Google Expands Auto Ads with “Ad Intents” Sponsored Links via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google has launched a new “ad intents” format for its Auto ads program.

This format inserts links and anchors into publishers’ site content to serve contextual ads and search results in dialog boxes.

The ad intents format aims to surface relevant ads and information based on page content and visitor interests.

When visitors click on the dynamically generated links or anchors, an overlay dialog displaying organic search results and associated advertising opens.

Google explains in its support documentation:

“Ad intents works by scanning your pages for opportunities to help your users find something they might be looking for.

Based on your content and what your users may be interested in, ad intents automatically converts existing text on your page into links and places anchors that appear at the bottom of your page.”

The new format offers publishers a revenue-share model for monetizing their content. Website owners get paid whenever a visitor clicks on an ad displayed in the ad intents dialog boxes.

The expansion of ad intents aligns with Google’s broader strategic shift towards deploying more privacy-safe ad targeting technologies as it phases out support for third-party cookies.

Google touts the new format as serving “highly relevant ads that don’t rely on third-party cookies.”

Enabling Ad Intents

The ad intents functionality is opt-in for Google AdSense publishers.

You can toggle the setting in the AdSense dashboard under “Auto ads” > “Intent-driven formats.”

Publishers can enable or disable the “ad intent links” or “ad intent anchors” separately.

To implement the new ad units, you must accept Google’s updated terms of service and policies.

Backlash & Criticism

While touted as a way to increase publisher earnings, Google’s announcement of ad intents has drawn backlash from some corners of the publisher community over fears it could divert traffic from their websites.

On X (formerly Twitter), user @darth_na states:

“It’s not enough that you steal traffic from sites in the SERPs, you are now intent on stealing actual site visitors, and directing them back to Google?”

Responding to the concerns, Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin emphasized that ad intents is an optional program and that dialog boxes close, leaving visitors on the original publisher page.

The new ad intents format is now being implemented on websites with auto ads enabled through Google AdSense.

Why We Care

The ad intents format is new monetization opportunity for websites that have implemented Google’s Auto ads.

Ad intents could help publishers earn more revenue than traditional contextual ad placements by tapping visitor intent signals from page content.

However, inserting sponsored links and anchors into publisher content raises questions about editorial control and user experience issues, such as excessive ad obstruction.

The new format is notable because Google is shifting towards more privacy-centric targeting as it moves away from cross-site tracking cookies.

How This Can Help You

Website publishers should evaluate whether enabling ad intents makes sense for their traffic, content, and monetization strategies.

While the new format offers potential revenue upsides, balancing those benefits against maintaining high editorial standards is important.

It will be important to assess whether the targeting aligns with your ideal audience intent signals.


Featured Image: Tada Images/Shutterstock

Google AdSense Shifts To eCPM Payment Model via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google is transitioning AdSense to an eCPM payment model for publishers.

Last November, Google stated it would be updating the revenue share structure for AdSense to modernize the way publishers earn money from their website content.

Ginny Marvin, the Google Ads Liaison, has confirmed this transition to eCPM payments for AdSense partners.

A Closer Look At The Updated Revenue Share

Previously, publishers received a consistent 68% of ad revenue. Now, the revenue share is split into separate rates for the buy-side (advertisers) and sell-side (publishers).

Google elaborates on the specifics of this new structure:

“For displaying ads with AdSense for content, publishers will receive 80% of the revenue after the advertiser platform takes its fee, whether that be Google’s buy-side or third-party platforms.”

According to an example from Google, when Google Ads purchases display ads on AdSense, it retains an average of 15% of advertiser spend. Google states that overall publisher revenue is expected to remain around 68% despite these changes.

The model differs when third-party platforms buy AdSense display ads. In these cases, publishers receive an 80% share after the third-party’s fees. Google says it lacks control or visibility into these third-party fees.

The example below shows that with both buy and sell-side fees, one dollar from an advertiser translates to sixty-eight cents for the publisher.

