Google Ads (formerly AdWords) have been at play in the marketing world since 2000. Since then, there have been a number of changes to both the online environment and in the way that marketers and businesses use Google Ads.
Going from a monthly subscription service managed completely by Google, to a self-managed campaign tool with enhanced measurement capabilities, Google Ads has evolved to be one of Google’s main revenue sources. It’s no surprise then that Google continues to enhance and improve Google Ads.
PayDay Loans Ban
Google is taking a step towards being an ethically conscious company, to ensure that their consumers are getting adequate information to make informed decisions. This focus includes seeing that financial products and services with high interest and risky terms are banned from Google AdWords. Google has released guidelines on what ads will be disapproved under their advertising policies help page, so companies in these industries are also given transparent information.
Google expanded text ads
To make your ads more prominent and increase their performance on mobile, Google also has introduced expanded text ads, as part of their move to create a cohesive experience across devices. Expanded text ads are now 2x longer than the original text ads, with a total of 140 characters, giving marketers and online gurus more space to create eye-catching and enticing ads online. Advertisers will also have access to two 30-character headlines, to make the whole ad more visible. The only thing to consider now is how to maximise the impact of your content in this space – will more really be better for your business?
Price Extensions
If you’re investing in search engine optimisation and Google Ads, you might also be interested to know there is a new feature currently getting rolled out (on mobile) whereby advertisers can promote their products and service prices as an extension of Google Ads, so that consumers can find what they want more quickly. These price extensions are displayed below the main ad copy and are only available for the ad at the top of the search results. It is predicted that this extension could drive competition and increase the mobile cost per click for these ad positions. The main thing to take into consideration is ensuring you have aligned your SEO and Google Ads with the specific information your customer wants, to ensure that your pricing is only visible to those who are searching for what you can provide.
Yahoo Acquisition
We could not only be ‘Googling’ things but also ‘Verizoning’ or ‘Yahooing’ (which sounds much more fun). Verizon acquired AOL in 2015 and has more recently also Yahoo. Yahoo and AOL have over 25 brands in their portfolios, which could put the company in a highly competitive position, as collectively, these brands have more unique visitors than Google and Facebook combined.
With the ever-changing online environment, Google and other online search engines are having to change on a regular basis to stay ahead of the curve. For business owners, this means that there is a need to be on top of your game, by having quality content and a cohesive online strategy, and being able to modify your online content to meet these changes.
Need to know more about these Google Ads changes and how they could affect your online advertising campaigns? Contact us here or call toll-free today – 0800 732 724
Prabin is the Head of Organic Search and CRO at Pure SEO. He has over nine years of experience in digital marketing, specialising in SEO, CRO, and analytics. Apart from his day-to-day work at Pure SEO, he is also highly involved in conducting webinars and in-house training for some of the well-known brands in New Zealand and overseas.
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