. These audiences are better for awareness than conversion.

Remarketing and Customer Match

You can upload customer email lists or target users who have visited your website, used your app, or watched your YouTube videos. Remarketing through Discovery Ads is particularly effective because the ad format feels less intrusive than banner retargeting. For Discovery Ads campaigns focused on re-engagement, this is the go-to approach.

Lookalike Segments

Google can expand your seed audiences — whether remarketing lists or Customer Match uploads — to find similar users. This works well when your seed list is large enough (typically 1,000+ users) to give the algorithm a meaningful pattern to match.

Bidding and Budget Strategy

Discovery campaigns support two automated bidding strategies: Maximise Conversions and Target CPA. Manual bidding is not available, which reflects Google’s design intent — these campaigns are meant to run on automation.

Maximise Conversions

This strategy spends your daily budget to get as many conversions as possible, without a cost-per-acquisition cap. It works best during the learning phase or when you are testing new audiences and do not yet have a reliable CPA benchmark. Be prepared for volatile costs in the first two to three weeks.

Target CPA

Once you have accumulated enough conversion data (Google recommends at least 50 conversions over the past 30 days), switching to Target CPA gives you more cost control. Set your target based on historical performance, adding a 10-20% buffer to give the algorithm room to optimise. Setting targets too aggressively restricts delivery and can stall the campaign entirely.

For budget, Google recommends a daily budget of at least 10 times your target CPA. If your target CPA is $15, set a daily budget of $150 or more. Underfunding Discovery campaigns is a common mistake — the algorithm needs volume to learn, and restrictive budgets slow down the optimisation cycle. Review our guide to Google Ads bidding strategies for a broader framework on choosing the right approach.

Budget Pacing Considerations

Discovery campaigns can exhibit spiky spend patterns, especially early on. Google may spend significantly more on some days and less on others while staying within your monthly budget. This is normal behaviour for feed-based campaigns. Avoid making frequent budget changes during the learning period, as each adjustment resets the algorithm.

Discovery Ads vs Display Ads

A common question is when to use Discovery Ads versus standard display campaigns. The answer depends on your objectives, creative assets, and tolerance for automation.

Placement Quality

Discovery Ads appear only on Google-owned surfaces — Discover, YouTube, Gmail. Display ads appear across millions of third-party websites through the Google Display Network. The result is that Discovery placements are consistently higher quality, with no risk of ads appearing on low-quality or brand-unsafe sites.

Creative Format

Discovery Ads are designed for feeds and look like organic content. Display ads include banners, responsive display ads, and rich media across various sizes. If your creative is optimised for social media feeds, it will translate well to Discovery. If you have traditional banner assets, display is the natural fit.

Targeting Precision

Discovery campaigns leverage Google’s first-party data more heavily, which generally produces better audience accuracy. Display campaigns can use contextual targeting (placing ads on pages about specific topics), which Discovery does not support. For contextual strategies, display remains the better option.

Control and Transparency

Display campaigns offer more manual controls: you can set bid adjustments, exclude placements, choose specific ad sizes, and run on manual CPC. Discovery campaigns are more automated, with fewer levers to pull. If you prefer hands-on optimisation, display gives you more room.

When to Use Each

  • Use Discovery Ads for mid-funnel prospecting where creative quality and placement safety matter
  • Use Display Ads for broad awareness, contextual targeting, or when you need placement-level control
  • Use both together when budget allows — Discovery for premium placements and display for extended reach

Setting Up a Discovery Campaign

Here is a step-by-step process for launching a Discovery (Demand Gen) campaign in Google Ads.

Step 1: Campaign Creation

In Google Ads, click the “+” button to create a new campaign. Select your campaign objective — Sales, Leads, Website Traffic, or create a campaign without a goal. Choose “Demand Gen” as the campaign type.

Step 2: Campaign Settings

Name your campaign clearly (e.g., “SG_Discovery_Q1_Prospecting”). Set your geographic targeting to Singapore or your specific target markets. Choose your language targeting — English is standard, but consider adding Mandarin or Malay if your landing pages support them.

