Top 5 Updates on Google and Bing Ads

By mixBrigade

Isn’t it hard to keep up with all the updates in Google and Bing ads algorithm and features? In this article, we will focus on the most recent search engine marketing (Google and Bing Ads) updates announced last month.

Here are top 5 SEM updates, which we believe worth mentioning and may have some impact your ad campaigns

“An ad is finished only when you no longer can find a single element to remove.” – Robert Fleege

#1 Bing has launched smart shopping ads

Bing Ads have introduced Smart shopping ads, which in simple sense is:

Smart Shopping Ads = Standard Shopping Ads + Auto Targeting + Remarketing Campaign

With Smart shopping ads, there is no need to create separate campaigns for standard shopping ads and remarketing ads. Microsoft Bing Ads will track the user engaging with your ad and will retarget that user multiple times (frequency as specified). Enabling these automation tools helps serve ads to the right user at the right time. Hence, boosting conversion rates and reducing costs.

Click here to learn how to set up Smart Shopping campaigns.

#2 Alert: Microsoft Bans some Products and services from its audience network

Bing has recently updated its Audience network policy. With this update, one cannot promote few services and products through Microsoft Audience Network. This includes native advertisement on MSN and Outlook etc:

Lawsuit advertising/invitations to participate in a lawsuit
End-of-life products and services, including but not limited to cremation services, funeral flowers, urns, coffins, and obituaries
Health supplements and vitamins
- Enforcement for supplement and vitamin ads that are currently running on the network will not begin until January. Please note that ads escalated through complaints that are found to violate other policies will be taken down prior to January.
Gambling
- Such ads will now be disallowed on native advertising served on Microsoft owned and operated properties. Gambling related ads were already on the blacklist on Micrsoft Audience Network

Check out complete policy update here

#3 Google has now allowed Product feed with their video ads

Now you can add product feed to your Youtube video ads. With this new feature, advertisers can display their browsable product feed right below the Youtube video ad.

How it works?

With product feed activated, your video ad will have a panel below it, which will automatically expand to showcase products. User’s mobile device should be in portrait mode to view the product feed.
Users can select a product image to immediately go to the product’s landing page for more information and to make a purchase.
A minimum of 4 product images can be shown below the video ad.

Check out the requirement of setting up these ads here

#4 Google ads Announced Conversion Goals

Measuring Google Ads conversions is one of the most important aspect in optimizing your ad campaign performance in terms of value.

Google has now introduced conversions goals, a new way of optimizing your objectives at the account or campaign level.

So how will it be different from before?

Uptill last month, one could use awareness, sales or leads objectives, while setting up the campaigns. With Conversion Goals, you will now also have the option to choose which specific conversion action(s) you want to optimize your ads for.

For example, if you have an online course offering website, you can set default account level goal as purchase and within the purchase, you’ll now also be able to choose your “Course Booked/Purchase” conversion action. Hence forth, Google Ads will only optimize and maximize conversions that matter.

You can view data for conversion goals by going to Tools > Measurement > Conversions. Your existing conversion, conversion optimization, and bidding strategies will not be changed. But terminology is changing:

Key points to consider when using conversion goals:

Make sure that the conversion tracking is properly is setup and tags are firing correctly.
Set up the conversion values correctly, as Google is going to measure the ROAS based on the value you will provide.
I have linked Google guide to use Conversion Goals

#5 Google Launched Performance max campaigns for all advertisers

Back in October 2020, Google had released Performance Max campaigns in beta version. This was available to limited Google ad accounts. Now Google has decided to make this feature accessible to all Google advertisers.

What are performance max campaigns?

Performance max is an AI driven feature which extends your ads visibility across YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail and Maps from a single campaign. If Google algorithm analyses that other platforms can boost your ad performance, it will therefore, automatically start showing your ad on those channels. They complement your keyword-based Search campaigns to help you grow performance across Google’s full range of advertising channels and inventory. Click here to know more about Performance Max

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Mixbrigade has a wide experience in digital marketing for many international brands, across multiple B2B and B2C industries and shares his knowledge to help other digital marketers. Please subscribe to the blog.