Round-Up: PPC (July 2023)
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We’re back again with the latest round-up of the biggest, most impactful stories from the pay-per-click (PPC) world. As ever, it’s been a busy one with more of a focus on a few big stories shaking up the industry, as opposed to several smaller ones.
This month, the PPC world expands with new additions to Performance Max & Feeds, Microsoft plays catch-up, and advertisers deal with the fallout of the Universal Analytics & GA4 deadline.
PPC is a tricky enough subject as it is, that’s before you get to the fact that news about updates, analytics, and changes are released weekly. So if you’d rather let a team of experts worry about the PPC industry, leaving you to focus on dominating yours, then get in touch.
Call our team on 0161 327 2635 or email [email protected] to kick off your PPC journey today.
Four Big News Stories from the World of PPC
1. Universal Analytics (Mostly Sunsets)
When July 1st rolled around, the digital world held its breath – Google Analytics 4 became THE new standard for analytics offerings, with the long-serving Universal Analytics (UA) finally closing its shutters…
… Sorta.
Unbeknownst to most, Universal Analytics received an update from Google, with an announcement that it will continue tracking clicks and conversions for some advertisers, to give a little extra buffer room for digital specialists to catch up and roll out their solution for GA4 implementation.
2. Google’s Performance Max Lets Users Create “Product Collections”
Performance Max continues to be a double-edged sword, with the notoriously vague campaign type vexing some advertisers with its lack of insights and actionable reporting.
However, the campaign started looking more useful and user-friendly with a new addition announced in July: Product Collections in Feeds.
The feature will allow users to collate different products and creative assets into groups, enriching product data and giving the user more points for engagement and purchasing.
The new feature is currently only restricted to local products for Store Goals, however, Google has promised that the feature is coming to wider-scale and international advertisers.
3. Microsoft Ads & Bing Launch Their Own Performance Max Product (in Beta)
While Microsoft’s rival to Google Ads has made some advancements with its ChatGPT integration, the platform is still only just catching up when it comes to features that Google has been using for over a year.
That said, Microsoft has proudly announced that its own Performance Max product is now available via limited beta, meaning that selected advertiser accounts can trial the campaign and serve ads across Microsoft’s Messy Middle.
While Microsoft has had a Google Ads import feature available for years now, the network and mechanics behind their campaigns do differ from Google’s. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft’s “Bing Version” of Performance Max will drive revenue on par with Google’s original, but as ever, we’re keen on seeing what Embryo can do with a new tool in the box.
4. Google’s Performance Max (FINALLY) Allows for Brand Controls
A long-time frustration with Performance Max is the lack of direct control over exactly what you can (and can’t) bid on.
This has been problematic for advertisers, as it means that (unless you work with a somewhat ‘hacky’ method with negative keyword lists) you cannot prevent Performance Max from bidding on your brand name.
THAT’S been problematic for advertisers, because bidding on a brand isn’t always desirable, especially if there are agreements in place between the agency & client specifically NOT to bid on the brand!
Thankfully, Google finally rolled out Brand Exclusions and Restrictions to Performance Max, allowing advertisers to rule out brand search terms as they see fit.
Want to Take Advantage of This Month’s PPC Changes? Get in Touch
And with that, we conclude this month’s digest of PPC industry updates! Follow Embryo today to keep up with the latest in PPC and all things digital.
Keeping up to date with PPC can distract you from other business-critical tasks so if you’d rather let a team of experts look after your accounts why not get in touch today? You can call us on 0161 327 2635 or email us at [email protected].