Google AdSense Shifts To eCPM Payment ModelScreenshot from: blog.google/products/adsense/evolving-how-publishers-monetize-with-adsense/, February 20204.

Transitioning To Per-Impression Payments

Google is transitioning AdSense to a per-impression payment model, bringing it in line with industry standards for display advertising. This will allow publishers to compare earnings across Google’s products and third-party platforms more easily.

According to Google, this payment model update will not impact the amount or type of ads publishers can show as long as they adhere to existing AdSense policies and Better Ads Standards. These standards prevent intrusive ads like pop-ups or advertisements that take over the screen.

Takeaways For Publishers

Publishers who rely on AdSense for a portion of their income may be considering the implications of these changes.

Here are some points of consideration.

Understand the Implications

The eCPM (effective cost per thousand impressions) payment model differs from the previous predominant cost-per-click (CPC) model.

With eCPM, publisher revenue is based on the number of impressions rather than clicks.

Publishers should understand how this new model works, as it could impact revenue, especially for those whose content aims for high engagement over high traffic volume.

Adapt Content & SEO Strategies

Google has stated that the earnings for most publishers will likely remain unchanged after the transition to eCPM bidding.

However, the impact may differ on an individual basis. Publishers may need to adjust their content and SEO tactics to maximize revenue within the new eCPM model.

Potential strategies include increasing website traffic volume, improving user engagement metrics, and extending session duration to serve more ad impressions.

Compliance with Ad Standards

The shift to an impression-based model increases the need for publishers to follow AdSense policies and Better Ads Standards.

Publishers must continue providing a positive ad experience for users by avoiding disruptive ads. This will be critical to sustain ad revenue and remain in good standing with the AdSense program.

In Summary

While Google’s AdSense updates aim to simplify and bring transparency to the monetization process, it’s up to publishers to leverage these changes for their benefit.

By staying informed, monitoring performance, and adapting strategies, publishers can continue to thrive.

FAQ

What is the significance of Google transitioning AdSense to an eCPM payment model for publishers?

How will the updated revenue share impact AdSense publishers?

  • The updated revenue share structure changes publishers’ compensation, introducing separate rates for buy-side (advertisers) and sell-side (publishers).
  • Publishers will receive 80% of the revenue after the advertiser platform takes fees, whether from Google’s buy-side or third-party platforms. This could affect income predictability as third-party fees can vary and are not controlled by Google.
  • The overall revenue for publishers is expected to stay around 68%, similar to the previous agreement. Still, there may be individual variations based on the details of each transaction and the parties involved.

What strategies can publishers employ to adapt to the eCPM payment model?

  • Increase website traffic volume to generate more ad impressions and potentially increase revenue.
  • Improve user engagement metrics such as time on page and pages per session, as higher engagement may lead to increased ad impressions.
  • Extend session duration on their sites to serve more ad impressions. This could involve enhancing content quality or providing additional resources to keep users engaged for extended periods.
  • Ensure compliance with AdSense policies and Better Ads Standards to provide a positive ad experience and sustain ad revenue growth.


Featured Image: Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock

AdSense Changing Publisher Revenue Share Structure via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Google announced that it is changing how it pays AdSense publishers, no longer paying per click and switching to exclusively paying on a per impression model.

The announcement assures publishers that the amounts publishers receive should remain the same for most publishers.

Google explained that these changes will go into effect in early 2024.

A blog post on the AdSense blog advised publishers that they are making two changes:

  • Revenue-share structure will be updated
  • Publishers will be paid by impression

According to AdSense, publishers have pocketed 68% of the ad revenue.

Payments under the new payment structure should, according to AdSense, result in publishers receiving “about 68% of the revenue.

The announcement shared the reasons for the change:

“Previously, the Google AdSense network processed fees within a single transaction.

We are now splitting the AdSense revenue share into separate rates for the buy-side and sell-side.

For displaying ads with AdSense for content, publishers will receive 80% of the revenue after the advertiser platform takes its fee, whether that be Google’s buy-side or third-party platforms.

