?? PPC News (Week 42 | Oct 16-22)

Founded with the mission of simplifying the complex world of PPC, we’re here to keep you updated, nurture new talents, and spotlight industry leaders. We diligently curate and package essential updates each week, freeing you up to excel in your campaigns. ??

Join us at PPC.News

This newsletter is sponsored by?Opteo , the smarter way to manage Google Ads.

Opteo is an essential tool for PPC managers, helping them keep a firm grip on their accounts by tracking performance trends and offering data-driven optimisation recommendations.

What's new at Opteo?

The latest release –?"Adjust Ad Group Target"?– is designed to fine-tune your smart bidding strategies and protect you from inefficient budget allocation. By optimising your ad group level targets, you can avoid bidding on queries that lead to expensive conversions or produce a low ROAS

Opteo is offering PPC News subscribers an?exclusive extended 60-day free trial.? Click here to learn more .

PPC News

[October 16-22]

Events

PPC Live UK : Join this unique PPC networking event in London on October 26th from 5:30 PM to 10 PM. The event features expert talks, pizza, and drinks, providing a great opportunity to network with others in the PPC community. The venue is Trainline, and I will be attending - feel free to PM for a meetup. [Register Now ]

Meta Agency Summit to Redefine Performance Marketing : Meta is hosting a global virtual event aimed at exploring new avenues in performance marketing through Meta technologies. Scheduled for October 25th, from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM EDT, the summit is open for registration. [Register Now ]

Free Registration for SMX Next Online Event : SMX Next is offering a two-day, expert-led online training event focused on actionable tactics for successful search campaigns. The event is scheduled for November 14-15, 2023, and the content will be available on-demand until May 13, 2024. [Register Now ]

Measurement

Google Analytics 4

Mandatory Upgrade to Google Analytics 4 by March 2024 : Google has announced that Analytics 360 properties must be upgraded to Google Analytics 4 by March 2024 to continue receiving support. New features such as custom reporting experiences and sub-property linking will only be available in Google Analytics 4, and Universal Analytics will be fully shut down in July 2024. [source ]

Attribution Model Phase-Out - First Click, Linear, Time Decay, and Position-Based Models to Be Removed : Google Analytics has confirmed that the First Click, Linear, Time Decay, and Position-Based attribution models were discontinued in all properties by mid-October 2023. If your current setup uses any of these models, it will default to the Paid and Organic Data-Driven Attribution model; Paid and Organic Last Click, as well as Google Paid Channels Last Click, will remain available. [source ]

“In January, some reporting features will disappear. A more significant impact is that you will no longer be able to export audience or conversions to Google Ads in Europe starting in March.” Charles Farina [post ]

Redesigned Admin Panel in Google Analytics 4 Spotted : Users are reporting a new layout for the admin panel in Google Analytics 4, aimed at a more user-friendly experience through organized settings. [source ] Christiaan Dollen

Calculated Metrics : Spotted last week, Google Analytics 4 now allows you to create Calculated Metrics, a feature that combines standard or custom metrics through mathematical formulas to derive new, more actionable insights. This update enables businesses to apply their own logic to metrics, making data more directly relevant for decision-making in Google Analytics. [source ]

Google Tag Manager

Server-side Tagging with Proxy Routing : Google Tag Manager now allows you to route traffic from your server container to a proxy server, provided your Docker image is version 2.2.0 or later. [source ]

Note: The update on Google Tag Manager brings more flexibility and control in data management for PPC managers. Routing traffic through a proxy server can help in various scenarios, such as when additional security layers are needed or when dealing with compliance requirements.

DataStudio

Table Drilling and Tooltips Enhancements for Enhanced Data Insights : A new update in table chart reporting enables report creators and viewers to have a more interactive drill experience. The update allows multiple dimensions for drilling, as well as the ability to set up 'Drill Through' links to external URLs, providing deeper context to the presented data. [source ]

Visualize Apigee API Analytics Data in Looker Studio : Looker Studio now offers an Apigee connector that allows you to create reports and dashboards based on analytics and monetization data from Apigee, simplifying API management and sharing insights with stakeholders. [source ]

Search Console

Google Introduces Markup Option for Vehicle Listings : Google has launched a new markup option for car dealerships, allowing them to list their for-sale inventory directly on Google Search. The feature simplifies the setup process and also offers a new Rich result report in the Search Console for monitoring structured data. [source ]

Microsoft Clarity

Microsoft Clarity's Visual Redesign : Microsoft's heat mapping and session recording tool, Clarity, has undergone a significant visual update, offering a more user-friendly interface. The facelift aims to improve the user experience while maintaining the core functionalities that make it a valuable asset for website analysis. [post ] Josh Silverbauer

