Google launched a number of new features for AdWords last year and continues to do so in 2016 as well. What this means for PPC agency and advertisers is that, now they have new weapons in their arsenal to add that extra zing to their campaigns. Some main AdWords features that can prove useful for marketers this year include:
1. Call-Only Campaigns: 2015 saw the introduction of Call only campaigns by Google. These were aimed at advertising to people who search for a business on their phone and immediately call it to avail its services. Such campaigns though not suited for every kind of business, prove a beneficial option for those who are looking to garner more phone calls rather that website traffic. Especially businesses who schedule appointments or meetings can find use of such campaigns. Apart for highlighting what a business offers call-only ads also present the phone number which includes a call button. This makes it easier for the searcher to immediately dial the call. It also helps businesses to come up with a bidding approach according to how much they want to pay for each voice call
2. Updates for Video Campaigns: The other two important updates that came out for AdWords last year include TrueView Cards and TrueView for shopping, both these features are to help make video ads more appealing and interactive for users.
TrueView Cards allow an advertiser to present more information about a business and helps direct people towards a website directly from the ad. Aside from this it gives the option to marketers so that they can recommend relevant videos or playlists to the users. It also runs on mobile devices and smart TV, thus providing more platforms to run ads on
TureView for shopping is a part of the Cards option. On the one hand it allows advertisers to promote products and images and on the other it allows users to purchase from a website all within the video ad. This helps an advertiser know whether people are simply watching their ads or actually clicking on them.
3. Recent Ad Extensions: Google presented a new feature which allows advertisers to select the added information they want to present with their ads, to users. By using structured snippet extensions, a PPC expert can highlight the main features of a brand and products. Google even created other custom“Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” structured snippets that allow a business to showcase the special deals it is offering over the holiday shopping season, thus presenting more attractiveness for users. Ad extensions are known to effect ad ranks and so, using these extensions can be beneficial for any type of business
4. Ads on Gmail: Google even presented the option to advertisers last year so that they could run native Gmail ads directly from AdWords. These ads allow a business to present a range of specific products, deals, and offers in a more attractive way to users. They are users mainly to entice a user to click on the call to action button. Using these ads, a business can target users based on keywords, audience type, demographics or relevant topics
5. Shopping Remarketing Lists: These allow a business to specifically target users that are considered more valuable. Meaning even if a person has turned away after visiting your site you can still remarket to them.
Along with this, Google also released two new tools namely the Shopping Insights Tool and the Assortment Report. The Shopping Insights Tool identifies products that people are looking for online and provides in-depth information about their search behavior. The Assortment Report uses the Google Merchant Center to identify products that shoppers are searching for that the business currently does not offer.