For example, when Google Ads purchases display ads on AdSense, Google Ads will retain on average 15% of advertiser spend.”

In the above example, Google takes a cut of about 15% of the fee paid by the advertiser.

In the case of an advertiser spend of one dollar, Google Ads keeps about 15 cents, with the remaining 85 cents going into the AdSense side.

Of the remaining 85 cents, Google AdSense takes a cut of 20% (equal to 17 cents) out of the 85 cents (the amount that is leftover after Google Ads took 15 cents as their fee).

In the above example, Google AdSense takes 17 cents and the publisher gets to keep the other 80% (of 85 cents), which equals 68 cents.

Google shared an image showing how this works:

Screenshot of an illustration showing how the new AdSense revenue share structure works

New AdSense Pay Per Impression Pay Structure

Google AdSense assures publishers that the new pay structure will not affect the type of ads shown on publisher websites nor the amount of ads shown.

The blog post explained:

“In addition to updating our revenue-share structure, AdSense will soon transition from primarily paying publishers per click to the display industry standard of paying per impression.

This update will provide a more uniform way for paying publishers for their ad space across Google’s products and third-party platforms, helping them compare with other technology providers they use.”

Publisher Reaction

AdSense publishers who post on WebmasterWorld tend to be wary of changes made to the AdSense program.

A discussion in the WebmasterWorld AdSense forum showed a mix of skepticism and hope.

Wait and See

On WebmasterWorld some publishers cautioned to wait and see before making assumptions about the outcome for publishers.

Other publishers posting on the AdSense Forum on WebmasterWorld were skeptical of Google’s motives, writing:

“I think the bottom line is it will make more money for Google, or they would not be making the change.”

Revenue Share Might Be Bad For Users And Advertisers?

Someone else shared that the pay per impression structure might incentivize publishers to put more ads on a page to show more impressions.

They also expressed the opinion that some publishers may begin to not care whether the content is good for advertisers or not.

In general, an advertiser depends on audiences clicking an ad and starting or continuing their customer journey and making an purchase.

But if a publisher no longer needs to create content that can lead to a click then this might cause a loss for advertisers.

WebmasterWorld member Andem shared their opinion:

“I have a really bad feeling about this.

My main concern is that we’ve spent a lot of time over the years trying to find an optimal user experience with ad placements and have done really well with such a limited number of ads but pretty good engagement/CTR surrounded by high quality content. Targeting is usually pretty spot on, too.

Are we going to have to switch from a great user experience to just filling up the page with ads without having to think of where they may provide advertiser value?”

Pay Per Impression Might Be Good For Publishers

Another publisher named Skips observed that the change is probably good for Google:

“…this is meant to make more money for Google.

Just because that’s what corporations are for – create money for shareholders in the end of the day.”

Skips nonetheless shared the opinion that moving to a pay per impression model may be better for publishers.

The reason is because some ads simply don’t generate clicks, which means that publishers don’t get paid for showing those ads.

But under the new system the publishers will receive payment for showing those ads, even if nobody clicks on them.

Skips wrote that the change to pay per impression might result in a positive outcome for publishers:

“CPM-based can be a good thing.

Especially, for cases when you are fed cheap ads that tend to have quite low CTR as well – because advertisers with low budgets don’t typically hire professional teams for creating good ads.

So, if we would be given a predictable CPM that would be great – earnings would be predictable and proportional to the work we do by creating content and attracting traffic.”

Skips makes a great point about how pay per impression may work out better that pay per click for some publishers.

Publishers will no doubt keep an eye on revenues once the new system goes into effect.

Read Google’s Announcement:

Updates to how publishers monetize with AdSense

Featured Image by Shutterstock/LADYMAYPIX

Google Streamlines AdSense Site Management With New Tools via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google has introduced several new features to AdSense to simplify managing sites connected to the ad network.

The updates aim to help publishers quickly verify site ownership and check their ads.txt status.

Real-Time Site Ownership Verification

AdSense performs real-time verification when a publisher adds a new site to their account.

