Your digital marketing budget should be used wisely on channels that provide the best return on investment. Knowing about the most recent Google Ads changes is essential in getting the best results from your Pay-Per-Click (PPC) search advertising campaigns.
In this blog, we will cover:
When launching a digital marketing campaign, it goes without saying you want to do so in an area where you can reach the widest audience. With Google controlling 93.75% of the search market share in Australia and easily being the most popular search engine worldwide, Google Ads is now a necessity for online marketing.
While you can, and should, use Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) tactics to improve your position in organic search results for specific keywords, with so many businesses vying for those precious few spots, paid adverts are a great way to be seen on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) faster. Google Ads can get your business to appear higher up in search results via pay-per-click (PPC) ads quickly, which helps you stay competitive in your industry.
Put most simply, Google Ads works by showing your online advertisement to prospective customers who, through searching for keywords or phrases, have indicated to Google's complex algorithm they may be interested in what you are offering. You place bids on specific keywords and search terms, and if those bids are successful, your page will secure one of the top slots on the SERPs for people searching for what you are targeting.
A Google AdWords PPC strategy allows you to set a maximum bid amount for each ad click that you're willing to spend.
Google Ads has gone through many iterations and changes since its inception as Google AdWords in 2000. Here are some of the latest Google Ads updates that marketers should be aware of in 2022.
Privacy has been a major concern for marketers for the past few years. Several factors are at play, including modifications made by Apple and Google to replace third-party cookies, such as the iOS version and Google's Topics API.
Third-party cookies are being phased out in favour of opt-in and first-party data to fill in the information and insights gaps for users, especially across various platforms and devices.
It's worth noting that Google plans to discontinue Universal Analytics (the previous version of Google Analytics) from July 2023 due to its inability to provide cross-platform information. Data will be processed by Universal Analytics 360 for an extra three months until October 2023.
Google announced in early 2021 its goal of "making it easier to reach the right customers on Search" through updating its phrase match and broad match modifier keyword types.
Broad match modifier traffic is now grouped under the "phrase match" umbrella.
According to Google, these changes will not affect the exact match, broad match, or negative keyword match types; they also now advise advertisers to only use the exact, phrase, or broad match types when adding new keywords.
With Google's smart bidding the advertiser simply supplies Google Ads with their budget, and then Google's algorithms use that budget to get the best value for the advertiser's investment. The ultimate goal of Smart Bidding is to increase the campaigns' overall return on investment (ROI). The actual results can vary from industry-to-industry and campaign-to-campaign.
For example, say you are looking to promote a low-priced product on your list, Google algorithms can identify opportunities you may not have noticed. PPC ads already converting at a high rate will benefit greatly from this strategy. According Google the new smart bidding features can help advertisers better manage bid strategies and deliver higher performance. The latest update includes a recommendations page, impression share simulators for ad campaigns, and seasonality adjustments for manager accounts. These new features help advertisers improve target return on ad spend (ROAS) and maximise conversions.
Pro tip: While much of the automation Google Ads provides and tools like Smart Bidding is excellent for efficiency, it is important to remember that you can only go so far with a "set it and forget it" mentality. Skilled digital marketers proactively and consistently analyse, test, and optimise their paid search ads.
The digital marketing landscape is dynamic, changing rapidly and often; if you don't keep up with what and how your audience searches for the things you offer, it can negatively impact your business. You can use the Google Trends feature to see what people are searching for online and the most popular topics, trends over time, and more.
Google Trends is a very helpful tool that allows marketers to see what people are searching for on the internet and the most popular topics and trends throughout time. If you want to know what your audience likes, you can use Google Trends to see what they're looking for related to your keywords and phrases. If, for example, they're looking for a plant nursery that provides home delivery, you might want to consider offering this or a similar service, such as the use of a complimentary trailer.
Because of the pandemic, many traditional bricks and mortar retailers are transferring their operations online, and mobile shopping or 'm-commerce' is now more prevalent than ever.
Google has now made it easier for businesses to gather leads using Google's search ads. Instead of redirecting a user to a landing page, Google can provide a lead capture enquiry form as soon as a user taps the headline of your advertisement. After submitting the form, the user can continue to visit your site or return to the search engine results page (SERP).
Go to your campaign's settings and select the settings option to use this lead form function.
Many businesses can now benefit from a variety of e-commerce updates to make the most of the holiday seasons. Google has added the ability for a customer to see your fulfilment options and return policies right there on the SERP.
Your business can also choose to have products appear in free Google listings by syncing your eCommerce store directly to Google. Furthermore, brands can also use their YouTube videos as a virtual storefront, making it easier to connect with local customers.
Pro tip: To ensure that these new holiday features work correctly, the PPC Ads team at Zeemo recommends that you keep your Google Business Profile up to date.
Google has changed their policy language and notifications to make it easier for advertisers to understand why they received a disapproval message on their ads.
Three relevant disapproval messages are subject to change:
The Google Ads app has recently received some updates. The Google Ads mobile app on iOS and Android now includes these new features:
Google processes roughly 40,000 search queries every second, making it an ideal marketing platform for paid advertisements.
Google Ads can be both a blessing and a curse for businesses because it is constantly changing to meet the growing needs of PPC advertisers and search users.
Keeping up with the most recent Google Ads developments can provide you with new and creative approaches to entice searchers and reach your audience.
If you need some help setting up your Google Ads campaigns to make the most of the latest features available in this powerful marketing tool, the team at Zeemo are here for you.