Paid Search

Google Ads

Demand Gen Campaigns in Performance Planner : Google Ads' Performance Planner now includes Demand Generation campaigns, offering forecasting capabilities under specific eligibility criteria. To utilize this feature, ensure no bid strategy changes in the last 7 days, all ad groups have at least one impression in that time, and campaigns are active or recently paused. [post ] Thomas Eccel

Additional resources: Demand Gen campaign asset specs and best practices

Direct Video Uploads : Google Ads now allows users to upload videos directly within the platform to an "Ad Storage Channel," eliminating the need to hassle clients for video content. This update simplifies the process of launching YouTube campaigns by handling video storage and permissions internally. [post ] Chris Chambers??

Seasonality Settings Now Available for App Campaigns : Following the EMEA product kick-off, Google Ads has rolled out a beta feature allowing advertisers to make seasonality adjustments in App campaigns, exclusive to Smart Bidding strategies. These adjustments are designed to inform the bidding algorithm about expected fluctuations in conversion rates for up to a 14-day period. [post ] CrackPPC and see EMEA product kick-off from Adriaan Dekker

WhatsApp Support for Google Ads Expands to Multiple Countries : Previously limited to LINE.ME , Google Ads support via WhatsApp is now available in a variety of countries, including India, Hong Kong, Brazil, and Mexico among others. [source ] Arpan Banerjee

Stricter Requirements for Google Ads Certifications : Google Ads has updated its certification process on Skillshop, requiring a photo ID, facial picture, and a recorded test-taking environment, all under the watch of a live proctor. The PPC community has shown mixed reactions, questioning the value and feasibility of these new guidelines. [tweet ] Greg Finn

Google Ads API

API Data Quality : Google Ads has initiated the rollout of a new beta feature called API Data Quality. Designed as a diagnostics tool, it visually presents potential errors when data is sent to the API, making it easier to spot issues, particularly in the realm of offline conversions. [post ] Frederik Boysen

Google Ads API v15 : Latest Features and Updates: Google announces the release of v15 for the Google Ads API, which brings a plethora of new features and improvements such as RecommendationSubscriptionService, new recommendation types, and comprehensive updates to Performance Max. Users will need to update their client libraries and code to access these new features, with the updated libraries to be published next week. [source ]

Google Ads API and Display & Video 360 Updates in Preparation for DMA : Google is updating its Ads API and Display & Video 360 API to comply with the upcoming Digital Markets Act (DMA). The updates include new "Consent" objects for call conversions, click conversions, Customer Match, and Store Sales, and are expected to be enforced by March 6, 2024. [source ]

Google AdSense

Google AdSense Rolls Out Related Search for Auto Ads : Google AdSense has introduced a feature that displays search terms related to the content users are viewing, improving targeting precision for advertisers. The feature doesn't count toward the ad load on the page and is available to all publishers. [source ] Learn more

Sticky Implementations for Non-In-Stream Ads: Google is updating its Video publisher policy on November 7, 2023, to permit non-in-stream ads to be displayed in a fixed position on the screen, also known as "sticky implementations." This means such ads won't move or disappear as users scroll down a web page. Goutham Veerabathini

Microsoft Ads

Microsoft's Target CPA and Maximize Conversions Now Generally Available : Microsoft has announced that Target CPA and Maximize Conversions bid strategies are now available to all advertisers in markets where Audience Ads are supported. The automated bidding strategies aim to maximize results with minimal effort, offering advertisers greater flexibility in campaign management. [source ]

Amazon Ads

Amazon Unveils Sponsored TV Ads - Full-Screen, Unskippable Video Ads Across Streaming Platforms : Amazon has launched Sponsored TV Ads, offering advertisers full-screen, unskippable video placements within a range of streaming content such as Amazon Freevee originals, Twitch live streams, live sports events, and Fire TV channels. This introduces a new avenue for brands to capture a broader audience and integrate seamlessly into viewers' streaming experiences. [post ] Himanshu Verma

"New-to-Brand Detail Page Views" Metrics : Amazon has rolled out a new metric, "New-to-Brand Detail Page Views," which tracks first-time visits to your product detail page. This serves as a valuable indicator of brand engagement and allows you to measure the success of your marketing strategies in attracting new and potentially loyal customers. [post ] Himanshu Verma

Product-Level Trends : Amazon Advertising's new update lets you view performance trends at the ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) level. By navigating through the Advertising Console and the Products Tab, advertisers can easily access these product-specific insights. [post ] Destaney Wishon

