What’s New for Marketers with Google in 2018?

Before we get into what’s new in feature land, let’s talk about the name change. After almost 20 years, Google is making changes to the names of its products as well as integrating them.

  • Google AdWords is now Google Ads.

  • DoubleClick and Google Analytics 360 Suite are now under the brand Google Marketing Platform.

  • DoubleClick for Publishers and DoubleClick Ad Exchange are now integrated into a platform: Google Ad Manager.

Why the change? Google says it’s to help advertisers understand, plan, manage, buy and optimize ads better; all those different names turned out to be confusing for new advertisers (and the new integration will let advertisers share and develop better insight).

Google Ads’ New Features

The new feature updates to the google products evolve around machine learning and AI, basically every aspect of a campaign can now be automated—targeting, creative, and bidding.

Responsive Search Ads or RSAs

In Beta since May, this new ad type will be available over the coming months to everyone. Responsive Search Ads have more space and allow an advertiser to dynamically combine headlines and descriptions. Google does the testing. This will take a lot of the manual work out of it and help advertisers, especially smaller advertisers, be able to advertise on Google. At first though, it’s going to take you some time to shift your existing inventory of ads over to RSA format.

Local Campaigns

A new campaign type that helps to increase in-person visits to stores. It reports on these store visits by using aggregated, anonymized data from signed-in google users who have allowed their locations to be tracked. Ads are generated by combining the advertising creative elements from advertiser and location extensions, and then Google automatically optimizes delivery across its various ad properties.

Smart Shopping Campaigns

Another Google product that has been in Beta since May, Smart Shopping automatically optimizes ad delivery across Google’s properties based on the advertiser’s defined goals, including revenue, return on ad spend, and now, store visits or new customers.

YouTube Campaigns

Google has introduced a new type of Smart Bid strategy, called Maximum Lift, to optimize delivery to users who are more-likely consider a product or service after watching a video ad.

Watch the Keynote at Google Live 2018.

Get caught up! Google has also recently rolled out a new search console.

There are more changes to follow too. If Google’s changes are too much to keep track of, maybe it’s time to give us a ring? We stay on top of the SEM industry so you don’t have to. Contact us at info@searchwarrant.ca.