One of the most popular platforms for advertisers, Google Ads is used to attract qualified traffic to websites and online shops. Google often updates its rules and regulations. In order to optimize your advertising campaigns on this platform, it is essential to be aware of their latest changes. Let’s take a look at what is new in 2020 for this powerful advertising platform.
Google Ads Updates in 2020:
- Two new audience segments
Google Ads has two new types of audiences:
- Affinity audiences
This is an audience that has shown an interest in a particular topic. For example, you can select “running enthusiasts” when setting up your campaign in Google Ads if your company sells running shoes. To determine these types of leads, Google considers many things, including search history, frequently visited pages, etc.
- Seasonal purchasing audiences
This is a very useful new update that allows advertisers to target prospects who are looking for a product and/or service for a specific occasion (Christmas, Black Friday, Mother’s Day, etc.).
- Audience expansion on Display Network
This is a very effective and practical new feature that allows advertisers to reach more prospects with the same budget. Just like the principle of advertising campaigns on Facebook Ads, this option makes it possible to expand Display campaigns by reaching a new audience that behaves in the same way as the users already targeted. In this way, the advertiser increases the number of impressions, clicks and conversions without having to increase the budget.
- The new lead form extensions in Google Ads
This is a very useful extension that helps boost conversion rates on mobile phones. It helps to collect all the necessary information from a prospect, without the prospect leaving the platform. If the user is logged into their Google account, they can access the form already pre-filled with their information. Saving time and making the user experience more streamlined.
- Bumper Ads
This tool allows anyone with a video that is less than 90 seconds long to create a series of video ads that are 6 seconds each and easily post them on YouTube.
According to the results of a study carried out by Lipton Ice Tea, Google and Marketing Scan, online shop sales increased by more than 13% with Bumper Ads. This is one of Google Ads 2020’s best new features, it is especially recommended to improve the effectiveness and impact of video campaigns.
- Gallery Ads
Gallery Ads are a new type of mobile advertising format. These are illustrated ads that appear at the top of the SERP with a carousel of eight images that the user can easily scan. These ads also have a clickable title and URL, with a description under each image. According to tests conducted by Google, Gallery Ads generate 25% more engagements than standard text ads. This new feature can help you to evolve your advertising campaigns on the search engine.
Read also :
→ Google Ads Insights Diagnostic
- Google Ads removes the Average Position
A major change in Google’s reports has been introduced with the removal of the “average position” from Google Ads indicators.
This indicator has long been monitored and optimised by traffic managers, advertisers and agencies. It has been replaced by new, more accurate indicators:
- The rate of top impressions, called “Absolute Top”, i.e. in 1st position.
- The “Top” impression rate, which corresponds to the 3 top ads.
As smart bidding solutions become more and more important, manual bidding strategies for positioning become less and less relevant.
Instead, Google Ads invites advertisers to consult:
- The “Search Absolute Top Impression Share” or which reflects the impressions associated with the Top Absolute location.
- The “Search Top Impression Share” or “Search Top IS”, is a similar indicator but for Top positions, not Absolute.
- Responsive video ads:
This new feature allows you to prepare your video ads so that they can be adapted and automatically broadcast on the multiple formats and inserts available on Google’s network of partner sites.
These formats include:
Google AdWords: what are the advantages of automation?
- Targeting prospects and customers
Understanding your audience is essential for retailers who are aiming to optimise their online conversions. Understanding as much as possible about the Internet users who make a request. Furthermore, these audiences can be classified into four main categories:
- Visitors who do not leave any information about themselves
- Prospects
- “Hot” prospects which refer to those who have already visited the e-commerce site concerned and have started to register and then stopped in progress
- Customers who have already ordered on the site
With each of these types of prospects you need to have a different approach. It is important to understand that you cannot to manage bids and key messages in the same way. This is why Google has put in place tools to target Internet users:
- “In market for search ads”: aimed at the Internet user who is regularly interested in the relevant commercial field and who has a high chance of converting.
- “Similar users “: aimed at people who have made a request, are navigating on sites similar to the advertiser’s, or has a similar behaviour to that of your converted customers and therefore has a good chance of converting.
- “Remarketing search”: consists of the use of retargeting lists on Google AdWords campaigns.
- “Customer match”: uses the customer database sent by e-commerce to Google (including name, surname, telephone number and e-mail) to target ads to them. It is then possible to tailor the bids and ads to them, or even to exclude certain people if they are already loyal customers.
By using these tools in an optimal manner, you can improve the return on investment (ROI) with Google AdWords.
An excellent example of this was presented during the conference at Paris Retail Week, the company in question targets families.
This brand wanted to increase of leads and their overall visibility, while reducing budgets notably in Google AdWords. Their strategy was to create Display campaigns and then segmented their audiences so as to ensure that they addressed the right messages to the right target at the right time. In parallel, they launched responsive ads that were adapted to all digital media platforms and launched a campaign created for “Similar users”.
- In two months of this optimisation of Google AdWords, their leads increased by 13%, the number of clicks by +88% and the cost of acquisition decreased by 36%.
The advantages machine learning and automation:
The concept of “machine learning” enables computers to learn without being explicitly programmed. It is based on data: the more data, the more relevant and efficient the algorithm.
About ten years ago, an agency specialised in SEA and Google AdWords would have had to manage keywords and auctions, in addition to the multiplication of media and digital transformation. On top of that, an agency would need to ensure the management of systems, ads, attribution models and cross-device conversions (when the buyer started a purchase on their phone and ended up on their computer, for example). This process was tedious and time-consuming.
Today, Google AdWords campaigns operate with “smart biddings” which take into account signals from users (location, time of day, medium used), the search engine (daily user behaviour, what they like and the requests they make) and advertisers (customer database, target audience). These elements are combined to manage the auctions in an automatic way: this is automation.
Read also:
→ What is the best PPC auction strategy ?
The advertiser can then focus on the strategic objectives of their campaigns, leaving it up to the algorithm to decide in real time whether each Internet user is a good customer or not.
AdWords scripts are also important as they allow advertisers to automate actions without added value. If something intervenes on the site or the product flow, an automatic action is carried out. For example, if the delivery time of a catering company exceeds 45 minutes, the auction price is automatically adjusted downwards. Automation therefore avoids disappointing the consumer and optimises ROI.
In recent years Google Ads have made many adaptations, so it is essential to stay in the loop with all these updates! If you are looking to launch optimal SEA campaigns, please contact us here: https://eminence.ch/contact-agence-marketing-geneve/