In the past, verification required a manual review process that could take over a day. Real-time verification allows publishers to set up ads faster after registering a new property.

New Meta Tag Verification Method

Publishers can now use a meta tag to confirm site ownership with AdSense.

This method is an alternative to the traditional AdSense code snippet, designed for those who wish to avoid displaying ads on their homepage.

By placing the meta tag code between the < head> and < /head> tags in their page’s HTML, publishers can verify their site without the need to embed the AdSense code on the homepage.

Enhanced Ads.txt Tracking

The AdSense interface now displays the latest crawl date and time for a site’s ads.txt file. A “Check for updates” button lets publishers manually request AdSense to re-crawl their ads.txt.

These features help publishers confirm their ads.txt implementation is working correctly.

How To Add A New Site To Google AdSense

For those unfamiliar with the AdSense system, adding a new site involves signing into your AdSense account, clicking ‘Sites,’ then ‘+New site,’ and entering your site’s URL.

If your site is hosted on a partner site like YouTube, you must go to your host partner to add your site to AdSense.

After saving, your site will appear on your ‘Sites‘ page with a status marked as “Requires review.”

Verification of your site with AdSense can be done using one of three methods:

  • AdSense code snippet: Placed between the < head> and < /head> tags on each page where you want ads to appear.
  • Ads.txt code snippet: Uploaded to your site’s root directory:
  • AdSense meta tag: Same as the code snippet. It is best used if you prefer not to display ads on your homepage.

Once the site is verified and reviewed, it can show ads.

In Summary

These new features and improvements will streamline the verification process and give users greater control over their AdSense accounts.

The site verification and ads.txt improvements are rolling out now to all AdSense users. Publishers can access the features by signing into their AdSense account and navigating to the Sites page.


Featured Image: Jarretera/Shutterstock

How To Switch From DSA To PMax To Future-Proof Your Google Paid Ads via @sejournal, @siliconvallaeys

Change is the only constant, especially in digital advertising – and you’ve probably heard some whispers about Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) taking a backseat to Performance Max (PMax).

While Google hasn’t announced a sunset of DSA, it’s worth figuring out how to use Google’s new darling – PMax – to achieve similar results.

Let’s look at what’s happening to these two ways to automatically run ads for your site, and cover how to switch from DSA to PMax to get ahead of the inevitable transition.

Performance Max Campaigns Eclipse DSAs

DSAs have been a reliable tool for advertisers for several years, allowing businesses across industries to harness their organic search strength for PPC campaigns.

Despite their effectiveness, there’s an observable shift towards PMax campaigns.

CPA and lead volume in an account running DSA and PMax with URL expansion. Screenshot from Navah Hopkins from Optmyzr, August 2023

See the CPA and lead volume in an account running DSA and PMax with URL expansion.

PMax campaign drives more conversions at a better CPA than DSA ad groups in the same account.

Many advertisers have reported a similar shift and now see fewer impressions to DSAs that used to drive significant volumes. And that shift away from DSA impressions is especially noticeable in accounts that also have PMax campaigns.

Even though Google hasn’t released an official statement, indicators point towards PMax campaigns eventually replacing DSAs.

Google hints that DSAs capabilities may be replaced by PMaxScreenshot from X.com, August 2023

Google hints that DSA’s capabilities may be replaced by PMax. To me, this inevitable transition makes sense.

DSAs were created to automatically create ads to fill in gaps in advertisers’ search campaigns. PMax takes that type of automation to the next level with the latest machine-learning capabilities from Google.

PMax can do what DSAs did and then some. Maintaining both systems wouldn’t make sense for Google.

While there’s speculation that PMax may eventually usurp other campaign types like search, too, this makes less sense because search campaigns have always had a significant manual element of advertiser control, which is very different from what PMax offers.

It takes just a few inputs and automates many of the details.

Forcing advertisers to use this much more automated campaign type will take a lot more convincing, especially for larger advertisers who have crafted meticulous strategies to get the very best results from their manual campaigns.

