Identifying and understanding all the latest Google Ads updates while running your business can seem like a waste of time. To help you stay in the know, we’ve collected the most important recent Google Ads changes into this easy breakdown.
The reason Google pushed out Extended Text Ads was two-fold. To give advertisers using the format more space for targeted copy and to help push Google’s Ad services toward the rapidly emerging mobile-device market. It was a smart move – as Google’s moves usually are. Now Google is pushing ahead with more changes to the format of its text ads.
Google Ads Updates
The New Google Text Ad Fields
While Text Ads from Google have proven enormously beneficial to millions of businesses and advertisers. The old format did throw up some annoying compromises when it came to the information you could impart. With only two headlines, advertisers using the platform regularly had to decide what information or content to leave out of an ad. When it came to choosing between things like the company. Or product name, the site address, and other information, something had to fall by the wayside.
But now that problem is gone. With three headlines to play with. Advertisers can decide what they want to include instead of what they should leave out. When it comes to an overarching brand message. Headline 3 is the perfect complement to the text ad format. Thus, advertisers can include their brand tagline in all advertisements. Or, if you prefer, with the new Google Ads changes, you can now place a call-to-action at the center of all text ads.
New “About this Project” Page
Users will now see an “About this ad page” on video, display, and Shopping ad placements. What’s more, they can click “See more ads from this advertiser” to see which ads your business has shown in the past 30 days.
Let’s say your potential customer has just seen an ad for a new product but has questions about the brand. They can click on your ad and view your previous content to learn more about you. If they have concerns, they affirm their legitimacy.
Google Ads Targeting Requirements Changes
When you place an ad on Google, the ad must link to a final destination URL. In other words, the ad’s goal is your landing page. This is where someone will land after clicking on your ad.
There are always guidelines for your ad’s destination URL. For example, the destination URL must be reasonable and match the URLs of other ads in your account’s structured ad groups. However, Google announced via email that it would implement additional requirements for destination URLs starting in October 2022, focusing on quality and experience.
They want to avoid landing pages that are “unnecessarily difficult or frustrating to navigate.” While this might seem a bit abstract, if you think there’s something wrong with your site, you probably don’t want to risk it. This is because violating this policy may result in the ad being disapproved. Which means you won’t be able to serve your ad to your audience.
Benefits of Enhanced Information
When viewing Google’s actions and the changes they make, it’s always useful to view it through the prisms of the user experience and Google’s need to refine its offerings. Google has a core approach – and need – to ensure that the users of its platform can both find what they want in seconds and benefit from a personalized experience.
Expanded text ads fit the approach precisely because they increase the amount of information available. And this is for both the platform and the user, providing a more refined and targeted experience.
But this is also great for advertisers on the platform because the extra information they provide can help get them in front of a motivated audience. The whole point of Google’s approach is to make its platform the only place people need to find information and products. It’s in their interest to show your perfectly worded, well-written, expanded text ad to their ideal audience.
Google is Replacing Expanded Text ads With Responsive Search Ads
One of the most talked about Google Ads changes in 2022 is the retirement of expanded text ads. Starting June 30, 2022, you will no longer be able to run Expanded Text Ads (ETAs). Instead, ETA will be replaced by Responsive Search Ads (RSA) as the default ad type for search campaigns.
Your existing campaigns will not be affected, but you won’t be able to start new ones.
You can also see Google’s push for automation in this shift. Google claims that RSA is better for incremental conversations that require fewer ads. Unfortunately, this also means you lose control of your Google ad copy. Advertisers love responsive search ads because you can enter up to 15 headline options and 4 description options. With updates, Google Ads delivers the right match based on which searcher saw the ad.
Improved View and YouTube Attribution Modeling
Privacy changes are inevitable but make attribution more difficult. Since the iOS 14 privacy update, it has been difficult to attribute YouTube and Display Network campaign results to specific ads and interactions. Your ad may get clicks, but if a potential customer browses your website and decides to convert, their action will not be counted toward your Google Ads conversions.
Fortunately, one of the most significant changes in Google Ads is attribution modeling for YouTube and Display campaigns. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s a big step forward if you understand your target audience’s buying journey.
In a nutshell, attribution modeling allows you to attribute every interaction to your ad. For example, if you know your audience needs to see two ads to convert, you can decide how much credit each ad gets.
Final Words
Whether or not these Google Ads updates apply to you, you can use your knowledge of platform changes to prepare your business for upcoming changes. If you expect Google Ads updates to roll out consistently, you can implement a flexible strategy that best suits your unique needs.
