We are going to look back at the most important updates in PPC in the last month.
August and September have brought some exciting new changes within Google Ads. We are here to make sure you have all the top PPC updates.
1 – New functionality for Google Ads Discovery campaigns
Google made updates to make building and running Discovery campaigns a lot easier. Firstly, Google Ads Editor now supports Discovery as a campaign type. Secondly, they have updated the image requirements so you can now use images with text overlays.
The ability to create Discovery campaigns in Editor will be a welcome update to many. The Editor allows you to create and make edits in bulk speeding up the campaign setup process.
By using imagery with text overlays you not only get across more messaging (a picture is worth a thousand words) but also utilise a higher number of assets that would have previously been ruled out.
2 – Updates to Google Merchant Centres Auto Disapproval Process
Google has released an update to how Merchant Centre reviews and disapproves products in some instances. The update centres around returns and contact information for free shopping listings.
Previously you needed to provide and display accurate returns information and sufficient contact details. If these weren’t present Google would automatically disapprove your listings.
Insufficient contact information is deemed when a website lacks required contact details or a business is unverified within Merchant Centre (or both). Contact details cover social media links, contact email addresses, or phone numbers, where customers can get in touch. Within Merchant Centre, a listed business address and verified phone number are required.
What’s New: Google will no longer automatically disapprove products with missing information, however, they have said they will still limit the visibility of these products where insufficient information is provided.
Action to take: If you already have this information linked up then you should see no effect on your listings. If you were previously missing this information you might start to see some impressions on products through free listings. If you are an eCommerce business that is not yet set up for free listings then now is the time to take advantage. Speak with us on what is needed to get started.
3 – New Campaign Setup Columns in Google Ads
Google Ads has launched some brand new columns. These are under a setup heading to help you quickly audit and review the status of your campaigns. The columns are a great addition and allow you to check in one place things like the number of ad groups, keywords or ads within any campaign. You can also use the columns to scan for potential issues such as ad and keyword disapprovals, as well as ad strengths.
These quick checks can help you quickly diagnose potential delivery or setup issues within the account.
Auditing is a key part of ensuring your Google Ads are set up and performing as they should be. These columns give you a glimpse into the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Google Ads audits.
4 – The Gtag (Global Site Tag) is now the Google Tag
Following on from the announcement at Google Marketing Live 2022, Google has announced that from August the Gtag will be transitioned into the Google Tag. This will work across your Google Ads and Google Analytics properties. The purpose of the update is to provide better reporting and tracking across both properties with no additional code.
You will have the option to combine both of your tags, but this is only optional and you can continue to run them separately if you prefer.
Within both Google Ads and Google Analytics properties you can manage your Google Tag. In Google Ads you will find this under Tools & Settings > Setup > Google Tag.
Action to take: At present, you do not need to take any action, the Gtag will automatically upgrade to the Google Tag. Google has said to stay tuned for further updates, particularly for those using Google Tag Manager for tag deployment.
5 – Smart shopping campaigns have now been sunset
Google Smart Shopping ads are officially history. September marks the final stage of migration from Smart Shopping to Performance Max campaigns. Any remaining Smart Shopping campaigns will be auto-upgraded to Performance Max.
If you are still running any Smart Shopping campaigns now is your final chance to get ahead of the curve and manually upgrade these. We have been seeing varying performance for different clients so it is essential to get started with the campaigns as soon as possible to your campaigns are in the best possible state ahead of the peak shopping season.
If you aren’t sure about Performance Max there are different tests that you can run. From full-fledged Performance Max appearing across multiple Google properties to shopping-only Performance Max will continue to operate in the same way as smart shopping, and finally standard shopping.
There are continuous updates to Performance Max campaigns rolling out, including upcoming betas that we can get exclusive access to. Speak with the team to get advice on the best approach to migrate your campaigns.
Conclusion
That rounds up our top feature updates and releases for this month. If you want to find out more about any of these new releases or see how they could be implemented in your account then get in touch.