What Is Gained In A Shift From DSA To PMax

There are several important differences between PMax and DSA, including the types of ads that can be served and the types of placements available.

As you prepare to migrate from DSAs to PMax, it’s important to understand these differences so that you can take advantage of all the capabilities.

Multi-Ad Formats

One of the key benefits of PMax campaigns is their support for multiple ad formats. Unlike DSAs, PMax campaigns encompass text, display, and video ads.

This variety allows advertisers to cater to a wider audience, enhancing the user experience with different formats that appeal to diverse consumer preferences.

While PMax ads still rely heavily on advertiser-provided content for ads, Google has showcased their future ability to generate ad assets automatically based on website and YouTube content.

On the other hand, DSA campaigns’ ability to automate ads relies on the SEO of the landing pages. PMax, meanwhile, will use the newest generative AI technology, like Google’s PaLM2, to generate a wider variety of ad creative.

This innovation is happening in PMax campaigns and not in DSA campaigns which seem to be in maintenance mode only.

Thinking about one of the key value props for DSAs is that advertisers with good on-site SEO could leverage this to get more complete ad coverage.

But clearly, the web is about more than just text. So it makes sense for DSAs to also evolve towards including images and video.

But since all that development around automating ad assets is focused around PMax, this campaign type will likely continue to take away volume from DSAs and eventually take over completely.

As PMax more fully utilizes all the site’s assets, it’s likely that the resulting ads will be more compelling to consumers and drive more engagement with the advertiser’s site.

Next, let’s take a closer look at another key difference between the campaign types and how they can serve ads in different places.

Multi-Channel

Another compelling feature of PMax campaigns is their cross-channel functionality. PMax runs across various channels like YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, and Maps.

This means advertisers can maintain fewer campaigns yet reach their audience on a broader scale, thus streamlining their advertising efforts and potentially leading to more efficient campaign management.

The notion that fewer campaigns are preferable to more campaigns is largely Google’s stance. To me, this only makes sense when considering less sophisticated advertisers.

More sophisticated advertisers, like those reading this site, will still benefit from the additional control that is gained by running more campaigns.

For example, an advertiser with a large product catalog could segment their products into different campaigns based on profit margins.

This is a simple yet effective technique for optimizing PPC towards a profit goal rather than a revenue maximization goal.

By creating several PMax campaigns, advertisers can set target return on ad spend (ROAS) levels that ensure the profitability of each campaign.

Next, let’s take a look at how the campaigns differ in how ads are dynamically targeted to an advertiser’s entire website.

Dynamic Targeting Settings

DSAs had the notable advantage of allowing advertisers to specify which parts of their website they wanted to advertise.

This function gave advertisers more control over their campaigns. For example, they could create a dynamic ad group for a specific landing page or a group of landing pages.

PMax can also do this but approaches it differently.

PMax doesn’t provide URL specification but rather allows for URL expansion. Ads can then be dynamically created to lead users to any page on the site that qualifies according to the URL expansion rules.

So with PMax, URL expansion is an on-off switch rather than a list of URLs that should be targeted.

To allow advertisers some control, it does allow setting exclusions or rules for excluding parts of their site from being included in URL expansion.

PMax campaigns with URL expansionScreenshot by author from Google, August 2023

PMax campaigns with URL expansion can set rules for excluding portions of the site from automated ad targeting.

It’s a shift in perspective – instead of choosing what to include, with PMax, you’re selecting what to exclude.

While this may require a different approach, the end result is similar – you can ensure that only the relevant parts of your website are advertised.

For example, an advertiser who wants to advertise only products in their electronics section could target URLs containing ‘electronics’ in a DSA dynamic ad group.

In a PMax campaign, the same can be achieved by excluding all other URLs besides the ones containing “electronics.”

Performance

Now that we’ve explored the transition from DSA to PMax, it’s time to focus on another critical piece of the puzzle – measuring campaign performance.

With DSAs, performance measurement is often centered around the last-click, transactional model.

