Overview
The freemium era on Google is over. While you can still get some free search traffic on Google, you need to combine that with paid advertising. AdWords has become one of the biggest paid advertising trends over the past few years, and we predict that the trend will continue in 2017.
To help you keep up with paid advertising, we discuss our AdWords predictions for 2017 below.
5 AdWords Predictions for 2017
1. Utilize big data
If you have not heard this buzzword before, be prepared to hear it repeatedly in 2017. Big data is the confluence of years of technological improvements being used in conjunction with personalisation strategies that would have been virtually impossible a few years ago.
Many of the best advertising tools have already begun using this data to help marketers create more relevant ads. For example, last year we discussed different PPC tools that can help businesses do everything from analyzing the keywords in your campaigns to studying the best ad placements, highest converting copy, landing pages, and sales funnels.
We predict that 2017 will see additional audience targeting and personalisation options (see AdWords prediction #4) becoming available to marketers.
If you have any questions about how to use data for your next PPC campaign, let us know how we can help you with your AdWords strategy for 2017. Give us a Shout!
2. IoT
The number of wearable devices is growing at a rapid pace. Furthermore, by 2020, we should have 1 billion internet-connected vehicles around the globe. That means we should start seeing a shift to more IoT-related ads in 2017.
Ads on the go will help brick and mortar stores capture more potential customers with items like geo-fences and other hyperlocal ads.
It could be a tremendous boon for small businesses who need local customers and do not have the ability to compete with large corporations over larger markets.
3. Google Shopping Ads
Last year, Google introduced paid shopping ads for retailers. This move to compete with Amazon over retail dollars has had a large impact on businesses.
Since a clear majority of customers start their product search on Google, it presents a simple way to improve a company’s ability to sell products on the internet.
That is because customers searching for products are usually ready to purchase. Therefore, it is an easy transition from searching to purchasing for many customers.
4. Audience Targeting
Facebook has the most advanced advertising targeting in the world. Everyone else, including Google, struggles in comparison. For example, if you want to find all the new and expectant mothers in your zip code, you can get accurate information within minutes.
Conversely, a recent attempted ad campaign on YouTube proved the futility of ads on Google’s video sharing platform. It was hard to narrow down geographically by more than the user’s country, let alone their zip code.
One of the most common AdWords predictions for 2017 is that Google will start to deliver the type of high quality demographics information that Facebook provides. Otherwise, they will start losing massive ad share to the social networking giant.
5. Relevancy
In the past, online ads were so cheap that you could just throw up an ad and hope the right person found it. That is no longer the case.
However, with big data (see prediction #1), it is now possible to ensure the ads you create are relevant to your specific audience.
This will continue with new products that Google has launched, such as Click-to-Message Google Ads. The product allows customers to reach out to you with questions as they are purchasing your products.
On the marketer side, it becomes imperative to create ads relevant to specific audiences. The use of personas has become a more important component of the ad process.
Furthermore, relevancy is not just for Google. It is something every marketer needs to work on for their customers. That means your landing page should match the ad you create, and the ad you create should match your customer’s needs.
Final Thoughts
2017 has a lot of potential for PPC marketers. From the new ad products to the continual development of data and personalisation, the AdWords trends for this year will provide a smoother advertising experience for marketers.
The best way to take advantage of this trend is to create an AdWords plan. If you need help crafting this plan, please contact us at Shout for more information.
