How is Pay Per click changing in 2018?
For PPC, 2018 has proven to be a great year already. We are barely through the first quarter of 2018 but this year has shown a lot of promise. There are technologies such artificial intelligence being introduced. Besides that, there is better audience targeting, better attribution, and many other advances. Here are some of the ways in which PPC is changing in 2018 that we at PPC Hire have been able to identify.
An Ad War between Google and Amazon
These public bouts of Google and Amazon started towards increasing towards the end of 2017, and they are still going on. The two companies are competing quite fiercely in various markets. Whether it is on the OS on your phone or on your tablet, where you are shopping, the voice assistant you use, Amazon wants to win the hearts of consumers.
Amazon is now the go-to place for those who want to set up a shop. This is placing a lot of pressure on the Google shopping search. However, Google still has various ad-driven ways to fight back. They include Local Services, Google Express, and Purchases on Google. On Express, you will find many large retailers that offer similar benefits to those of Prime. For instance, there is streamlined checkout and next day delivery.
Automation of ads
With the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning, there is a good chance that will see major advances on automated PPC campaigns. While it is unlikely that we will be able to leave ads to themselves, it will mean that you have to spend less time manually controlling and changing bids. Thus, advertisers will have more time to focus on the creative element. Creating a great advertisement will be quite important, but automation will have an important role in ensuring your ad is visible.
Messaging ads
Google Assistant has been experimenting with ads from its recommendations for some time now. Messenger bots could become an important part of PPC advertising by the end of 2018.
Google is pushing purchases
Google has still not been able to nail direct purchasing from search results. The search engine giant wants to replicate the Amazon one-click checkout on Google search page. This would mean creating shopping PPC ads would become quite simple.
Amazon is Expanding its PPC Program
Amazon has been developing an ad platform for sellers for some time now. It has come a long way since. This will allow a seller to place ads on Amazon for a specific search. It will include an in-house version of search ads.
Amazon is going to develop this even more with major programmatic advancement, which will compete with the Facebook and Google PPC businesses. It will include things such as video and display ads.
Voice search PPC ads
With more smart speakers being sold and virtual assistants improving, voice search ads are sure to grow in 2018. Advertisers should be on the lookout for how it affects search behavior and what the queries will be.
Voice is able to give different results to customers. Most return the results on screen, whether it is a tablet or Alexa from Amazon with a screen. However, most speakers return results via audio. This is going to be challenging for marketers and advertisers.
For voice search, there is a need to adopt broad match and broad match modified PPC ads for the voice search market. The paid ads will need to work in combination with SEO if you want to get optimal results for your business. Whether the wider public will adopts smart speakers is not yet known. However, there has been a lot more people using voice search on their devices and phones than before.
Increased dominance of Facebook and Google
While many still have issues with Facebook and Google, PPC advertising on these platforms is going to grow in 2018. They are leaders, and there is no way to challenge them.
Growth in popularity of other PPC platforms
While many businesses may have just got on Facebook ads, it is likely they will experiment with others in 2018. Whether it is Twitter, LinkedIn or others, advertisers will look elsewhere once they have seen that advertising on Facebook and Google works.
Bing ads are also going to be quite popular in 2018. It is no longer possible to ignore Bing. If you are not on these alternative platforms, you may be providing your competitors with an edge over your activities.
Structured data is more important
The mobile-first index will mean that structured data will grow in significance. This is because it will play a critical role in ranking. Thus, it will play a bigger role in PPC. For instance, the Google Manufacturer Center lets you upload detailed and rick information on products. For instance, you can upload images and descriptions. This is used to help the Google catalog. Brand owners, brand licensors, and manufacturers can utilize it, whether they sell to customers or not.