With more and more businesses vying for consumers’ attention online, competition is fiercer than ever. Staying ahead of the competition can help businesses attract and retain more customers, increase brand visibility and recognition, and ultimately improve their bottom line. By staying up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices in online advertising, businesses can ensure they are effectively reaching their target audience and standing out from the competition. In this article, we will cover the importance of Google Ads for businesses as well as the newest trends.
The Current State of Google Ads
Google Ads, formerly known as Google Adwords, has evolved to consist of Google’s entire range of advertising mediums, including pay-per-click (PPC), shopping ads, and display ads. Google describes the purpose of this brand as “helping businesses and marketers connect with billions of people who are finding answers on Search, watching videos on YouTube, exploring new places on Google Maps, discovering apps on Google Play, browsing content across the web, and more”. This advertising solution is designed for any industry and any size of business and can help users deliver valuable experiences to new and existing customers.
Google Ads is an incredibly useful platform for online marketers. According to a 2019 PPC Paid Media Survey, this platform is the most popular online advertising network for digital marketers. These advertisements work as well as being convenient. HubSpot’s 2022 Annual Marketing Statistics survey revealed that 63% of Google users clicked on a Google Ad during the year. The average click-through rate for a PPC ad located in the top Google Ads spot is 7.94%. Google Ads are an important aspect of every solid online marketing strategy.
Latest Trends in Google Ads
Automation and Machine Learning
Google Ads uses automation and machine learning to help advertisers streamline their campaigns and improve their performance. Here are a few examples of how Google Ads uses automation and machine learning:
- Smart Bidding. This is a bidding strategy that uses machine learning to optimize bids in based on data such as location, device, and time of day. Google’s innovation Smart Bidding can help advertisers achieve their goals more efficiently by automatically adjusting bids to maximize conversions.
- Smart Creatives. This is a feature that automatically creates ads in different sizes and formats using existing creative assets such as headlines, descriptions, images, and logos. This can save advertisers time and help them create more effective ads.
- Responsive Search Ads. This is an ad format that uses machine learning to test different combinations of headlines and descriptions to find the best-performing ad. Advertisers can enter multiple headlines and descriptions, and Google Ads will automatically test different combinations to find the most effective ad.
Audience Targeting
Audience targeting in Google Ads allows advertisers to show ads to specific groups of people. Specifically, those interested in their product or service. There is a variety of audience targeting options that advertisers can use to reach their desired audience. Here are some of the most popular options for audience targeting:
- Custom Affinity Audiences. These are audience segments created by advertisers based on user interests, websites they visit, and keywords they use. Advertisers can create custom affinity audiences based on their target customer profiles and use them to reach people who are more likely to be interested in their product or service.
- In-Market Audiences. These are audience segments of people who are actively searching and comparing products or services similar to what the advertiser is offering. Advertisers can use in-market audiences to target people who are further down the funnel and more likely to convert.
- Life Event Targeting. This allows advertisers to reach people who are going through significant life events such as getting married, buying a house, or having kids. Advertisers can use this targeting option to show relevant ads to people who are more likely to be in the market for their product or service.
By implementing these trends, businesses can use Google Ads to stay competitive and reach their advertising goals. Even with Google’s highly responsive ad creation, developing and tracking high-quality ads can be difficult. KDGS WORKS can work with your company to create and improve the quality of your digital advertising. Reach out today to learn more about our digital marketing services!
