3 AdWords trends you need to know about

AdWords has been around for a long time but as a platform it’s constantly changing. I know how confusing this can be – you just get to grips with it, and then they introduce new features or other changes. It’s hard to keep up sometimes but if you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your Adwords spend it’s important to keep on top of things so you can use the latest developments to your advantage.

Here are a few of the main AdWords developments you will need to know about as we enter 2017.

Click Through Rates are increasing

Click through rates (CTR) on Adwords campaigns are on the increase, according to the Larry Kim on the Wordstream blog. This is likely to be caused by the fact that the Adwords platform is becoming more discerning about the quality of ads it runs. Ads with a low quality score (QS) are less likely to get run at all, by default raising the average CTR as only the good ads are being shown.

The other important factor in raising the average CTR is that Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) are more likely to be clicked on. These ads are more prominent and eye catching than the standard AdWords ads. Because of this it’s a good idea to think about moving to ETAs if you haven’t already.

Conversion rates are staying the same

In spite of increased click through rates, conversion rates appear to have stayed the same according to the Wordstream blog. The average conversion rate for most people who are selling online is between 2.5% and 3.5% and this hasn’t changed over the last couple of years.

Many businesses don’t track their conversions and if you don’t have conversion tracking turned on you could be missing out on a wealth of useful information. By tracking your conversion rate you can see what’s working and what isn’t, and adjust your Adwords campaigns accordingly.

According to Larry Kim, one of the main reasons why the conversion rate isn’t changing could be thanks to mobile and cross device conversions.

With people using multiple devices to research before they make a purchase, it’s highly likely that they could click through an ad on one device and then return later and complete a purchase from a different device, therefore not registering the conversion.

The entire point of doing any AdWords advertising is to get that conversion so if you aren’t currently tracking your conversions you should be!

Marketers aren’t using negative keywords

Negative keywords are phrases that you want excluded from your AdWords campaign. If negative keywords are used to their fullest, they can raise CTRs and increase your return on investment. According to research conducted on the Wordstream blog, half of businesses don’t use negative keywords in their ad campaigns.

AdWords is still a very effective strategy for businesses, but it can be expensive. Use these three insights to improve your results and reduce wastage so you can get more out of your AdWords campaigns in 2017.

https://www.nextmarketing.com.au/2016/11/3-adwords-trends-you-need-to-know-about/

Jo Macdermott is a well known thought leader when it comes to all things Marketing. In 2016, she is a judge for the Australian Marketing Institute’s ‘Awards for Excellence’ program and is the Founder of Next Marketing, a well established Marketing Agency based in Melbourne. Looking for some commercial marketing insights? Get in touch with Jo here