We aimed to lead our audience to a sale; if it didn’t, we considered it a miss. Simple, right? Well, with PMax, we need to recalibrate our performance yardstick.

PMax’s impressive range of ad formats and multi-network functionality means it can serve as more than just a direct sales tool. PMax has the potential to excel as an upper funnel, attribution, and awareness campaign, too.

Let’s say, for instance, you run a video ad campaign on YouTube using PMax. Even if a viewer doesn’t immediately click through to your website and make a purchase, the campaign is still valuable.

It raises brand awareness, introduces potential customers to your products, and leaves an impression. That’s the beauty of PMax – it extends your reach, spreading your brand message far and wide.

And in doing so, it builds awareness for your brand, often at cost per click (CPCs) that are quite affordable when compared to the typical CPC for a bottom-of-the-funnel click.

With this shift in focus, our success metrics must evolve, too.

Instead of just tracking last-click conversions, we need to pay attention to impressions, brand recall, engagement rates, and all the other factors that guide a user from the early stages of their consumer journey all the way through the final conversion.

Data-driven attribution is an excellent option to measure campaign performance more holistically.

It’s all about understanding the wider customer journey and appreciating the role of PMax in contributing to your brand’s larger narrative.

Conclusion

So while there is no specific date at which DSAs will be replaced by Performance Max campaigns, the ongoing development that is making PMax more capable means there will be a continuing decline in DSA performance.

Advertisers who enjoy the additional volume provided by a system that automatically matches landing pages on their site to user queries should consider migrating from DSAs to PMax at some point soon.

More resources: 


Featured Image: 3rdtimeluckystudio/Shutterstock

Google Announces The Ads Transparency Center And 2022 Ads Safety Report via @sejournal, @kristileilani

In an effort to prove its commitment to safe and transparent advertising for users and businesses, Google announced the launch of the Ads Transparency Center and the release of the 2022 Ads Safety Report.

What Is The Ads Transparency Center?

The Ads Transparency Center, rolling out to users worldwide over the next few weeks, offers a searchable database of all advertisements on Google Search, YouTube, and Display.

Like ads transparency efforts from its peers in Big Tech, Google aims to ensure that users are well-informed about the ads they see. For instance, if you are interested in a product or service you saw in a Google Search ad, you can use the Ads Transparency Center to learn more about the brand before visiting its website.

google ads transparency center on mobileScreenshot from Google, March 2023

The Ads Transparency Center shows key information about ads, including advertiser details, where/when an ad appeared and ran, and its format.

Google Announces The Ads Transparency Center And 2022 Ads Safety ReportScreenshot from Google, March 2023

Google offers more transparency for political advertising. Additional details for political ads include the amount advertisers spent, the number of times the ad was shown, and the location targeting criteria.

Google Announces The Ads Transparency Center And 2022 Ads Safety ReportScreenshot from Google, March 2023

Using The Ads Transparency Center As An Advertising Research Tool

Advertisers can use the Ads Transparency Center as a research tool to analyze competitors’ designs and ad copy to create Google Ads campaigns.

Meta offers similar ad information in the Facebook Ad Library, where advertisers and users can browse ads from brands in several fields, including politics, housing, employment, and credit. Ad details include the design and copy for all ad variations, the platforms where the ad is displayed, and when the ad was launched.

Google Announces The Ads Transparency Center And 2022 Ads Safety ReportScreenshot from Facebook, March 2023

In addition to the Ads Transparency Center, you can visit My Ad Center in your Google Account. Launched in October, it allows you to review ads you’ve seen recently on Google. You can control the ads shown to you by category, brand, and sensitive topics.

Google Announces The Ads Transparency Center And 2022 Ads Safety ReportScreenshot from Google, March 2023

Insights From The 2022 Ads Safety Report

In related news, Google’s 2022 Ads Safety Report provides detailed insights into its efforts to prevent fraud, offer transparency, and protect younger users.

According to the report, Google added or revised 29 policies for advertisers and publishers last year.

