?? PPC News: Paid Search (W13)

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Paid Search

[Issue No. 103 - March 25th to 31st]

The Definition of 'Top Ads' has been clarified.

Google recently updated the definition of "top ads " to include scenarios where these ads appear below organic search results. This update is to provide a more dynamic ad placement based on user queries.

Top ads appear above organic results, but could also appear below organic results for certain queries.        

However, this change has caused confusion and discussions among PPC professionals regarding its impact on ad visibility and metrics. It's important to note that this update only changes the definition of "top ads" and does not affect the calculation of performance metrics.

?? 1st Contributor:? Ginny Marvin

Image Credit : Arpan Banerjee

Vehicle Listing Ads Roll Out in the UK (DE & FR Coming Soon)

Christopher Bell spotted that Google has recently expanded its Shopping and Performance Max (PMax) offerings by introducing Vehicle Listing Ads (VLA) in the UK. This was originally announced in December.

What's next?

• Currently, DE and FR are in beta-testing phases.
• NL, IT, and ES are set to follow in Q2.

This is a significant step as it opens up a new category with immense potential.

?? 1st Contributor:? Christopher Bell

Google Ads Launches Product Studio in Australia & Canada

Product Studio, Google's AI image tool, is now accessible via Google Merchant Center for users in Australia and Canada.

To utilize this feature, navigate to Google Merchant Center Next, select 'Products,' then 'Product Studio,' and click 'Get Started.' This expansion offers merchants in these regions a sophisticated tool to elevate their online product visuals.

Before diving in, users are advised to review the legalities concerning image metadata. Read the complete article available at Feed Army .

Share Ad Preview for Performance Max

Google Ads has rolled out a new feature allowing advertisers to share previews of Performance Max campaigns via External Preview Links, mirroring capabilities previously exclusive to Display campaigns.

This update addresses the challenge of demonstrating to clients the varied appearances of Performance Max ads across different placements and formats.

By generating a shareable URL through the campaign's asset group options, advertisers can now easily present ad previews to clients or team members without requiring access to the Google Ads account. This improvement is poised to streamline client approvals and facilitate the troubleshooting of ad variations.

I love this update - as it should make it much easier to get client buy in on Performance Max, but should also allow you to troubleshoot any potential issues that may arise in the different combinations available.

?? 1st Contributor: Scott Carruthers

Logo Suggestions for Performance Max Campaigns

Google Ads has recently introduced a new AI feature which suggests logos for Performance Max (Pmax) campaigns based on the final URL of the advertiser's website. The AI generates recommendations for logos with a 4:1 ratio, and advertisers can upload up to five logos per Pmax Asset Group.

?? 1st Contributor: Thomas Eccel

Status Hover View in Product Overview

Patrick Gehn spotted you can hover over the status in a product overview, displaying eligible and ineligible campaigns instantly. This update serves as a quick tool for identifying issues efficiently.

?? 1st Contributor: Patrick Gehn

Google Ads Introduces "Minimum Daily Budget"

Thomas Eccel has recently introduced a new rule for Demand Generation campaigns that use the Max Clicks bidding strategy. This rule requires a "Minimum Daily Budget" to be set.

This change encourages higher initial investments from first-time campaign creators. However, the minimum requirement can be adjusted to a lower daily budget later. This update could impact advertisers' planning and budgeting strategies, particularly those new to the platform.

?? 1st Contributor: Thomas Eccel

Google Introduces "Tag Diagnostics"

Google has introduced a new tool called "Tag Diagnostics" which helps advertisers to identify and resolve issues with website tags.

This tool is accessible through the Google Tag configuration page on Google Ads, GA4 and Google Tag Manager platforms. It has a "Tag Quality Score" that ranges from Excellent to Urgent and provides detailed insights into detected issues.

?? 1st Contributor: Dario Zannoni

Performance Max's Auction Insights for Search & Shopping

Google has introduced auction insights for Performance Max campaigns, now offering visibility into competitor performance on Search and Shopping.

This update aims to enhance strategic planning and competitive analysis for advertisers.

?? 1st Contributor: Adriaan Deeker

Other updates:

• Sunset of Structured Data Files v5.5
• Transition to OpenRTB Protocol Announced by Google Ads
• New fields in Search Ads 360 available: Label (Keyword) and Label (Ad)

Advertising News

Online shopping is changing, becoming more personalized.

Google announced a new set of tools on March 27th, that are designed to revolutionize how people shop on the web.

These features include style recommendations, brand preferences, and virtual try-on capabilities, which are meant to make the experience of shopping more personal and intuitive. [Read more ]

?? Privacy & Compliance

Google has released its 2023 Ads Safety Report

Last year, Google removed 206.5 million ads for misrepresentation and 273.4 million ads for violating financial services policies. Over 5,000 new election advertisers were verified, and over 7.3 million election ads were removed for non-compliance to maintain election integrity. Google's AI blocked or removed over 5.5 billion ads and suspended 12.7 million advertiser accounts in 2020.

The European Union's Commission has initiated investigations against Alphabet, Apple, and Meta for potential non-compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA is aimed at ensuring fair digital market practices and imposes stringent regulations on companies identified as "gatekeepers."

The companies under scrutiny will be investigated for their practices related to app store rules, self-preferencing, user choice obligations, and data usage models. These investigations could result in fines of up to 10% of global turnover for infringements, which could escalate to 20% for repeated offences.

Additionally, companies found guilty of systematic violations could face structural changes. The EU's decisive action in enforcing digital market fairness is a significant step forward. The investigations are expected to conclude within 12 months.

?? 1st Contributor: Luiza Jarovsky

Users in the EEA region can now benefit from "Price Transparency"

Google Ads users in the European Economic Area (EEA) can now access a new "Price Transparency" feature. This move is likely due to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations that aim to increase transparency.

The feature allows advertisers to download a CSV file to view competitors' ad spend. However, not all users have access to this feature yet. To access it, users need to navigate to "Settings" and then "Account Settings" within Google Ads.

They can then agree to the terms and unlock the ability to download their competitors' spending data. This development is a significant step towards greater transparency in digital advertising, although it is being rolled out gradually.

?? 1st Contributor: Charles Coatalem ? / Axel Falck

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