Summing Up Google’s Performance Summit

ICYMI: Google announced some game changing updates to AdWords and Google Analytics during yesterday’s Performance Summit event. A key theme? The importance of mobile.

You certainly don’t have to be a marketer to know that mobile has been a trending discussion these last few years – did you know that there are more searches done on mobile than desktop and more than half of all web traffic comes from smartphones and tablets, not desktop computers?

That said, it’s no surprise to us that many of the updates Google announced show a clear correlation between us and our constant reliance on such devices. Here are a few of the most notable changes:

Expanded Text Ads: The name of the game is ad creative, and Google just completely changed the way it’s being played. Businesses now have the opportunity to showcase more information about their products and/or services by using two 30-character headlines and one 80-character description line – that’s 50% more text space than usual, and across all devices! While only time will tell how successful marketers will be by utilizing the extra space in their text ads, we suspect that a change in CTR may be on its way for those who get creative with the space they have to work with.

Device Bid Adjustments – Including Tablet: It’s no surprise that mobile is at the forefront of many marketing decisions, but that’s not the only device that Google’s been looking at – marketers can now adjust their bid multipliers from -100% to +900% for desktop, mobile and tablets. For the first time since the Enhanced Campaigns update, Google just gave marketers the opportunity to create device-only campaigns and get more control over their bids on a device-specific level (you can say goodbye to desktop and tablet being paired in the same bid).

Similar Audiences in Search: Ever hear the term “lookalike audiences” from Facebook Advertising? Or maybe you’re more familiar with the Display Network’s offering of creating similar audiences. Well, a similar feature is now available for the Search Network. Known as Similar Audiences for Search, Google opened the door for creating a new audience based off an audience that already exists. And in addition to this update, Google is also testing Demographics for Search Ads (DFSAs) – still in beta, this feature was designed to let marketers set their bid modifiers on the Search Network specifically for age and gender. Are additional demographics on the way? Maybe, but for now Google is keeping it to just these two.

Responsive Display Ads: Yup, marketers rejoice – instead of creating display ads in multiple sizes, Google will be releasing responsive display ads that will adjust to fit any site or app on the Google Display Network. All that’s needed: headlines, descriptions, images, and URLS – then let Google do the rest.

Local Search Ads: Google is looking to get more serious about ads on Maps. In looking to provide a more relevant brand experience for users who search based on their local intent [food near me], Google is introducing the next generation of local search ads including “promoted pins” or “promoted locations” on Google Maps. Now, not to be confused with Pinterest’s Promoted Pins – this new ad format will offer brands a branded pin to help stand out on the map provided they use location extensions.

New and Improved AdWords Interface: By the end of 2017, Google plans to give the AdWords interface a facelift. This new and improved redesign will be sleeker and more user friendly, and allow marketers to easily conduct optimizations on any device. This redesign won’t affect the way campaigns are structured or run, but rather will update the way data is displayed and what is shown when.

Look out for these features in the coming months, and look for more information from Ferocious Media as we continue to test these ad types, audience targeting, and new features!

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