Top 7 Google Ads Trends That You Need To Remember For 2020

From the time of conception, Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising has been a major game-changer in online marketing. With the increased dependency of users on the internet, especially using mobile devices to solve their everyday needs, having the business name advertised through online channels have become a necessity rather than a luxury. 

 

Of all the online channels, it is safe to say that Google enjoys a certain monopoly when it comes to being the most sought after marketing platform. Today, this search engine giant enjoys 94.15% of the search engine market share worldwide according to the first quarter reports of 2019. Further breakdown of this data shows that presently, Google web search is at 68.81%, Google image searches at 21.51%, Google Maps searches at 0.74% and YouTube (owned by Google ) searches at 3.09%.

 

While PPC marketing is on the rise in general, with widespread usage of other mediums like Facebook, Instagram, and the latest entrant Amazon, Google Ads have started exhibiting more of an independent streak since 2019, which keeps the platform on top of others by a large margin.

In this blog, we will discuss 7 trends in Google Ads that are going to propel the platform further in 2020. 

 

PPC Automation

Of all the upcoming trends, the one that we all are very keen about is PPC automation. Studies show that by 2021, the global automation industry is expected to grow to about $238 billion, with a rise in process automation from 71.5% to 83.2%. 

By automating manual and monotonous tasks associated with Google Ads, especially ad testing and campaign optimizations may effectively help companies save millions by reducing the hours and manpower. Ad automation can be expected in areas such as bidding strategies, optimizing for conversions, enhancing CPC, creating optimized ad copies and generating ad performance reports automatically.

 

Use of Artificial Intelligence

With the widespread use of AI in many industries across the globe, it is soon going to be integrated into the very fiber of Google Ads and other PPC marketing platforms. AI algorithms can continuously learn and upgrade to create effective ad campaigns that can make useful “predictions”. By predicting the likelihood of conversions and identifying the possible CTR of future ads, AI can help marketers prepare better for what’s next.

 

AI can also learn about audience behavior by observing their online purchase patterns and help Google Ad managers create better and targeted ads that can deliver better results. 

 

Video Advertising

With the turn of the decade, video advertising is going to take over the PPC marketing scene. Studies show that by the year 2022, almost 82% of all business and consumer traffic on the internet will come from videos. With that in perspective, businesses are now looking to leverage Google’s vertical video ads to market their business. 

Presently, Google’s new Bumper Machine has been whipping up 6-second bumper ads from longer videos and display it throughout Youtube. Apart from that digital marketers are now looking at full-funnel video strategies that allow marketers to manage different types of video ads on YouTube.

 

Responsive Search Ads

Responsive Search Ads or RSAs are starting to become the standard text ad format. Text ads and ad testing depend a whole lot more RSAs as the systems can dynamically determine creatives at the time of auction and adjust the ad based on previous performance data.

 

When RSAs were introduced earlier last year, Google expected a 5 to 15% higher CTR in comparison with search ads. However ultimately, the results depended upon the individual practices adopted by marketers. 

 

Ads Data Hub

Presently, the effectiveness of Google ads across devices couldn’t be tracked due to the limitations presented by pixel technology. But with the increasing number of searches happening through mobile devices, digital marketers have been relying on third-party pixels to measure the effectiveness of their YouTube ad campaigns.

 

However, with the idea of limiting tracking pixels due to security concerns, and migrating towards a more secure data sharing system, Google has been investing in Ads Data Hub. 

According to Google, 2020 is the year when they officially start testing Ads Data hub for a more comprehensive reporting and measurements. With Ads Data Hub, it will be possible to get insights into evolving customer behavior and their ever-changing response to ads.

 

New and Improved Audiences

Previously, affinity audience segments were created based on browsing behavior and were solely available to YouTube and Display Network Campaigns. However, as of 2019 October, this particular feature was extended to Google Search. This was followed by Combined audiences in Search in November, which further helped search advertisers build layers audiences that aided in highly targeted ad delivery. 

Persona targeting in Google Ads can ensure that the best performing ads are delivered to the most potential customer, which can, in turn, drive up CTR and conversions.

 

Better Digital Commerce 

Commerce offerings are the one place on the internet where Amazon has competed with Google’s search ad dominance. To counter this, Google rolled out the redesigned Google Shopping in 2019 in October. The “Buy on Google” feature initially made available in the US gave an all comprehensive shopping experience for users, right ahead of the holiday season. The new Google shopping ads feature was also extended to YouTube inventory and image search, and eventually also provided a catalog style ads display last November.

 

By meeting amazon head-on with the e-commerce space, Google is re-marking its territory.

 

Final thoughts

Undoubtedly, the above list is incomplete and continuously growing. Google is looking into all avenues of search, voice search, display and video advertising through its search engine and affiliate platforms in its network. As a business, you must have an understanding of the many options out there. With the help of our Google Ads experts, you can now leverage these trends to get the most out of your advertising campaigns in 2020.