How to Use Google Discovery Ads with Hubspot-Style Strategy

Learning Google Discovery ads through a Hubspot-inspired approach helps you combine strong audience targeting, compelling creative, and smart measurement into one unified strategy that can grow your traffic and leads.

This how-to guide walks you step-by-step through Discovery ads, based closely on the original overview from Google Discovery ads on the HubSpot blog, while adding actionable structure you can apply immediately.

What Are Google Discovery Ads in a Hubspot Context?

Discovery ads are visually rich, mobile-first ads that appear across several Google surfaces. In a Hubspot-style marketing plan, they act as a powerful top-of-funnel and mid-funnel discovery engine.

Your Discovery campaigns can appear on:

• YouTube Home and Watch Next feeds
• Gmail Promotions and Social tabs
• Google Discover feed on Android and iOS

Instead of responding to a typed search query, these campaigns rely heavily on audience signals and machine learning to show ads to users who are likely to be interested in your offer.

Key Benefits of Discovery Ads for Hubspot-Inspired Campaigns

When you map Discovery ads into a lifecycle strategy similar to a Hubspot funnel, you unlock several benefits:

• Broader reach: Tap into billions of logged-in Google users across multiple properties.
• Intent-rich audiences: Reach people based on interests, past behaviors, and in-market signals.
• Visual storytelling: Use large images, carousels, and engaging headlines to build awareness and interest.
• Automated optimization: Google’s systems test creative combinations and audience mixes to improve performance over time.

Pre-Launch Checklist with a Hubspot-Like Framework

Before you set up your campaign, align everything with a structured framework similar to what Hubspot recommends for inbound programs.

Define Your Campaign Goal

Choose a primary objective that fits your funnel stage:

• Brand awareness / reach – For new products or markets.
• Traffic – To drive qualified visitors to content or landing pages.
• Leads or sales – To convert users with clear offers.

Your goal guides bidding strategy, creative angle, and the landing page experience.

Know Your Audience

Discovery ads excel when you use detailed targeting, just as a Hubspot-style persona-based strategy would demand.

Common audience options include:

• In-market audiences – People actively researching specific products or services.
• Affinity audiences – Users with long-term interests and habits.
• Custom segments – Based on keywords, URLs, or apps your audience interacts with.
• Remarketing lists – Visitors or leads already familiar with your brand.

Prepare Strong Creative Assets

Discovery ads are highly visual, so follow design guidance similar to what you might see on a Hubspot creative checklist:

• High-resolution images (1200×628 or higher).
• Clean, uncluttered visuals that highlight your product or outcome.
• Readable logos on light or dark backgrounds.
• Multiple headlines and descriptions for testing.

Step-by-Step: Setting Up Discovery Ads with a Hubspot-Style Process

Use the following process to launch your first campaign.

Step 1: Create a New Discovery Campaign

1. Open Google Ads and click on New campaign.
2. Select a goal aligned with your overall funnel strategy.
3. Choose Discovery as the campaign type.
4. Decide whether to use a single image ad format or carousel ads.

Step 2: Configure Locations, Language, and Budget

1. Set target locations based on where your ideal customers live or work.
2. Choose the primary language your ads will use.
3. Set a daily budget that supports at least a few dozen clicks per day to give the algorithm enough data.

Treat this the same way you would in a Hubspot-aligned paid strategy: start modestly, then increase as you validate performance.

Step 3: Choose Bidding and Conversions

Select a bidding strategy that mirrors your primary objective:

• Maximize conversions – For lead generation or sales.
• Target CPA – Once you have enough conversions for stable optimization.
• Maximize clicks – For top-of-funnel awareness and traffic.

Ensure your conversion tracking is properly configured on your website or CRM stack. Many marketers connect their CRM or marketing automation platform for deeper reporting, just as they would in a Hubspot ecosystem.

Step 4: Build Your Discovery Ad Groups

1. Group audiences by intent or persona (for example, “in-market software buyers” or “remarketing previous visitors”).
2. Use separate ad groups for each major audience cluster, allowing budgets and bids to reflect performance.
3. Avoid overlapping audiences that compete with each other for the same users.

This granular structure mirrors a Hubspot-style segmentation approach, where each persona receives tailored messaging.

Step 5: Create High-Impact Discovery Ads

Each Discovery ad can include multiple assets. Follow a structured workflow similar to Hubspot templates:

1. Add your final URL and visible path fields.
2. Upload several high-quality images, including landscape and square options.
3. Write multiple headlines (up to 40 characters each when possible).
4. Write descriptions that highlight benefits, social proof, and clear calls-to-action.
5. Include your logo in the recommended sizes.

Google will mix and match these assets to test combinations and learn which message and image pairings perform best.

Optimization Tips Based on Hubspot-Style Best Practices

After launch, treat Discovery campaigns as living experiments, just like a Hubspot marketer would with email and landing page tests.

Monitor Key Performance Metrics

Track core metrics such as:

• Impressions and reach
• Click-through rate (CTR)
• Cost per click (CPC)
• Conversions and conversion rate
• Cost per acquisition (CPA)

Compare Discovery results with other channels in your broader inbound or demand generation mix.

Test Creative Variations

Run ongoing creative tests to keep performance improving:

• Try new headlines focused on different value propositions.
• Swap lifestyle imagery with product-focused visuals.
• Test shorter versus longer descriptions.
• Experiment with different calls-to-action, such as “Get the guide” or “Start free trial”.

A disciplined testing methodology, similar to that used in Hubspot-centric programs, will reveal which angle resonates most with each audience.

Refine Audiences and Bids

As data accumulates, adjust your audience strategy:

• Pause segments with high CPA or low engagement.
• Expand successful audiences with similar segments or broader affinity groups.
• Increase bids or budgets on campaigns delivering profitable conversions.

This keeps your budget focused where it has the highest impact.

Align Discovery Ads with a Hubspot-Style Funnel

Discovery campaigns work best when integrated into a complete customer journey.

• Use them to promote educational content such as guides, checklists, or webinars.
• Retarget engaged visitors with stronger offers like demos or consultations.
• Sync landing page forms with your CRM and lifecycle workflows.

For advanced implementation support, you can work with a specialist agency such as Consultevo, which can help you align Discovery ads with your broader digital and CRM strategy.

Next Steps for Implementing a Hubspot-Inspired Discovery Strategy

To put this into practice quickly:

1. Clarify your primary campaign goal and key persona.
2. Collect creative assets that match your brand and message.
3. Set up one Discovery campaign with two to three tightly focused ad groups.
4. Launch, gather at least two weeks of data, then begin systematic testing.

By pairing the paid reach of Discovery ads with a structured, data-driven process inspired by Hubspot methodology, you can turn casual browsers into qualified leads and customers more efficiently across Google surfaces.

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