Staying on top of the latest news in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can help your business succeed. The PPC world moves at lightning speed, and changes to best practices or new ways to analyze data can mean the difference between meeting lead goals or being behind the curve.
Since we spend so much time navigating the world of digital marketing, we’re constantly keeping up to date with PPC news. Staying on top of this news can help you be more engaged and proactive in your digital strategy.
This week, we’re looking at some interesting news about Google Ads and projected PPC trends in 2021.
Google releases its annual Ads Safety Report
The Ads Safety Report reviews all the advertisements delivered to Google Ads and compares it with the platform’s policies. A major finding of this year’s report is that Google blocked 3.1 billion ads that violated its policies in 2020. Some of the top categories that contributed to this number include:
- COVID-19 — Google added restrictions that banned ads promoting false COVID-19 cures and ads that were related to price gouging of vital pandemic-related supplies. These supplies included things like masks and hand sanitizer.
- Political ads — The past year’s political sphere was highly charged, and Google sought to help cool things down by banning election-related ads from November 3 through December 10. Following the U.S. Capitol insurrection on January 6, Google also shut down ads that mentioned politics, impeachment, the inauguration, and the insurrection.
Four PPC trends to keep an eye on in 2021
It’s probably not surprising that 2020 saw businesses rely more on digital advertising, since more customers moved to digital purchasing due to COVID-19. This and other trends that the pandemic spawned may not be quick to go away. Some of the trends that you should be sure to keep an eye on in 2021 include:
- Proactive analysis — Most of the analysis that companies did this year may have felt reactive as they responded to COVID-19. However, your competitive analysis is something you should consider doing in advance, and it can include looking into ads strategy, keyword research, market research, competitive analysis and PPC tactics.
- Privacy and attribution — Both Google and Apple are moving toward changes that help improve user privacy. This means that search marketers and analysts will need to think about:
- Requesting permission to collect customer data.
- Collecting the minimum amount of data necessary.
- Purging the data when they’re done.
- Clearly communicating what is being done with the data.
- Stakeholder communication — Taking steps to ensure timely stakeholder communication is vital. It can help keep your stakeholders from worrying as search marketing trends change, and it can help keep them informed.
- Automation — Some marketers may have tried and rejected automated tools in the past. Yet automation is a trend that continues to grow in PPC. It may be time to reconsider your stance on automation since it can help:
- Create a more consolidated account structure.
- Save you time.
- Improve stakeholder communication.
- Increase conversions.
Burg & Co. is here to help you build your digital marketing and PPC strategy
PPC can be an important part of a well-rounded digital marketing strategy. It can help your brand reach a wider target audience while you continue to build your organic search efforts. If you’re looking for ways to improve your PPC strategy and reach more users without breaking the bank, let us help. Contact our team today for more information about PPC marketing or to schedule a complimentary consultation.
