Ever since the release of Google Web Designer, there’s been a lot of buzz around it.
So, What Exactly Is It?
Google Web Designer is a free web design application that lets you create interactive, visually stunning HTML5 ad banners. It comes with built-in tools for creating smooth motion graphics and engaging user experiences. Plus, it integrates seamlessly with Google Ads and “Search Ads 360” (formerly DoubleClick Studio), making it the perfect tool for businesses looking to create impactful HTML5 banner ads campaigns.
It’s user-friendly, with a drag and drop interface that lets you quickly apply pre-made elements, animations, transitions, and masks to any web design project. Plus, the platform is constantly updating to include new features that give you more creative flexibility.
How Does It Work?
Google Web Designer is a standalone software for Mac and Windows. You can download it straight from the Google Web Designer website and install it directly on your hard drive, same as Photoshop or Illustrator.
It’s a pretty simple tool to use. After you open it up, you’ll see a design area in the centre of your screen and a panel on the left that has all the tools you need to create your project.
The best way to learn how to use Google Web Designer is by playing around with it. The more you experiment with it, the more you’ll understand how everything works. To give you a little taste of what it can do, here are some examples of banner ads that look complex but were actually created in Google Web Designer (GWD):
- Peugeot 2008 Ad: Peugeot 2008 Banner Ad: Here, we have a banner ad example from Peugeot for their 2008 model. The ad blends different elements, including an image of the car, nature, text, flying birds, and a call-to-action button. But what makes this ad interesting is the use of motion graphics. The elements animate and move as you scroll down the page, creating a really immersive experience.
Click here to view the ad
- Capital One Ad: One of the most creative ads I’ve seen for Capital One was created using Google Web Designer. It’s clear the company wasn’t after clicks but to popularize their 5x saving rate. So, they made it leap off the screen. The ad starts with a simple white background, and as you scroll down, the text and savings rates animate, and the background changes to different colours and images.
- nCino: This ad was created by nCino — a leading financial software company. In this ad, nCino is all about reinforcing their online authority using the headline “the world’s leader in cloud banking software.” It’s a bold statement, and they back it up with an equally bold ad design. The ad is simple, with a blue background and shades of white and the nCino logo at the top. The text animates and changes colour as you scroll down, making it stand out on the page.
The CTA, ‘Learn More,’ is also placed perfectly, attracting your eyes as soon as you’re done reading the headline.
- Disney+ Ad: Disney+ ad serves one clear message, “exclusivity.” More than anything, the ad reminds you of one thing: Disney+ has the content you can’t find anywhere.
And the entire banner is really immersive; you feel like you’re exploring a new world whenever you scroll!
And they back it up with a beautiful, creative ad.
The ad is a simple brown and black design with an image of the Mandalorian in the centre. Different images and videos from Disney+ play in the background as you scroll down.
Disney also nails it with their CTA. Even if you don’t click on it, you’ll remember they offer a free trial.
- Amazon Web Services Ad: Amazon nails it in both design and copywriting. The ad is a simple, dark background with the Amazon logo and CTA at the bottom-right corner. The copy is about a cold hard stat, “AWS has 7x fewer downtime in hours than the next major cloud provider.”
Again, the CTA stands out and is designed to get you to click. What else? The ad is also relevant to anyone who’s ever had an issue with their website going down.
- DocuSign Ad: That is the first ad to leverage the power of the curiosity gap. The ad headline reads “6 Overlooked Strategies that Deliver Rapid Growth.” It’s then followed by a short, straight-to-the-point CTA, “Read the eBook.”
It’s meant to get your attention and make you want to click the CTA button. And it works! You’ll notice that there isn’t even a need for an image or video. This ad works because of the curiosity gap it creates, making you want to know what the six strategies are.
- Ridge Ad: This ad will never run out of style. The ad makes a comparison between an old and a new wallet. It’s an age-old tactic that works — making you want to get rid of all your old stuff and get the new thing. The ad also features simple but effective copywriting.
A few things to note here are the CTA button, contrasting colours between the text and background, and the arrows. You can’t help but pay attention to them.
As you can see, Google Web Designer can produce eye-catching ads that attract attention and get results. It’s also easy to use and comes with tons of valuable features and pre-made elements to quickly create your designs and animations.
Pros and Cons of Google Web Designer
Pros
- The program is free to download and doesn’t require any coding knowledge
- It offers a library of pre-made elements for you to choose from or customize
- Auto generates HTML code, so you don’t have to write it yourself. It also makes the workflow process quicker.
