{"id":10,"date":"2025-06-23T12:15:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T12:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dv360.co\/blog\/?p=10"},"modified":"2025-06-23T12:15:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T12:15:58","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-dv360-and-google-ads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dv360.co\/blog\/what-is-the-difference-between-dv360-and-google-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Difference Between DV360 and Google Ads"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If you&#8217;re running digital ads , you&#8217;ve probably heard of <strong>Google Ads<\/strong> and <strong>DV360 (Display &amp; Video 360)<\/strong>. At first glance , they might seem like similar platforms after all , both are from Google and both help you run ads online. But in reality , they\u2019re quite different in terms of features , use cases , and who they\u2019re built for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this blog , we\u2019ll walk you through what each platform does , how they compare , and when you should use one over the other with simple explanations and real world examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What is Google Ads?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Google Ads<\/strong> (formerly Google AdWords) is Google\u2019s self service advertising platform. It allows businesses of all sizes to run ads on &#8211;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Google Search<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>YouTube<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Google Display Network (websites , apps , Gmail , etc.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Google Shopping<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Google Maps<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s simple to use and great for businesses that want to get started quickly with digital advertising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example &#8211;<\/strong><br>Let\u2019s say you own a bakery in Mumbai and want to show up when people search for &#8220;best birthday cake near me.&#8221; You can create a Google Search ad that appears on top of search results in minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udd39 What is DV360?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Display &amp; Video 360 (DV360)<\/strong> is a more advanced , professional grade platform that\u2019s part of the <strong>Google Marketing Platform (GMP)<\/strong>. It\u2019s a <strong>Demand Side Platform (DSP)<\/strong> , which means it helps large advertisers and agencies buy ad space <strong>programmatically<\/strong> across &#8211;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open web (websites not owned by Google)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>YouTube<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Connected TV (like Disney+ Hotstar , SonyLiv)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mobile apps<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Audio platforms (like Spotify)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Private deals with premium publishers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>DV360 is built for <strong>larger campaigns<\/strong> that require more control , more data , and more inventory choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Example &#8211;<\/strong><br>Imagine you\u2019re a global sportswear brand launching a new line of running shoes. You want to run a video campaign across YouTube , premium news sites , and CTV apps targeting fitness lovers aged 25 40 in Tier 1 cities. DV360 would be the ideal platform for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Differences Between DV360 and Google Ads<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s break it down into a few easy to understand sections &#8211;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Access &amp; Users<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Feature<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Google Ads<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>DV360<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Who it\u2019s for<\/td><td>Small to medium businesses , marketers<\/td><td>Large brands , agencies , advanced marketers<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Access<\/td><td>Anyone can create an account<\/td><td>Requires access through a certified Google partner<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong>Takeaway &#8211;<\/strong><br>Google Ads is open to everyone. DV360 is exclusive and best suited for companies with advanced needs or agency support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Inventory Access<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Inventory<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Google Ads<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>DV360<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Google Search<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>YouTube<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes (with advanced options)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Display Network<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes (Google owned)<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes (Google + premium publishers)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Connected TV (OTT)<\/td><td>\u274c Limited<\/td><td>\u2705 Full access<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Audio (Spotify , Gaana)<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Programmatic Guaranteed<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong>Takeaway &#8211;<\/strong><br>DV360 gives you access to <strong>more inventory<\/strong> , including premium , non Google publishers and OTT apps. If you&#8217;re only running basic ads on Google properties , Google Ads is enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Targeting Capabilities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Feature<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Google Ads<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>DV360<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Keyword targeting<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Audience targeting<\/td><td>\u2705 Basic<\/td><td>\u2705 Advanced (custom segments , 3rd party data)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Geo\/device targeting<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>1st party data (CRM\/CDP)<\/td><td>\u2705 Limited<\/td><td>\u2705 Advanced<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Lookalike (similar) audiences<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes (with more control)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong>Takeaway &#8211;<\/strong><br>DV360 offers <strong>richer targeting<\/strong> , especially when integrating with external data sources like CDPs or using advanced audience strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4. Creative Flexibility<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Feature<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Google Ads<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>DV360<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Standard ads (text , image)<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Rich media (interactive , expandable)<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Dynamic creatives<\/td><td>\u2705 Limited<\/td><td>\u2705 Full control<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong>Takeaway &#8211;<\/strong><br>If you&#8217;re running creative , interactive , or dynamic ad formats <strong>DV360 offers far more flexibility<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5. Reporting &amp; Attribution<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Feature<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Google Ads<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>DV360<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Basic performance tracking<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Multi touch attribution<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes (with Campaign Manager 360)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Integration with GA4<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Log level data<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong>Takeaway &#8211;<\/strong><br>DV360 offers <strong>deeper insights<\/strong> , cross channel reporting , and integration with other GMP tools like Campaign Manager 360 for better attribution modeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6. Buying Models<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Buying Type<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Google Ads<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>DV360<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>CPC , CPM<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Programmatic Guaranteed (PG)<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Preferred Deals , PMP<\/td><td>\u274c No<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Open Auction<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><td>\u2705 Yes<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <strong>Takeaway &#8211;<\/strong><br>DV360 supports advanced <strong>programmatic buying models<\/strong> , which are preferred for brands negotiating deals with publishers directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>So , Which One Should You Use?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><td><strong>Use Case<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Recommended Platform<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Run search ads<\/td><td><strong>Google Ads<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Simple display or YouTube ads<\/td><td><strong>Google Ads<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Small\/medium local business<\/td><td><strong>Google Ads<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Large scale , multi channel campaigns<\/td><td><strong>DV360<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Need access to OTT , audio , PMP deals<\/td><td><strong>DV360<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Require advanced audience targeting<\/td><td><strong>DV360<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Creative flexibility &amp; dynamic ads<\/td><td><strong>DV360<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both <strong>Google Ads<\/strong> and <strong>DV360<\/strong> are powerful platforms but they serve different purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use <strong>Google Ads<\/strong> if you&#8217;re a smaller business looking for quick , easy , and efficient digital advertising.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use <strong>DV360<\/strong> if you&#8217;re managing <strong>complex campaigns<\/strong> , require access to <strong>premium inventory<\/strong> , or want <strong>deeper control<\/strong> over your ad strategy and performance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Choosing the right tool is not about which is better it\u2019s about which is right for <strong>your specific marketing needs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you&#8217;re running digital ads , you&#8217;ve probably heard of Google Ads and DV360 (Display &amp; Video 360). At first glance , they might seem like similar platforms after all , both are from Google and both help you run ads online. But in reality , they\u2019re quite different in terms of features , use &#8230; <a title=\"What is the Difference Between DV360 and Google Ads\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/dv360.co\/blog\/what-is-the-difference-between-dv360-and-google-ads\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about What is the Difference Between DV360 and Google Ads\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dv360.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dv360.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dv360.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dv360.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dv360.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dv360.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11,"href":"https:\/\/dv360.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10\/revisions\/11"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dv360.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dv360.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dv360.co\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}