Rest of search Placement Optimization : Amazon has released a new feature aimed at improving the performance of ads placed in the "Rest of the Page" section. The update allows advertisers to start campaigns with low bids, effectively boosting impressions and clicks for ads in this location. [post ] Muhammad Amir Akhlaq

New "Goals" Settings Introduced for Amazon Sponsored Brands Campaigns : Amazon has added two new goal options for Sponsored Brands Campaigns: "Drive page visits," which operates on a cost-per-click basis, and "Grow brand impression share," which uses a vCPM cost type. [post ] Himanshu Verma

'Cost Per Order' Optimization for Sponsored Display : Amazon's Sponsored Display Campaigns now offer a 'Cost per Order' setting when you choose the 'Conversions' optimization strategy. This feature disables manual bid settings, calculating bids automatically to align with your specified cost per order, starting at a minimum of $5.00. [post ] Khezar Elahi

Programmatic

Trade Desk

Instacart Partners with The Trade Desk for Enhanced CPG Advertising : Instacart and The Trade Desk have announced a partnership aimed at leveraging Instacart's retail media data to optimize programmatic advertising for CPG brands. The collaboration will enable brands to build and activate high-intent, Instacart-informed audiences across omnichannel media buys through The Trade Desk, including CTV and display channels. [source ]

Paid Social

Meta Ads

Budget Scheduling Now Available for Q4 : A new 'Budget Scheduling' feature allows advertisers to schedule budgets in advance and allocate higher budgets for specific time periods, such as peak sales seasons. Once the peak period is over, the budget will automatically revert to the initial daily setting, eliminating the need for manual updates. [post ] Bram Van der Hallen

Meta Implements Verification for Custom Events : Advertisers using Meta's platform will now need to verify their custom events via the Events Manager Overview. This new requirement aims to ensure the quality of custom events sent from your pixel, with an initial verification deadline set for mid-January. [article ] Jon Loomer

YouTube Ads

AI-Driven "Spotlight Moments" Debuts on YouTube for Targeted Ads : YouTube introduces "Spotlight Moments" a new AI-driven ad package allowing advertisers to capitalize on popular, relevant videos during key cultural events. Exclusive to Video Reach & Video Views campaigns, the new offering aims to boost brand visibility and engagement by dynamically curating sponsored playlists that automatically update based on trending content. [source ]

X Ads

X Introduces Two New Premium Tiers : Elon Musk announced that X (formerly Twitter) will soon offer two new premium subscription tiers—one cheaper but with ads and another more expensive tier that removes ads entirely. This move comes as platforms like Meta and TikTok are also considering or testing ad-free tiers. [source ]

TikTok Ads

"Out of Phone" for Out-of-Home Advertising : TikTok introduces "Out of Phone," a new advertising solution that enables brands to extend their TikTok campaigns into the physical world via screens in various public spaces like billboards, cinemas, and retail stores. The initiative aims to give brands the ability to amplify their presence across diverse and far-reaching audiences beyond the mobile platform. [source ]

Organic Social

Facebook

Broadcast Channels on Pages and Messenger : Facebook is rolling out a new feature called "Broadcast Channels" that enables Page admins to directly reach their audience through one-to-many public messaging. This addition aims to facilitate deeper engagement with communities, allowing admins to use features like polls, voice notes, and more to interact with their followers. [source ]

Centralized Account Management Across Meta's Platforms : Meta is streamlining user account management across Facebook and Instagram by consolidating key settings into the Accounts Center. Users can now download data, manage off-platform activities, and transfer information between Facebook and Instagram more easily and efficiently. [source ]

WhatsApp

Dual WhatsApp Accounts for Easy Switching Between Work and Personal Use : WhatsApp is introducing a feature that allows users to have two accounts logged in on the same device. This will enable easier switching between work and personal accounts without needing to log out or carry multiple phones. [source ]

Threads

Threads Posts Now Visible on Facebook : Meta has started displaying Threads posts within a "For You on Threads" carousel on Facebook. This strategy aims to boost engagement and comes after Threads recently introduced features like a free edit button and easy account switching. [source ] [Tweet ]

LinkedIn

LinkedIn Amplifies Collaborative Articles with New Features : LinkedIn's Collaborative Articles, a feature that uses AI-generated prompts to elicit expert contributions, is undergoing updates to enhance user engagement. The changes include an updated layout focusing on contributors, a full set of in-feed reactions, and improved notifications connecting users to relevant articles. [source ]

Generative AI Features in LinkedIn Recruiter : LinkedIn has launched new AI-driven features to streamline the recruitment process. These features include AI-assisted candidate discovery, smarter search suggestions, simplified outreach through automated InMails, and in-depth analytics to evaluate various aspects of recruitment. [post ] Jack Rowbotham

LinkedIn Introduces Direct CTA on Posts : LinkedIn has rolled out a major feature that allows users to add Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons directly to their posts. This update could change the way professionals engage with their audiences. [post ] Pierre-Baptiste ??

