Google Ads news
Benchmarking GA4
Arpan Banerjee just sent me that Google Analytics now officialy offers Benchmarks, which are reference metrics that let businesses compare their performance against similar companies within their industry.
These benchmarks, available in percentiles (median, 25th, and 75th), are based on a wide range of industry categories, providing insights into strengths and weaknesses. Peer groups for benchmarking are determined by a combination of the setup’s industry category and additional signals, such as property URLs and app attributes.
Data used for benchmarking is encrypted and protected, with privacy safeguards in place. Benchmarks are only available when there is a sufficient number of properties with meaningful data in a peer group, ensuring accurate and privacy-conscious comparisons with industry standards.
Sexual Health & Wellness Policy (October 2024)
Starting November 11, 2024, Google will implement a new Sexual Health & Wellness policy, allowing the promotion of personal lubricants and prescription drugs for erectile dysfunction (ED) and hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) on the Google Display Network and YouTube, under certain conditions:
– Ads must not focus on sexual pleasure, enhancement, or use sexually suggestive themes.- Ads must target users aged 18 and older.
– Ads must comply with Google’s Healthcare and Medicines Ads policy, country-specific restrictions, and obtain healthcare product certification for prescription terms if needed.
– Ads must comply with local laws in targeted regions.
Promotions are limited to specific regions: personal lubricants may be advertised in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Portugal, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, while prescription drugs for ED and HSDD may only be advertised by certified advertisers in Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.Violations of this policy will result in ad restrictions or disapprovals.Full enforcement of the policy will roll out over approximately 10 weeks.
Google aims to maintain a safe and inclusive advertising space, with potential future expansions to the permitted products and countries list.
New Traffic diversity feature – AUTOMATICALLY LOWERS tROAS 🚨
I have posted about this before but we now have more information on the new New Traffic diversity feature. Google has launched this tool called”Search Bidding Exploration,” aimed at large advertisers using tROAS bidding in campaigns without budget limits.
Part of Google’s Smart Bidding suite, this AI tool helps find low-traffic but valuable search queries, automatically lower tROAS targets by up to 10%, and expands keyword reach beyond typical search terms.
Merchant Center Next x Google Sheets
Emmanuel Flossie just posted that Merchant Center next now works with connecting existing sheets!
Extra information raise budget
Hana Kobzová discovered that Google has enhanced its “Raise your budgets” recommendation in Google Ads by adding more detailed insights and tips. This update, now includes trending data and a growth graph.
Tinuiti Q3 2024 Digital Ads Benchmark Report:
Overall Trends:
– Digital ad growth is slowing across major platforms, though Amazon stands out with increased investment around Prime Day.
– Google and Meta have shown declines in ad spending and impressions compared to previous periods.
Social Media:- Meta (Facebook and Instagram) saw a modest 9% increase in ad spending. – Reels ads are gaining traction on both platforms.
– TikTok and Snapchat continue to grow in popularity, with ad spending up by more than 20%.
Search Advertising:
– Google search ads spending grew 11%, but growth is slowing due to rising cost-per-click.- Amazon temporarily reduced its presence in Google Shopping ads.
Commerce Media:
– Amazon Sponsored Products spending grew 15% during Prime Day, with a 29% increase on those specific days.
– Walmart ad spending is rising, with a 20% increase in Sponsored Products.
Video and Display:
– YouTube experienced a slowdown in ad spending growth to 11%, while ads on TV screens continued to perform well.
For the full report go to this page.
Alphabet’s Q3
Alphabet’s third-quarter earnings beat expectations, with EPS at $2.12 and revenue of $88.27 billion, led by strong results in YouTube ads and Google Cloud.
Revenue grew 15% year-over-year, and the stock rose 3%!
Ad label political ads
Anthony Higman just discovered a new altered or synthetic content in political ads.
Home services local ads migrating
Anthony Higman shared that Home Services Local Services Ad Verticals are Migrating.
Google rep…
Note that Google has taken action against a Rep that just made changes without consent. If this ever happens to you reach out to Google or Ginny Marvin.
Google is scaling up an innovative ad experience in the U.S., introduced at GML2024, to simplify finding self-storage solutions.
In collaboration with companies like Extra Space Storage, Public Storage, and CubeSmart, Google offers a streamlined way to find storage units.
Here’s how it works:
– Search for self-storage on Google via your phone.
– Upload photos of your rooms, and Google AI will analyze your belongings.