Based on these policies, over 4 billion ads were removed or restricted, and 6.7 million advertiser accounts were suspended.

Google expanded its financial services certification program, requiring advertisers to be authorized by local regulators to prevent fraudulent ads.

Despite challenges from sophisticated scammers – like the malware operators that impersonate real software brands in Google Ads to spread malicious code –  Google blocked and removed 142 million ads for misrepresentation and 198 million ads for financial services violations.

Google tackled misinformation by blocking ads with harmful health claims, false election claims, and climate change denial. Tens of millions of ads that violated this policy, contained inappropriate content, or promoted dangerous products were removed.

Google verified 5,900 new advertiser accounts publishing election ads in the U.S., and over 2.6 million unverified election ads were blocked.

Google prohibited ads dismissing, exploiting, or condoning the war in Ukraine and suspended ad activities in Russia. Over 17 million ads related to the war were blocked, and ads from over 275 state-funded media sites were removed.

Finally, Google expanded child safety protections for users under 18, blocking ad targeting based on age, gender, or interests and prohibiting certain teen ad categories, including dating apps, contests, and weight loss products.

How Advertisers Can Benefit From Ad Transparency

There are benefits to reviewing Ads Transparency Center content.

Those who see ads on Google properties can learn more about the advertisers before purchasing. Advertisers can learn how to create ads better suited for their target audience.

Advertisers should also review the Google Ads Policy Center updates to ensure ad campaigns are not blocked, restricted, or removed. It also offers options for fixing problematic ads, checking the status of your Google Ads account, and reporting Google Ads that violate its policies.


Featured image: rafapress/Shutterstock

The Biggest PPC Trends Of 2023, According To 22 Experts [Ebook] via @sejournal, @sejournal

Ready to take your PPC strategy to the next level in 2023?

Your first step is staying up-to-date on the most important PPC trends.

This ebook is filled with the insights you need to succeed in pay-per-click advertising next year.

We interviewed 22 top PPC marketing experts to learn what trends in 2023 will have the most impact in paid media – paid search, paid social, remarketing, and more.

In PPC Trends 2023, you’ll find out which PPC trends will dominate the year. Then, you’ll be able to use your newfound knowledge to plan your strategy.

Download it here.

In this ebook, you’ll discover the PPC trends that will matter the most in 2023:

  • AI & machine learning: loss of control but opportunities to focus on other things.
  • Attribution & conversion tracking: continuing changes make these even more complicated, difficult, and important in terms of providing and proving value.
  • Technical skill & knowledge of PPC “levers will be less important than strategy, teams, and people.
  • Inflation/expense increases in CPCs, especially in industries hit hard by the pandemic that are now coming back into demand.
  • Refocus on first-party data.
  • New platforms: TikTok, Metaverse, etc.
  • And more.

This guide is packed with unfiltered wisdom and tips straight from the experts about how to succeed in PPC in 2023.

Read insights from these experts:

  • Andrea Atzori
  • Ashwin Balakrishnan
  • Jonathan Befort
  • Ilya Cherepakhin
  • Jon Lee Clark
  • Akvilė DeFazio
  • Amalia Fowler
  • Amy Hebdon
  • Navah Hopkins
  • Timothy Jensen
  • Sean Johnston
  • Jonathan Kagan
  • Aaron Levy
  • Melissa Mackey
  • Alex Macura
  • Corey Morris
  • Brooke Osmundson
  • Lisa Raehsler
  • Christos Stavropoulos
  • Laurel Teuscher
  • Ben Wood
  • Jason Zotara

Get your copy of the PPC Trends 2023 ebook now.

PPC Trends 2023

Google AdSense First-Party Cookies Now Support Personalization via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google is updating first-party cookie support with ad personalization capabilities. This change will affect ads served through AdSense.

Google AdSense started allowing first-party cookies in 2020, which use information associated with the domain a user is visiting to serve ads.

Initially, support included frequency capping on ads, which limits the number of times a user sees the same ad on a website.

