Bitesize hubbub: Ad Label Test, Expanded Text Ads, Automated Imports & More
Welcome to this week’s ‘Bitesize hubbub’; small weekly chunks of the latest Paid Search & SEM News, with a few top tips and takeaway insight.
The hubbub this week:
- Bing Ads Launches Automated Imports
- New Google Ad Label Test
- Expanded Text Ad Deadline – 31st Jan
- iProspect – Mobile CPCs and Shopping Spend Up
- Google Spinner Easter Egg
Scroll down to find all the bitesize hubbub you need!
1. Bing Ads Launches Automated Imports
Bing Ads – This includes instructions on how to set this up
We are particularly excited about this latest Bing Ads update.
Bing now lets you Auto Sync your Google Adwords campaigns with Bing Ads. No more having to manually update the changes that you have made in Google Adwords with Bing later on! This tool now allows you to stay on top of both platforms more efficiently.
Credit: Bing Ads, 2017
What does this mean?
Ensures Parity with Google
Bing Ads knows that it’s often treated as an afterthought when it comes to Paid Search optimisation. But it’s market share is growing, and in the UK alone they now claim to have around 26% of the market. It’s a platform that you can no longer ignore! Ideally, you should be treating with equal merit to Google, and this tool allows you to do that.
Of course, by doing this Bing ensures that there is no stone left unturned for it as a business to take on the might of Google and to potentially take more of it’s market share.
Saves you time
The main benefit is that it saves you the manual workload. If you don’t have access to tools such as Doubleclick for Search or Marin etc. then managing Paid Search campaigns across different platforms can be a pain in the backside. This Auto Import tool means that you no longer have to duplicate workload, saving you time to do more interesting things.
What can you do?
It’s simple right, opt in! It’s a no brainer!
2. New Google Ad Label Test
Before:
Currently in the Google Search Results Pages
After:
Testing in the Google Search Results Page
It’s barely a month into 2017 and Google have already started to test with the colours of their Ad Label. The above test was spotted in the UK at the end of January.
What does this mean?
We have written extensively in the past about what Google Ad Label colour changes mean; you can find these here. In this instance, it’s even easier for a user to click on a Paid Search ad. Testing it on terms such as [current accounts] will obviously bring with it a lot of search volume and therefore data for Google to work with to see if the change will have any impact to their own bank accounts. Ironic eh?
What can you do?
For now, nothing. It looks to be a small test and there doesn’t look to be much else going on in terms of a test across other terms. Do keep an eye out though when you are doing live searches and please let us know if you see anything for your business or client’s on Twitter @ppchubbub.
3. Expanded Text Ad Deadline
The deadline for Expanded Text Ads has now passed. Deal with it.
What does this mean?
As of the 31st January 2017, you can no longer edit or create standard text ads. Expanded Text ads are the new standard across Google Adwords.
What can you do?
We wrote extensively about this in 2016. Feel free to refresh your memory here. The main thing is to ensure that you go through your accounts and identify the gaps where you need to create new Expanded Text Ads.
Top Tip
Did you have Standard Text Ads that used Ad Customisers? Good News, you can still use these to technically “edit” your existing standard text ads. But this is literally clutching at straws. Our top tip is that you need to get with the times and ensure that you are utilising the full space that is now available to you!
4. iProspect – Mobile CPCs and Shopping Spend Up
iProspect expects to see Mobile CPCs rise and CTRs fall as competition and impression volume looks to increase in 2017. According to iProspect’s quarterly report, 2016 was the year of efficient growth for PPC and a year where Mobile clicks surpassed desktop. Google Shopping spend increased by +5% in the period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, and clicks increased by +55%.
What does this mean?
Mobile
If you’ve been looking at your data enough then the above should be no surprise to you. Mobile is the key device now across all of your search activity, and everyone started to get this in 2016. iProspect have seen the gap between CPCs closing in Q4 2016 and CTRs have started to decline – all in line with this increased competition.
Shopping
iProspect clients saw 61% of Shopping ad clicks from Mobile in 2016, and this has risen from 49.9% in 2015. Shopping Ads work super well on Mobile, and as a result it is getting more competitive. Despite this, iProspect actually saw Shopping CPCs decrease in Q4 but we don’t expect this to be the same for 2017.
What can you do?
Analyse your data
What does it tell you about device activity? Have you seen your Mobile CPCs increase? Is there perhaps opportunity to push your campaigns into another device such as Desktop or Tablet? Let your data make the decisions for you.
Impressions will rise and CTR will decline
Ensure that you are utilising all of the Ad Extensions that you can, and be sure to utilise Expanded Text Ads to make the most of the space available to you.
Check Auction Insights & Competitor Activity
Google Shopping is getting more competitive. Analyse your Auction Insights to monitor competitor activity. Segment this by Device and see if there is a device that your competitors are being particularly aggressive on. This will help you to make more well informed decisions on what to do next.
Look out for new Google Shopping Ad Formats on Mobile
Let’s face it, Google are going to keep making it more lucrative for advertisers to push ads on Mobile. Let’s expect some changes to Mobile Ad formats as well as some new formats to be conjured up this year!
5. Google Spinner Easter Egg
Finally, having a party this weekend? Type ‘Spinner’ into Google and have fun!
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