– Get recommendations for the best storage unit size, type, and necessary packing supplies based on your needs.
This new approach eliminates the guesswork of storage planning, making it easy to find exactly what you need!
WhatsApp assets available in the USA & Spain?
Raúl Salas Moreno discovered that the WhatsApp assets are already available for him in The USA and Spain!Although in the official documentation, it does not appear as such!
Make sure to check your account and thanks for sharing Raúl Salas Moreno.
New Update: Business Links for Google Search Ads
Hana Kobzová discovered that Google has launched Business links.The new Business Links update introduces an asset type for Google Search ads that enables targeting multiple user intents within a single ad.
This feature leverages Google AI to generate additional, optimized headlines and adapt content to various customer journeys, ultimately boosting ad relevance, engagement, and performance.
Currently in pilot, Business Links can be implemented at account, campaign, or ad group levels, though access remains limited. Key benefits include capturing varied user intents with multiple headlines and optimizing relevance in real-time through AI-generated enhancements.
How It WorksBusiness Links can be added at the account, campaign, or ad group level in Google Ads.
To add a Business Link:
– In Google Ads, go to the Campaigns icon.
– Click the Assets dropdown and select Assets.
– Click the Add button and choose Business Links.
– In the “Add to” dropdown, choose the desired level (Account, Campaign, or Ad Group).
Fill out the following fields:
– Business link text- Description
– Final URL
– Click Save.
Note: Only advertisers in the pilot can add Business Links to their Google Ads account. Business Links can serve with or separate from sitelinks.
Google Ads carousel
Sachin Patel & Barry Schwartz discovered this new sponsored shopping carousel.
New conversion report
Giοrgos Touloumis & Hana Kobzová discovered a new conversion report which are lead or sales-oriented!
Bidding Exploration Explained (Beta) extra information
Hana Kobzová discovered this new page about bidding explorations!Bidding Exploration is now in limited beta, available to select accounts, and designed to enhance Search campaigns using Smart Bidding by finding new, valuable traffic sources.Benefits
Bidding Exploration expands reach by targeting a 10% lower ROAS, boosting traffic diversity with increased bids to discover diverse traffic sources.
Some advertisers may adjust ROAS tolerance beyond 10%.
Best Practices
Eligibility: Campaigns using tROAS may enable Bidding Exploration.
Targeting: Broad match or Dynamic Search Ads are recommended.
Budget Uncapped: Avoid budget limits to ensure effective exploration.
ROAS Targets: Don’t increase ROAS to offset Exploration, as this limits traffic diversity.
Experimentation: Run campaign experiments to measure incremental impact.
Instructions to Enable
Where to find: In Google Ads, open Campaigns and select an eligible campaign.
In Settings, open Bidding Exploration, and check Allow Smart Bidding to explore new traffic.
Bidding Exploration lowers ROAS by up to 10% by default. Customize tolerance as needed.
Click Save. To disable it, uncheck the box.
Performance Measurement
Check the bid strategy report for timeline annotations on active Bidding Exploration and track unique search category impressions to evaluate traffic diversity.
Experiment Best Practices:
– Enable Experiment sync, keep other variables constant.
– Avoid concurrent tests on bidding strategies.
– Wait for performance parity, then activate Exploration.
FAQs
ROAS vs. Exploration: Lowering ROAS raises bids across queries, while Exploration focuses on discovering new traffic.
Duration: Enable for 2-6 weeks initially.
Broad Match/DSA Use: Recommended but not required.
Search Ads 360 Compatibility: Currently, only via Google Ads UI.
Filter change
Julius Fedorovicius discovered that you are now able to filter standard GA4 reports based on the Event Name, without workarounds. Note this was spotted in a demo account so should go live soon:)
Segment Pmax Asset Groups
Thomas Eccel discovered that you can now “Segment” your Pmax Asset Groups directly in the Table View.
You can segment by:
– Time- Click Type (always cross-network clicks)
– Conversions (the most exciting one!)
– Device
– Network (always “cross network”)
– Top vs Others
Checkout Link
Emmanuel Flossie discovered that check out links are now available for PMax display ads and soon other formats!
Competitor notification
Spotted by Craig Graham interesting finding.
Bug interface
Stavros Rozakis discovered this error in the Google Ads interface!
Looker Studio update
Looker Studio has again announced some new partner connections! This is the 6th update on partner connections in two months! Besides this update, you can now choose to wrap row header text in pivot table charts by enabling the Wrap text option in the Style tab.