Now, Google is adding support for ad personalization, arguably the number one reason to use first-party cookies over third-party cookies.

However, you’ll have the option to choose one or the other, as Google AdSense is adding a toggle to turn first-party cookies on and off.

To access the control, log into your AdSense account and click Brand safety > Content > Blocking controls > Manage Ad serving.

Why Enable First-Party Cookies In Google AdSense?

First-party cookies contain information about a user’s activity on the site they’re currently visiting.

First-party cookies allow frequency capping on ads because they contain information about which ads a user sees on the website.

Frequency capping can potentially lead to higher revenue for AdSense users.

Limiting ad frequency prevents Google from serving ads a user has ignored multiple times before.

Frequency capping also prevents Google from serving ads a user has already clicked on.

In addition to frequency capping, Google will now use information in first-party cookies to personalize AdSense ads.

This change can further increase revenue for AdSense users, as website visitors will see a more relevant selection of ads.

If you’re unsatisfied with the impact of first-party cookies on your AdSense earnings, you can turn them off at any time.

Note that when third-party cookies are unavailable, Google may default to using first-party cookies.

Availability

The control to turn first-party cookies on and off is available now, though Google says your choice won’t affect ad serving until November 10, 2022.


Source: Google
Featured Image: Tada Images/Shutterstock

Google Display Ads Get More Personal With New Targeting Technology via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google is rolling out a way to utilize first-party data to deliver more personalized ads via Display & Video 360 without third-party cookies.

A new solution called Publisher Advertiser Identity Reconciliation, or PAIR, reconciles first-party data for audiences who have visited both an advertiser’s and a publisher’s site.

Previously, it wasn’t easy to use both data sets in a privacy-safe way, as it would involve publishers sharing user information directly with advertisers.

Now, advertisers and publishers will be able to activate encrypted first-party information that is unique to their sites via aggregation.

This process ensures no user-level data is ever shared between parties. Google says the information is only readable and meaningful in the limited context of their direct relationship.

In a blog post, Google states:

“PAIR gives advertisers the ability to more closely connect with their known audiences, while avoiding tracking individuals across the web. As a result, advertisers can show relevant ads to some of their highest-intent audiences, helping to increase advertising performance and hit marketing objectives, while respecting people’s privacy expectations.”

What Does PAIR Mean For Businesses?

For businesses, this update to Google Display & Video 360 means they can use data collected first-hand to target ads to relevant audiences across the web.

With PAIR, businesses can more effectively target ads to people who’ve shared information with them, such as past purchasers and people on an email list.

PAIR can also be used to serve ads to cart abandoners and prevent people from seeing ads for a product they’ve purchased already.

By introducing a secure and privacy-preserving way to combine first-party data from advertisers and publishers, Google aims to address concerns about using pooled data.

“Seventy-six percent of advertisers and agencies find the usage of IDs based on pooled data concerning from a regulatory standpoint.

That’s why PAIR is different: it doesn’t require pooling of audience data. Instead, each advertiser and publisher will maintain ownership and control of its data.”

PAIR helps ensure users are only shown ads from the advertisers and publishers with whom they have direct relationships.

Google says this practice can instill trust in your brand. You won’t be serving ads to people who haven’t interacted with you, which is seen as a less intrusive way to advertise.

How Do Advertisers & Publishers Connect Their Data?

Advertisers and publishers can use clean rooms to connect their data. Clean rooms ensure any data shared by advertisers and publishers stays secure, and only encrypted data gets shared with Google for reconciliation.

Google is partnering with three clean-room providers, Habu, InfoSum, and LiveRamp.

In addition to facilitating data connection, clean rooms help manage the upload and encryption process, which means advertisers and publishers don’t have to manage it on their own.

Brands and publishers with first-party data are advised to contact their Display & Video 360 representatives for more information about using PAIR.


Source: Google

Featured Image: Screenshot from blog.google/products/marketingplatform/360/engage-your-first-party-audience-in-display-video-360/, October 2022.