Say goodbye to Google AdWords and say hello to Google Ads! On June 27th, Google announced a rebrand of their advertising platform. On July 24th, Google AdWords became Google Ads.
The name isn’t the only thing that’s changing for Google’s advertising platform. Along with the new user experience update, Google has already begun rolling out some new features within its advertising platform, and we’ll continue to see new features being launched as the platform transitions from AdWords to Google Ads. Here are the top 5 new features every paid marketer needs to know about!
- Smart Ads
This will be the first new solution to launch under the platform’s new brand. This tool is designed primarily for small businesses. Smart campaigns will now be the default campaign type for new users in Google Ads. These campaigns are almost entirely automated from ad creatives to campaign goals, making it easy for the everyday user to advertise for their business needs.
These ads will be shown across Google’s properties, much like the Google Display Network. The Google Display Network allows you to turn off certain channels and to select the audiences you would like to target. This will not be the case for Google’s Smart Ads. With Smart Ads you won’t be able to specify any of your targeting preferences or turn off certain channels. These will be handled automatically and optimized by Google’s internal algorithms.
Users who have tested this feature in beta have reported doubled sales in the first 60 days of running these campaigns. If you haven’t tested out advertising through Google, Smart Ads is the place to start!
- Add Notes to Record Key Changes in the Account
Recording changes you’ve made in your ads just became a lot easier. Rather than having to wonder what changes you’ve made, you can now add a note to any of your campaigns. If you saw a dramatic increase in clicks in your campaign because you switched to the automated “Maximize Clicks” bid strategy, you can add a note so other users looking at the account can closely follow any changes that are being made.
To add a note, simply hover over any data point on your graph in the reporting section and click “Add Note.”
- Write Fewer Ads
Writing ad copy is one of the most time consuming tasks when creating ads. With this new feature, Google will write new ads for your AdGroups. These ad suggestions are designed to help users save time and it will result in well-written, engaging ad copy.
If you want to set up these ad suggestions, simply navigate to the recommendations tab from your account and you can find them under “Ads & Extensions.” Once you select this, all you will need to do is review and accept the suggested ad copy.
The latest reports have shown that users who are using Google’s automated ad suggestions have seen a 10% increase in click-through rates over manual ads. If you want to save time and increase your click through rate, this is one feature you won’t want to miss out on!
- Responsive Search Ad Extensions
Google has been testing responsive search ads in beta, and has not yet released the feature to all advertisers. Responsive search ads will help advertisers automate their A/B testing. Google’s machine learning systems will do more of the work and optimize the best performing ads.
One of the biggest incentives to use responsive search ads is the increased character limits. Traditionally, one of the biggest battles for advertisers has been ensuring that their ad descriptions are under 80 characters. With responsive search ads, you don’t ever have to worry about running out of characters. These responsive ads will show three headlines instead of two, and instead of 80 characters you will be allowed to use 90 characters in your ad description.
- In-Market and Custom Intent Audiences
The last new feature you need to try is In-Market and Custom Intent Audiences. Up until this point, advertisers were only able to target specific audiences based on their interests through display campaigns. Now, advertisers can get the same detailed targeting for search ads!
In-Market Audiences will allow you to connect with consumers who are searching products and services that are related to yours. This feature allows you to find users whose search and browsing behaviors indicate a likeliness that they will also be searching for products like yours.
Google’s Custom Intent Audiences is a great new tool to use in your display campaigns. These audiences provide a more specific way of targeting that allows you to target people who are in the market for the products and services you may be offering.
You can create custom intent audiences by including keywords and URLs that are related to your products and services. You can also let Google’s system create these audiences for you based on keywords in your account and common keywords and URLs that are related to your products and services.
So what are you waiting for? Step up your game! Say goodbye to Google AdWords and say hello to Google Ads with these five new features that will bring you success in the world of paid advertisements!
