Google AdWords Customers Get 'Display Ad Builder'

Google has introduced a do-it-yourself “Display Ad Builder” for AdWords advertisers who crave simple graphical ads but don’t want to hire a designer. Once created, the tool’s no-frills creative output can be distributed across the company’s content network.

“If you’ve wanted to expand beyond your text ad campaigns, or if you’ve been looking for an easier way to build display ads, this tool can help,” Trevor Claiborne of the Inside AdWords team wrote yesterday in a blog post about the feature.

The self-serve ad creator can build creative units for all placements available on the Google network, including video and game ads. Forty ad templates are customized to business categories such as movies, travel and games.

Google has long offered display ads on its content network, but until now advertisers had to upload their creative assets. The ads are managed much the same way as its ubiquitous text ads, with performance-based pricing and contextual or Web site targeting options.

Google’s not the only Web giant offering a new easy ad creator. Earlier this week MySpace took the wraps off its MyAds self-serve ad buying system for bands and small businesses. The beta platform lets marketerse bid between $25 and $10,000 for performance-based display ads on the site.