0:27 – Introduction
1:31 – Target CPA Bidding
3:47 – Responsive Search Ads
5:02 – Google Display Network Target CPA
5:25 – Google Display Network Responsive Display Ads

In the world of Google Ads, change is the ONLY constant. So in this episode I talk about what is working right now in for our clients in our agency and also our coaching students.

Hi! Ilana here from Green Arrow Digital. And today, we’re going to be talking about what’s working right now in the world of Google ads, what’s working for our clients in our agency, and what’s working for our coaching students in our membership. So we’re going to be talking about the world of Google ads, which is generally broken down into Google search, Google Display Network, and YouTube, there is Google Shopping thrown in there. But that’s kind of ads on Google search. So I kind of loved them together in that respect. And as you know, change is the only constant in this industry. So it’s super important to stay ahead of your competition by implementing the latest and greatest things that are rolled out by Google. So we have exposure to so many different accounts, we test so many different things. So we kind of know what works. And we really know what does not work. That’s what this episode is about, kind of telling you what we find is working across the board.

Target CPA Bidding

So you probably know that there’s been a big, big shift in the Google sphere, towards AI and, and machine learning where Google is kind of really joining the dots in all the data I have on people and leaning on their algorithms to get in front of target audiences. So on the Google search side of things, what we’re finding works really well is what’s called target CPA bidding so that basically, when you are handing over the controls to Google from a bidding point of view, and saying Google, hey, Google, you decide how much you should pay, or you can charge me when somebody is searching for my particular keyword.

And here is what I’m willing to pay for a lead, hence that target CPA, which has target cost per acquisition. So if I’m a dentist, let’s say my target CPA, or how much I’m willing to pay for a customer is $50. I say to Google, my target CPA is $50. And it bids will change based on the type of people that are searching for whatever terms that I’m bidding on. And they’ll be more for people who they think are more likely to convert an equally important, they’ll be less on the people who they think are not really likely to become a lead. So it’s pretty cool if you think about it. And it makes your job as an advertiser, obviously, much easier. Because you don’t have to start fiddling around with beads, you don’t have to think do I increase my bids or decrease my bids? Google is handling all the bidding on their side, I would say before you switch over from manual bidding to target CPA bidding, that you run what’s called an experiment, whereby you’re saying Google had a portion, a fraction of my budget to the target CPA bidding. So we can split tested it. And you can compare the performance of your manual bidding versus your target CPA bidding. And you can see the difference in conversion rate. And if it’s good, then you can switch over entirely to this target CPA bidding. That’s pretty cool.

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Responsive Search Ads

The second thing that’s working really well in the world of Google search, and what’s called responsive search ads. And that is also leaning on Google’s machine learning and AI capabilities, whereby you give Google a whole bunch of different headlines, a whole bunch of different descriptions. And Google will mix and match the various combinations together. So you actually give Google up to 15 different and possible headlines that they can use in the ad, they use three headlines. So they will take three out of your possible 15 that you’ve given them. And they will take two out of the possible four descriptions that you give them, and mix and match them until they find the best combination. So you can imagine the infinite number of combinations and variations that can be possible with 15 headlines and four descriptions. So Google does all the heavy lifting in that respect as to which is the right one. And we are also getting really good results with that, too. So these are, those are our two tips for the Google Search Network. right in your account.

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Google Display Network Target CPA

Let’s talk about the Google Display Network. So once again, target CPA is also working well, on the Google Display Network, the same principle, you tell Google how much you want to pay for a lead. And they handle all the bidding on that respect. So I don’t need to explain it. Again, it’s the same concept. It’s just on display.

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Google Display Network Responsive Display Ads

And the Google Display Network also has their equivalent of the responsive search ads, whichthey call responsive display ads, where once again, you give Google a whole bunch of variations of headlines, descriptions, but because it’s display, you can also give them a bunch of different images, and logos, and even a video URL. And it will mix and match all the variations there as well. And we are finding that responsive display ads are really good. The extra benefit with responsive display ads is also that Google will adjust the size as in the dimensions of the banner to fit the available ad unit. So back in, you know the old days, not the old days, you can still do it. But back, when used to manually do it used to have to upload all the different banner sizes. So you know, 300×250, and 728×90 and all the different banner size variations, you have to upload them manually to Google.

For all the available ad units, which was really quite a time intensive for a graphic designer and for many business owners is turned out to be quite expensive. Multiply that by all the different headlines and images you want to test. And suddenly you’re looking at lots of ads, and quite an expensive exercise. So this way, Google will do all the different sizes and all the different variations of images and headlines. And we are finding that they are also working really well.

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So there you have it, a couple of quick tips that are working well in the world of Google ads in our agency. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Thanks for listening. You have been listening to the talking with marketing podcast. For more information or resources on today’s episode, head on over to TalkingWebMarketing.com