Over the past few years, we have seen a multitude of changes. The way people interact with each other, the way information is provided and consumed, and everyday life for the majority of people worldwide. As we look into 2023, there are no signs of changes slowing down. As the new year kicks into focus and kicks off, digital marketers everywhere are getting their calendars lined up and embarking on new budget talks. Often, this involves optimizing and streamlining paid advertising strategies to yield even better results.
In particular, the Pay-Per-Click (PPC) world is one area where changes are constantly happening. If you haven’t kept up, you might be years behind what’s currently “in.” To help you ensure you’re up to speed, we’ve compiled 15 PPC best practices you should adhere to in 2023. Let’s take a look!
1. Smart Bidding Evolution
As artificial intelligence (AI) learning becomes more powerful and the traditional “3rd party cookie” targeting approach quickly becomes part of a bygone era, automation and smart bidding are rapidly going from the new shiny object to the new frontier. For example, Smart Bidding relies heavily on machine learning to learn complex consumer behavior on a large scale while learning algorithms to make stronger and more accurate predictions across your account. Smart bidding predictions will allow you to drive more relevant conversions or a much better conversion rate.
2. Meaningful Use of Automation
A great PPC campaign starts with clear processes, and that includes Smart Bidding automation. It’s beneficial to look for ways to automate manual tasks that you repeatedly perform, such as testing, bidding, and reporting. Google Ads can help you streamline your PPC process with features like automated rules that enable you to increase bids for high-converting, low-cost keywords.
3. Diversify Your Strategies
Are you used to running text-based search ads? Make it your goal in 2023 to diversify your campaigns by including display, YouTube, Performance Max, and paid social ads. META (formally Facebook), LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram are not your only choices anymore. There are other players in the social media game that you may want to research (Pinterest, Tiktok, and Snapchat, to name a few).
This diversifying approach will help ensure that you meet potential customers in the digital spaces they are most frequently in and are engaged with the information they are consuming.
With the migration in customer habits, using the same old approach will only take you so far, and in most cases, it will leave you in the digital dust of your competitors.
4. Run Responsive Search Ads / Responsive Display Ads
In the same way the 3rd party cookie is entering the eternal hallways of the digital marketing history books, ETAs (expanded text ads) are the ad style of the past. RSAs (responsive search ads) have taken the pervial crown from ETAs and should now be used in all paid search planning. Giving you up to 15 headlines and four descriptions, Google’s AI will now determine which headlines and descriptions to show your audience with more text and more relevant messages.
As time goes on, Google Ads will automatically test the various combinations to learn which options get the best results utilizing the same machine learning it uses in Smart Bidding.
5. Customize Ads for Mobile Devices
Up to 70% of website traffic came from mobile devices in 2022, so if you’re not mobile-friendly, you’re behind the times. As a best practice, your paid search strategy should also consider mobile consumers. Mobile devices have long been a second thought when focusing on paid search strategy but ignoring these users will cause you to lose out on a majority of your opportunities and will result in wasted parts of your budget when trying to reach your target market.
6. Out With the Old, In With the New First-Party Cookies
It has been a long time coming, and Google has already punted the demise of third-party cookies down the road a few times. The latest word on the shift from third-party cookies to first-party cookies in Google Chrome is slated for the second half of 2023, but getting ahead of the switch will become more vital moving into 2024. Refocusing your paid search strategy and your paid search optimization will put you in a good place once the phaseout starts. Looking ahead and being prepared will not only allow you to make shifts in your plans but will also build strong relationships with new vendors, clients, and your internal teams.
7. Test Additional Features
Like most marketers, you’re probably not using the tools you have at your fingertips as optimally as you could be and haven’t taken the time to learn or find new ones. Therefore, you should explore the apps and platforms you’ve been using to see if there are any features you could be taking advantage of and research new apps and platforms. You might just discover a powerful new tool to implement into your strategy!
8. Incorporate Video Ads
Eighty-six percent of marketers report that video ads have helped them boost sales. Additionally, ninety-four percent say videos have helped customers understand the product or service. Visuals are one of the best ways to ensure users remember the information you’re showing them. So, aim to incorporate video formats where they make sense in your advertising strategy.
9. Review Your Budget
Few things are worse than getting stuck in a rut and forgetting to reevaluate your budgets. Every so often, it’s essential to look at past campaigns. What worked, and what didn’t pan out so well? Where was your money best spent? Did you use all of the money you allotted to your campaigns? If so, do you need to increase it or change your approach? Answers to these questions can guide you as you create new paid search strategies and set new budgets.
10. Prepare for Voice Search
If you’re not getting many voice searchers just yet, trust us: they’re coming. In 2020, over 40% of the U.S. population used voice to conduct searches on their smart devices, and over 70% of consumers prefered doing voice searches over typing out their searches. Be ready to respond to voice searchers by incorporating voice search best practices into your paid search strategy.
11. Learn to Use Scripts
Scripts are tools that allow you to automate certain aspects of your paid search optimization, such as bid management, split testing, and reporting. This helps you avoid wasting time on repetitive tasks and allows you to streamline and optimize your reporting and performance.
12. Review New Features in Google Ads
If you want to optimize your ads to meet your audience’s needs, it’s crucial to stay up to date on current paid search features. Here are just a few tools that Google unveiled last year:
- Performance Max Campaigns
- Performance Planner
- YouTube Video Discovery Ads
- Improved Google Ads Scripts
- New Improvements in Image Extensions
13. Target Your Audiences Better
Both Google and Microsoft offer ways to better hone in on your audiences so you can target your PPC campaigns more directly to people whose interests and behaviors are likely to align with your brand. Consider incorporating targeting that includes:
- LinkedIn Profile Targeting
- Demographics
- Remarketing
- Custom Intent
- In-Market Audiences
- Custom Segments
- Combined Segments
14. Google Analytics 4
The newest evolution in event-based tracking from both websites and apps. With Universal Analytics set to stop processing data in July 2023, getting GA4 set up and collecting data should be a priority. Although GA4 is the new evolution in analytics, the setup and tracking are vastly different from Universal Analytics, so working through setting up your events, reports, and tracking now will allow you to incorporate the new GA4 setup in your paid search planning.
15. Reevaluate How You Report
Have you been using the same performance report for years? If so, it’s time to reevaluate your key metrics and look for reports that can deliver the information you need to evolve and grow as a brand. Take a look at the data you’re currently using to determine if it’s still valuable. Then, see what new metrics you can add to get an even better idea of your campaign performance.
Stay Up to Date with All Things PPC with Help from Zero Gravity Marketing
At Zero Gravity Marketing, we’re proud to say that we always have our finger on the pulse with trends and industry changes. If you need help ushering in 2023 with a PPC campaign that works best for your business, give us a call!