- Simple interface
- It’s free
- Easy to create animations
- Quick prototyping
Cons
- It’s not a web design tool but a tool for creating digital ads
- Limited to Google approved fonts
- Limited design options and templates
- You might have to delve into the source code to make more complex changes
- Limited support and community
Overall, Google Web Designer is an excellent program for creating digital ads. It’s easy to use and offers a quick workflow process. The only downside is that it’s limited to Google-approved fonts and templates.
If you’re looking for something that can do more than create digital ads, this may not be the software for you.
13 Features that Make Google Web Designer a Popular Option Among Users
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Fluid Layout
With Google Web Designer, you can create fluid ads. That means when the ad is viewed on a mobile device or tablet, it will resize and fit proportionately to how big or small the screen is.
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Drag and drop UI
The user interface is very simplistic and easy to use. You can easily drag and drop elements from the library to create ads.
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HTML5, CSS3 & JavaScript
You don’t have to write HTML or CSS yourself as Google Web Designer automatically creates it for you. Just choose and edit an element, and the code will be generated. That also makes the workflow process quicker.
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Pre-made components
There is a library of pre-made components that you can use or customize for your ads. That includes everything from images to videos to text.
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Event System
It allows you to generate highly interactive documents using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. You can create buttons that trigger animations or events.
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Animation
You can create simple or complex animations using the animation tools in Google Web Designer. This is a great feature for creating engaging and interactive ads.
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3D Authoring Environment
You can create 3D ads with GWD. It’s a feature you can only find in high-end software like Maya and Cinema 4D.
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Text Editor
It has an intuitive text editor for creating titles, subtitles, and body copy.
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SVG Support
Google Web Designer offers SVG support, which works on all modern browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
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Asset Manager
It has an asset manager for organizing and managing your files. You can even use it to generate sprite sheets, which can be used for animations.
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Convert a Page into an HTML File
You can use the tool to convert a page into an HTML file. You can even edit the HTML file to add your own custom code.
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Easy Sharing
You can export ads as .html files, which are easy to share with other people. You can also publish ads live on the web or upload them to your Google Web Designer account so that you can access them from anywhere.
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Revamped Web Components
GWD features revamped web components like 360 gallery, Canvas shapes, iFrame, Maps, Video, YouTube, Tap area, Swipeable Ads, and Carousel. It further arrives with gesture components that empower designers to create more immersive ad experiences on touch devices.
Not only that, there’s the tap to call features that lets advertisers place a call button in their ad, which opens up the phone app with the advertiser’s contact information pre-filled.
Top 12 Google Web Designer Templates
Here are 12 Google Web Designer ad templates you can use for your next Google ads campaign.
These canned ad templates are easy to customize for your business ads or clients. You can play around with the ad graphics, alter the text, and so much more. Plus, they come in sets of different sizes.
Note that these are all paid templates, easily editable in GWD.
Here they are:
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Online Gaming Banner Ads
Are you planning to start a Google Ad campaign for a game? Then this ad comes in handy. The banner comes in seven standard sizes. It’s also HTML5 and CSS3 based and fully editable.
Click here to preview the template in real-time.
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Business Banner Ads
You can nicely present your business on these banners. Better, it comes in seven standard sizes, fully editable using GWD.
Click here to preview the template in real-time.
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Web Design Company Banner
This ad banner is awe-inspiring, designed to appeal to the eye and convert web users instantly. It also comes in all standard sizes and can be fully edited in GWD.
Click here to preview the template in real-time.
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Thanksgiving Banner Ad
You want to make sure you’ve checked out this animated HTML5 banner. The banner works well with celebration events.
The template comes in all seven standard sizes.
It also boasts a clean code and is easily customizable in GWD.
Click here to preview the banner in real-time.
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Design Studio Ad Banner
Business promotion works with any business. It’s as professional as it comes. The template is also easy to customize. It also comes in all the standard sizes.
Click here to preview the ad in real-time.
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Business Ad Promotion Ad
If you’re looking for simple, multipurpose business promotion and ad banners, then look further.
This ad banner is everything you’ll want. It also comes in all seven standard templates.
It is also HTML5 and CSS3 based and easily editable in GWD. What’s more? It uses Google fonts.
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Fashion Sale Banner
The fashion sale banner contains visually stunning ad templates, easily customizable in GWD.
Again, it comes in all seven standard sizes. As with many of the ad templates on this list, it uses Google fonts.
Click here to preview the ad template in real-time.
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Travel Banner
Are you planning to promote your tour and travel business?
Then you could save yourself lots of time by picking up this ad template.
It’s visually stunning, easy to edit, and contains all the necessary file details.
The designer also uses Google fonts.
Click here to preview the banner template in real-time.
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Real Estate Banner
The real estate ad banner is an easy-to-edit banner template. All you need to do is place your photo in the banner animation, and that’s it.
