Do you feel in the know about the recent Google Ad updates? If not, we can help!
By now you should know that Google likes to keep things fresh so that users can get the best possible experience from the search engine. Here are some of the most recent changes, and what it means for advertisers.
Influence users with Shoppable Image ads
Online shopping is more popular than ever before, whether it is to virtual window shop, compare prices or purchase new items. Google says that one-third of holiday shoppers searched for images to get inspiration before heading to the store.
For this reason, Google has adapted to this new shopping process, by allowing sites to highlight shopping ads curated from their publisher partners. Google said they will continue to add new features over the coming year, and pilot new surfaces like Google Image Search for shopping purposes.
Since it’s launch last year, showcase ads have driven click-through rates by up to 2.6 times the average, which is pretty impressive.
Faster mobile site speed for the holidays
Do you know what is a sure-fire way to frustrate your users? A slow and clunky website.
The interface of a web page can have huge consequences for your site. It’s been found that 40% of people would abandon a page if it took more than three seconds to load. Google ads are improving mobile site speed for the holiday period. This will make it an easier experience for the customer and may increase the number of conversions during this time.
To stay on top of your site, aim to check speed for all formats before entering the holiday period, to give your users the best possible experience on your website. Google has also reminded users that parallel tracking will be a requirement for all Search and Shopping advertisers from 30th October 2018.
Extend the impact of video campaigns with Google Video Partners
Google Ad Partners are pretty much what you would expect it to be. The service allows you to extend your video ads reach amongst Google’s partner sites. Google found upon research that ad impressions on Google video partners have as much lift in Ad Recall as ad impressions on Youtube. They found this was more cost-efficient, so it’s a win-win for everyone!
Additionally, Google will play the video at the top of the landing page, which will also show a selection of related products to the user’s search.
Sync column preferences to new Google Ads interface
You may have been worried about using the new version of Ads as you thought it might take a long time to set your column preferences back up, but Google has come up with the answer.
This will not only save you time, but it will make the service more coherent across all facets of the service.
To utilise this column preference feature, go to Tools > Preferences > Columns preference > Copy columns. This should automatically sync the old data onto the new server.
Once you have made the changes, you will not be able to undo it.
On the 18th October, advertisers will have to use the new Google Ads interface whether they like it or not! So, get ahead of the game and make sure you know what’s what before the change.
Smart bidding to be used for search partners
Google Ads have switched from Smart Pricing to Smart Bidding which can be better for a wide range of contextual signals. Smart bidding cleverly changes bids for each auction, as it is programmed to respond to unexpected changes and opportunities.
Advertisers can segment their data by the network to see search partners such as Google Maps, Images, Youtube and over 100 other partnering sites.
Google gives an example of this, saying: “if you have a $50 cost per conversion on Google Search but lower conversion rates on partner sites, then Smart Bidding may set lower bids to help achieve a $50 cost per conversion.” Automated bidding can really help your campaign to get the most conversions for the best price, so it’s something to consider.
Get ahead of the game
With not much longer before the new interface is fully implemented, why not use this as a chance to explore all aspects of your digital marketing campaign? Is it time you stepped up your PPC game?
SpiderGroup offers digital marketing in Bristol and can help you make the most of your marketing budget. Call us on 0117 933 0570 or you can fill in our contact form to see the full benefits.