Step 3: Bidding and Budget

Select your bidding strategy. For new campaigns, start with Maximise Conversions to gather data. Set your daily budget based on the 10x CPA guideline mentioned earlier. Ensure your conversion tracking is properly configured before launching.

Step 4: Audience Setup

Add your target audiences at the ad group level. Layer multiple audience types for broader reach, or create separate ad groups for each audience to compare performance. Include at least one remarketing audience alongside your prospecting audiences for a balanced approach.

Step 5: Creative Assets

Upload your images in all three aspect ratios. Write five headline variations and five description variations. Add your logo and business name. Preview the ad in each placement format to check for cropping or text truncation issues.

Step 6: Launch and Monitor

Allow two to three weeks for the learning period before making any significant changes. Monitor conversion volume, CPA trends, and asset-level performance. Avoid the temptation to pause the campaign during the learning phase unless spend is drastically exceeding expectations.

Measuring Discovery Ad Performance

Discovery campaign measurement requires a slightly different lens than search campaigns. Here are the metrics that matter most.

Primary Metrics

  • Conversions and CPA: The ultimate measure of campaign effectiveness
  • Conversion rate: Benchmark against your display campaigns, not search — Discovery typically falls between the two
  • Click-through rate: Higher CTRs indicate strong creative-audience alignment; aim for 0.5% or above

Secondary Metrics

  • Engagement rate: Especially relevant for carousel ads — how many users swipe through multiple cards
  • View-through conversions: Users who saw but did not click your ad, then converted later — important for understanding Discovery’s full impact
  • Audience segment performance: Which targeting groups are driving the best results

Attribution Considerations

Discovery Ads often assist conversions rather than drive last-click conversions. Use Google’s data-driven attribution model rather than last-click to see the true contribution. Check the “Assisted Conversions” report in Google Analytics to understand how Discovery campaigns interact with your search and direct channels.

For Singapore businesses, consider the customer journey context. A user might see your Discovery Ad on their commute (Discover feed), revisit your brand on YouTube at home, and finally convert via a branded search the next day. Last-click attribution would credit the search campaign, but Discovery initiated the journey.

자주 묻는 질문

What is the minimum budget for Google Discovery Ads in Singapore?

There is no hard minimum set by Google, but practical experience suggests a daily budget of at least $30-50 SGD for the Singapore market. This gives the algorithm enough room to test audience segments and creative combinations during the learning period. Campaigns with daily budgets below $20 SGD tend to struggle with delivery and take significantly longer to exit the learning phase.

Can I control which placements my Discovery Ads appear on?

No. Google distributes your ads across Discover, YouTube Home, and Gmail automatically. You cannot exclude specific placements or allocate budget to individual surfaces. This is by design — Google optimises across all three to maximise conversions. If you need placement-specific control, consider running separate YouTube and Gmail campaigns through other campaign types.

How do Discovery Ads differ from Performance Max campaigns?

Performance Max campaigns also serve across Google’s properties, but they include Search, Shopping, Maps, and Display Network in addition to Discover, YouTube, and Gmail. Discovery (Demand Gen) campaigns are limited to the three feed-based placements. The key difference is control: Demand Gen gives you more creative control and audience targeting precision, while Performance Max offers broader reach with more automation. Many advertisers run both, using Demand Gen for mid-funnel engagement and Performance Max for full-funnel coverage.

How long does the learning period take for Discovery campaigns?

The learning period typically lasts two to three weeks, during which Google experiments with different audience segments, creative combinations, and bid levels. During this time, performance can be volatile — CPAs may be higher or lower than your target. Google recommends accumulating at least 50 conversions before the algorithm can optimise reliably. For campaigns with lower conversion volumes, this period may extend to four or five weeks.

Are Discovery Ads effective for B2B businesses in Singapore?

Yes, but with caveats. B2B audiences are smaller, which means the algorithm has less data to work with. Custom audiences built on B2B search terms (e.g., “enterprise resource planning Singapore” or “HR software for SMEs”) tend to perform better than broad in-market segments. B2B Discovery campaigns work best for lead generation with gated content offers rather than direct sales pitches. Pair them with remarketing to nurture leads who engaged but did not convert on the first interaction.