The banner was created with GWD. It’s therefore well-organized and fully customizable.
Click here to preview the theme in real-time
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Luxurious Resort Banner Ad
If you’re working on some banners for a luxurious resort hotel, then this might just be the perfect banner template for you.
It’s stylish, highly customizable, and comes with a detailed help file in case you need help with anything.
It also comes in all seven standard banner sizes.
Click here to preview the banner in real-time.
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HTML5 Animated Banner
This animated banner contains a beautiful set of banner templates that you easily customize in GWD.
It’s a multipurpose banner. Meaning it’s not limited to one particular business idea.
Whatever the nature of your business, you can be sure the banner will work perfectly.
Click here to preview the banner in real-time.
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HTML5 Business Banner
This banner is easy to edit. Plus, the designer only used Google font. It also contains a detailed help file that you can download and follow during your edits.
Click here to preview the banner in real-time.
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YN Banner Template
This YN Banner Template is perfect for almost any type of business.
It’s colourful, cheerful, and comes with a transparent. PNG file for easy editing.
Click here to preview the banner in real-time
Quick Dive into Google Web Designer
Learn About the Interface
- The toolbar
- The optional toolbar
- The view panel
- Panels
The toolbar
The toolbar features all the tools you need to create an interactive banner ad.
The Optional Toolbar
After selecting an editing tool, its mode will be shown in the optional toolbar. It only displays the tools you’re working with.
The Viewbar
The Viewbar only allows you to choose between code view and design view. You get to preview the changes you make in real-time.
Panels
The panel features a host of ad editing features, such as text properties, ad validator, library, colours, dynamics, etc.
It also allows you to resize, rearrange, and combine different ad elements.
Assets
Click the library button to check your assets.
It displays your images, videos, and any other asset you intend to use in the ad.
How to Add Assets to Your Library
- You can drag and drop the assets directly to the GWD window from your computer.
- You can import them by clicking on the + button at the bottom of the library panel.
- Another way to go about it is to use “File” ~> Import Assets from the menu command.
- Use ctrl + shift or ⌘+Shift + I for Mac users.
Your assets will display in the library panel. You can preview and drag them onto the stage to include them in your ad document.
For more information about library assets, follow this link.
Animation
You can use Quick Mode as a beginner or advanced mode if you’re looking for more control.
Quick Mode:
The timeline for this mode is located below the stage and allows you to animate your banner by simply dragging and dropping your objects on it.
It’s as simple as that.
Drag and drop any object from the library panel onto the Quick Mode timeline, then move them around to create your animation. Properties for each object are located in the Properties panel. You can change your animations’ duration, delay, and other properties here.
Advanced Mode:
The advanced mode timeline is found above the stage. It has more features and options than Quick Mode.
You can add keyframes and shapes and create custom animations using this stage.
You can’t find the advanced mode timeline in any GWD template. It must be created manually by copying and pasting an earlier keyframe.
Preview
You can preview your work using the Preview Mode. It works like the Quick Mode, except it contains additional tools, such as undo/redo and editable played.
You can also preview your changes in real-time by clicking on the Preview button at the top of the interface.
Help and Support
If you need help with GWD, Google provides a comprehensive guide and support forum.
You can access it by clicking on the Help button in the toolbar.
How to Get Started with Google Web Designer
You can start by downloading Google Web Designer from its official site.
Click the launch button and install it by following the on-screen prompts. The software is compatible with almost all the major operating systems. It also doesn’t hog resources like many graphics editing applications.
It only takes minutes to install the app, and you can start creating your first banner ad. You don’t need any prior experience or design knowledge.
You can design a new ad banner from scratch or use one of the many templates available in GWD.
You can also import your own assets or use the library of assets provided by Google.
The ad design process is simple and easy to follow. You can create a professional-looking banner ad in no time.
You’ll notice that there aren’t many design tools or options–just enough to create a solid ad. The focus is on usability and not complexity.
Google built these options with ads in mind. But even with this, you can still use GWD to create simpler banner ads, lightboxes, and interstitials.
We decided to pick banner ads for Google ads and AdMob for testing. As you can see, this option has tons of layouts, so it’s great if you want to design different types of banner ads.
Go through the layouts provided and choose one. Once you settle on a layout, you can edit it to suit your needs.
You can change the colour, adjust the dimensions, and tweak other properties using the Layout panel. You can also create custom layouts by copying an earlier keyframe from your timeline.
The Text Tool is very simple to use–you just select a font and edit its text value.
It has both basic and advanced properties.
Once you’ve settled on a layout, you can go ahead select it. On the left-hand panel, name the file and click on create.