YouTube

Major YouTube Updates Spanning Across Devices : YouTube announces a rollout of 36 new features and design updates aimed at enhancing viewer and creator experiences across web, mobile, and Smart TVs. These updates include improved audio controls, quicker access to 2x playback speed, a new 'You Tab,' and features for easier video navigation on Smart TVs. [source ]

YouTube Simplifies Ad Controls for Creators : YouTube is streamlining ad controls in YouTube Studio to optimize creator revenue and simplify the ad activation process. The update removes individual ad controls for pre-roll, post-roll, skippable, and non-skippable ads on new uploads, while providing more control options for mid-roll ads, particularly in live streams. [source ]

New YouTube Shopping Features for Holiday Season : YouTube has introduced new features to make tagging and promoting products easier for creators. Among these are the ability to add timestamps to tagged products for better showcasing, and a bulk tagging feature to apply affiliate tags across multiple videos. [source ]

YouTube Full Funnel Event Insights and Tips : Tiago Goncalves shares invaluable insights from the YouTube Full Funnel event, shedding light on trends and tips for advertisers using YouTube Ads. Topics include the importance of CTV, the rise of Short as a short-form platform, and YouTube's role in product discovery, along with Google's recommendations on ad planning and creative guidance. [post ] Adriaan Dekker

Resources: YouTube Full Funnel deck shared by Adriaan Dekker

Artifact

Artifact Expands Features to Include Location Recommendations : Artifact, the AI-powered news aggregation app by Instagram’s co-founders, now allows users to share and discover recommended places like restaurants or bars. This latest feature transforms Artifact into a more versatile discovery engine, with aims to establish itself in the broader scope of social sharing and content curation. [source ]

Marketing Industry

GDPR, Users Protection & Privacy Laws

Court Upholds GDPR Violation in Employee Surveillance Case : A German labour court has ruled against an employer who hired a private detective to monitor an employee on sick leave, stating that the action violated GDPR principles, specifically data minimization and necessity. The court confirmed the unlawfulness of the surveillance and awarded the employee €1,500 in non-material damages. [source ] Romain Robert

“The requirement of necessity was not met in the present case. By choosing to monitor the data subject by means of a private detective, the controller did not adopt the less intrusive measure and also violated the principle of data minimisation.”

Note: This case serves as a precedent for employers and highlights the importance of GDPR compliance in workplace surveillance. It could have significant implications for how employers handle employee monitoring and data protection issues moving forward.

Meta Accused of Suppressing Palestinian Content: Reports have surfaced accusing Meta Platforms, Inc. of shadowbanning and censoring content related to Palestine on Instagram. Users and advocacy groups claim that Meta's moderation practices disproportionately affect Palestinian voices, despite the company stating it does not intend to suppress any particular community or point of view. [source ]

Advertising News

Amazon.co.za Set to Launch in South Africa in 2024 : Amazon announces its expansion into South Africa with the planned launch of Amazon.co.za next year, opening doors for local sellers to register their businesses and reach customers nationwide. The move aims to offer greater value and convenience for customers while enabling small and medium-sized businesses to grow. [source ]

Google Meet Introduces Portrait Touch-Up Mode : Google Meet now offers a portrait touch-up feature, bringing it in line with competitors like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. The new feature provides two modes for complexion smoothing and other beautifying effects but is currently only accessible to users with premium Google accounts and on mobile devices. [source ]

YouTube Invests in Multi-Format News Experience : YouTube has announced two new initiatives aimed at enhancing the news-watching experience on its platform. These include an immersive watch page for news stories and a Shorts Innovation Program for News, designed to offer financial grants and expert support to news organizations. [source ]

We hope you enjoy this content.

The PPC News project is a collaborative effort to help everyone contribute their knowledge! With this weekly roundup in paid advertising, you can now spend less time wondering what's happening, and more of it on your accounts.

We’re always looking for ways to improve?#ppcnews , and we’d love your feedback. Please let us know if there are any other ways, we could help better, and?if you'd like to join, feel free to PM me.

Feel free to subscribe or follow me (Yoann FERRAND )