Top 10 Latest Google Ad Enhancements

Here we break down Google Ads latest enhancements and how you can benefit. Ready to dive in? Let’s go.

1. 15-second Non-skippable Video Ads

Google is making it easier for marketers to yield full views of their video ads through YouTube/video advertising. Previously, video ads had mandatory skip buttons appear on their YouTube pre-roll ads, that would appear after 15 seconds of play.

Advertisers now have access to non-skippable 15-second ads for Google Ads and Display, and Video 360 for YouTube video ads. This exciting new feature allows for a more flexible and enjoyable buying experience for users and can easily be implemented by setting up a campaign in Google Ads or Display and Video 360. So what does this mean for marketers? Well, it means you can pay for video ads ensuring that a user is engaged from start to finish, and therefore confirming that your marketing message is captured and held on to.

2. New Call-to-Action Extension Available for Video Ads

Take your video ads to the next level with Google’s new Call-to-Action Extension. This update allows your videos to be more interactive with features like end screens while a call-to-action educates the visitor about your brand or service.

This new element includes the TrueView for action feature, which comes in handy when your main goal is driving clicks and conversions to your sIte. TrueView adds CTAs and headline text overlays to your video campaigns on YouTube, allowing you to encourage visitors to learn more about who you are, what you offer, and how you can be contacted.

How Does TrueView Work?

• TrueView for actions campaigns can only run on the in-stream ad format (meaning that they play before, during or after another video on YouTube. The viewer also has the option to skip the ad after 5 seconds)
• Headlines can contain up to 15 characters
• CTAs can contain up to 10 characters and is located next to your headline
• CTAs direct visitors to the URL you provide

3. Pay for Conversions Rather Than Clicks

When using Display campaign, paying for conversions allows you to pay, only when a visitor converts on your website. This feature uses the same bidding algorithm as click-based payment. This tool means that advertisers will not pay above their target cost per action while still driving as many conversions as possible. For example, if your target CPA is $10 and you drove 50 conversions, you will pay $500 with a true CPA of $10.

The pay for conversion option is only available when you use Target CPA with Display campaigns and it looks a little something like this:

4. Video Ad Sequencing

The Video Ad Sequencing feature is now available on a global scale. This helpful tool allows you to tell a story over time and across various devices and ad formats. Marketers can use a video ad sequence campaign to build brand awareness and drive conversions to their site.

A video ad sequence is essentially a series of video ads, which is made up of “steps”.

Each step contains an ad group and a video ad, which you bid on and select the ad format. A viewer’s progress through each step is dependant on impressions. For example, in order for a visitor to move forward from step one to two, an impression needs to be counted for the video in step number one.

5. Target Impression Share

Target Impression Share automatically sets bids with the goal of showing your ad at the top of the page. This feature is offered either as a standard strategy in one campaign or across multiple campaigns.

Marketers have the option to place their ad either at the very top of the page, the top of the page or anywhere else on the page. Your bid is automatically set to show your ad based on these placement settings.

6. Four New Ad Performance Metrics

Understanding where your ads appear on Google’s search results page is important. This is because it allows you to judge whether or not you should make changes to your bid.

To give advertisers more insight into their ad performance, Google has launched four new metrics:

1. Impressions (Absolute Top) % – The percent of your ad impressions that are the very first displayed above the organic search results
2. Impressions (Top) % – The percent of your ad impressions that are displayed above the organic search results
3. Search (Absolute Top) IS – Impressions received from the very top ad position divided by the estimated number of impressions you were eligible to receive in the top location
4. Search (Top) IS – Impressions received in the top location in comparison to the estimated number of impressions you were eligible to receive in the top location

7. YouTube Ad Pod Testing

Google has begun testing YouTube ad pods, which are two ads stacked back to back. This allows viewers to choose whether or not they wish to skip directly to the content. When viewers see two ads in a break, they are less likely to be disrupted by ads later on.

According to past user experience, Google learned that fewer video interruptions lead to better user metrics such as higher viewing rates and decreased content abandonment. This exciting new feature allows advertisers to connect with their target audience while maintaining viewership.

8. Google Sheets Integration

Google recently added on a Google Sheets feature, allowing you to create and export the following report types through spreadsheet format:

• Display/Video keywords
• Devices
• Landing pages
• Advanced bid adjustments

9. Expansion of Call and Message Reporting

Location extensions assist people with finding your locations by displaying your ads containing your address. Viewers are able to click on this extension to dig deeper into your location and access other relevant business information. Measuring call performance is a key indicator of determining which ads, keywords and campaigns are driving the most customer interaction.

Phone calls from your location extensions can be counted as conversions once enabling account-level call reporting. In addition to this, the default length of a call that counts as a conversion is 60 seconds. However, this default can be changed depending on your business goals.

10. Responsive Search Ads and Increased Language Support

Responsive search ads allow you to create ads that show more relevant text to your audience.

How Do Responsive Search Ads Work?

When developing a responsive search ad, enter various headlines and descriptions that you wish to test for best performance.

Over time, Google Ads will automatically test different variations of these headlines and descriptions, to understand which performs the strongest with users.

The more headlines and descriptions you use, the more opportunities for Google to serve ads that align with your target audience, ultimately improving your ad performance.

And that’s a wrap! Google is constantly implementing new features and updates. As a marketer, it’s important to be aware of these changes so that you can improve your ads and ultimately drive more traffic and conversions to your business.

Did we miss any of your favourite Google Ad Enhancements for 2019? Let us know in the comments below!