Here’s how your project will look like after you’ve selected a layout:
This is where things can get a little confusing, but don’t worry, we’re here to help. We’ll start by adding a text element.
On top of the basic editing options, such as colour and layer selector, the tool also features the ad validator section. This is a great feature that checks your ad for common problems that could prevent it from being approved. That includes assets that aren’t loading or even invalid URLs.
Even more interesting, the tool can compress your ad to reduce load times. The editing process is also a snap with a limited selection of ad editing tools to work with.
You can even add your copy to any section of the ad design just by double-clicking on the existing text box or using the text box to add new ones.
You can also swap image placeholders with the images on your computer. Once you’re done, you can export your ad and test it.
The process gets a lot easier when creating a static ad. It shouldn’t take you that long either–just a few minutes.
However, if you want to create an animated ad, it’ll take a little more time. But it’s worth it because you can create some really cool ads.
You can start by right-clicking on your ad elements to add events.
That will add a new keyframe to the timeline.
You can then set the properties for each element and preview your ad.
Note that you can trigger your events by mouse or touch depending on the type of ad you’re creating.
Each option has its own set of triggers. It also includes resulting actions. For example, you can play the next animation in your timeline when an element is clicked.
There’s also a library of sound effects that you can add to your ad for added effect.
You can add custom CSS to your ad to change its appearance. However, keep in mind that this will increase the file size and affect performance.
You could also trigger a series of ad-specific events that can change the state of your ad. That’s part of what makes GWD such a great tool. For this, we suggest you spare a minute to explore its documentation.
There are also some great tutorials on the official site to get you started.
You can preview your ad. Just click on the GWD preview tool and check how your ad looks in real-time on any browser so long as you have it installed on your PC.
You may find that your ad works perfectly on one browser and not another – and that’s perfectly fine.
It’s also worth noting that you can switch between code and design preview.
Just click on “code view” to view your design code or “design view” to display the design.
If you’re an experienced developer, you can edit the code on the fly. With our experience, we can say the platform outputs clean code.
Your ad is now ready for review and approval. It might take a while before it gets approved, especially if you’re just getting started. We suggest that you work with others to increase your chances of an early approval–it worked for us.
The Future of Google Web Designer
Google has long been a powerhouse in the technology industry, and its Web Designer platform is one of the most powerful tools for creating online ads.
However, like most tools they offer, Google has made it clear they aren’t interested in building it out further. Instead, they’re moving towards a web-based Ads interface that they hope will make creating and managing ads easier.
That means that any updates or changes to the Web Designer platform may not be seen anytime soon. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t use it for creating amazing ads. It just means that you should be aware of its limitations and plan accordingly.
Google has also announced that they’ll be ending their email and chat support as from 1st February 2022. Their community forum will remain active, but you won’t be able to reach their support team directly in case stuck. Even so, there are some outstanding resources for this platform available online.
Let’s zoom out a little and look at the big picture. Banner ads have been around for a while, and their effectiveness is always up for debate.
Some say banner ads are no longer effective. Others swear by them. So, what’s the verdict?
Well, it really depends on your target audience and the type of ad you create. Some studies have shown that banner ads are still effective, especially if you target the right demographics.
On top of that, there’s a chance that your banner ad may make an impression even though it doesn’t produce immediate results. That’s because people often notice and remember things they see on the web.
There’s also always a chance that Google or its rival will change its algorithm, which could affect the effectiveness of your ad. So, it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on things and test your ads regularly.
In general, we believe banner ads are still effective when used correctly. Just make sure you target the right audience and test your ads frequently. And above all, don’t forget the ultimate goal of your ad: to drive conversions.
Google Web Designer Tools Review
The ad editing tools are basic, but they work like a charm. You can create simple ads without any hiccups or bugs.
We didn’t encounter any errors–it was smooth sailing throughout the entire process once we figured out how to use GWD.
Another interesting thing about GWD is that it’s very easy to use. You don’t need any design experience or special skills.
Even if you’re a beginner, you can still create some fantastic ads using the available templates and tools.
GWD is also great for testing your ads. You can see how they look on different devices and browsers. Plus, you can check the ad validator to see if there’s any error.
Overall, we were really pleased with the Google Web Designer tools. They’re easy to use and can create some amazing ads. If you’re looking for a simple way to create banner ads, then GWD is the perfect tool for you.
In Conclusion
GWD is a robust platform that offers amazing features for creating ads. It’s no wonder it’s the tool of choice for many online marketers and businesses. With such a versatile tool, creating ads has never been easier.
We hope this article was of help to you. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us for assistance. And don’t forget to check out our other tutorials for more tips and tricks.
