Google Ads (formerly known as AdWords) has always had frequent product updates, but with continued improvements in machine learning (ML), it seems like every month brings new automated features in addition to the manual features we've come to expect.
These automations are exciting because they promise similar results with less work. But machines can't do everything that pay-per-click (PPC) professionals can do, and machines and humans often work best when they work together.
So, to help you better understand which of today's Google Ads automated tools is most useful, we provide a summary of what Google Ads has to offer, how automation works, and what account managers can do to further improve results.
Smart campaigns for small businesses
Along with Google's recent rebranding of AdWords to Google Ads, they announced the arrival of a new type of automated campaign for small businesses called Smart Campaigns. Currently available in the US, this campaign type is built on top of AdWords Express and can produce significantly better results, according to Google.
For now, this will be the default campaign type for new advertisers. Target users of this type of campaign may have chosen AdWords Express or Local Service Ads in the past, and these options will remain available until further notice from Google.
Küçük bir işletme bir ajansla çalışmaya karar verirse veya PPC yönetimine katılmak isterse, profesyonel Google Ads deneyimini seçebilir. Bu, farklı seviyelerde otomasyon arasından seçim yapabildikleri ve daha fazla kontrol sağlayan manuel yönetim ile sonuçları elde etmek için makine öğrenimini kullanarak nerede ticaret yapılacağına karar verebilecekleri anlamına gelir.
In addition to Automatic Targeting (on all Google properties) and bidding based on automatic targets, Smart Campaigns will soon automate ad and landing page creation based on data from Google My Business (GMB), along with some user-selected images. This is another step in how structured data management (managing your business details in GMB) has become a critical skill to master in online advertising.
What still needs to be done manually
Budgets, target location, and language can be managed by the advertiser, but realistically these don't change often after a campaign is created, so management is pretty minimal. As a simple entry point to Google Ads, the outstanding results promised by this campaign type will encourage advertisers to explore more options and tap into more traditional campaign types when they are ready to do more with digital marketing.
Universal app campaigns
Launched in May 2015, Universal App campaigns are an automated type of campaign that helps advertisers get more installs from their apps or increase in-app conversions. You remember, This is the oldest fully automated campaign type in Google Ads. Once established, advertisers have very little to optimize. This is unusual, as most automations from Google require manual action in addition to the options available to achieve the same.
Otomatik nedirWhat is automatic
Automated actions Google manages bidding, targeting and creatives and works to achieve maximum results for the desired goal within the budget set by the advertiser. The system uses structured data from the advertiser's list of apps on Android or iOS to automate creatives.
What still needs to be done manually
To launch a Universal App campaign, advertisers choose a daily budget, target cost per result, and location and language targets. Google also asks for a few ad copy ideas and optionally images, videos, and HTML5 assets to give their automated ad generation systems some ideas for a starting point.
Because ads are derived from an app's listing in the app store, advertisers who improve their listings see their optimizations reflected in their app campaigns. As with the Smart Campaigns mentioned above, managing structured data (i.e. managing the application's input) is becoming a more critical component of optimization.
Target-optimized Shopping campaigns
Just as Smart Campaigns simplifies getting online for small businesses, this new campaign subtype makes it easier for retailers to start using Shopping ads, the ad format responsible for 60 percent of all clicks on Google.
At Biz we work with many retailers and it's clear that managing Shopping ads for tens of thousands of products is an important undertaking. So it makes sense for Google to try to make it easier for more advertisers to take advantage of Shopping ads by making management more automated.
What is automatic
This campaign automatically runs product Shopping ads and remarketing ads on the Google Display Network to predict bids that will reach maximum sales value. from at least 20 conversions in the last 45 days uses the data obtained. Advertisers can set an optional return on ad spend (ROAS) target, and the system works to maximize sales within the specified budget and ROAS target.
If we continue with what still needs to be done manually
Google, if you have different ROAS targets recommends having separate campaigns. Remember that maximizing conversion value is not the same as maximizing profit. You probably have different margins on different products and margins can fluctuate, so managing ROAS targets through separate campaigns can improve results.
Also, be mindful of the incrementality of remarketing. Results with remarketing data can make the numbers look better than they actually are. Because this automated campaign can show remarketing ads, it's important to closely analyze how many new customers are returning and delivering, as opposed to targeting users who will return on their own.
As with the previous two types of automated campaigns, this shifts some of the optimization opportunities to managing structured data, in this case what's in the Shopping feed.
Automatic bidding
There are seven automated bidding strategies from Google that help advertisers achieve various business goals with minimal effort. Three of these are based on Smart Bidding, where Google uses machine learning to predict which clicks are most likely to deliver conversion and conversion value.
Automatic bidding is perhaps a misnomer because while automating the features of bid management, it should not be considered fully automatic. Google states in its bid whitepapers that its targets should be adjusted based on factors that its automation does not take into account.
Over the years, Google Ads (formerly Adwords) bid management has grown to include Max. It has changed from a cost-per-click (CPC) system to a goal-based system. Goals can be pretty important for things like cost-per-action (CPA), ROAS, or outperforming certain competitors.
These goals are more aligned with typical business goals, eliminating the need for additional manual calculations by advertisers. However, these automated bidding systems will perform best when managed by people who are aware of what's going on at work, as goals can vary based on factors Google doesn't have insight into.
When it comes to Smart Bidding strategies like Target CPA, Target ROAS, and Enhanced CPC, Google automatically estimates the probability of conversion by looking at auction time signals, including device, location, language, day parts, and more. These estimates feed into the automatic bids used for each unique auction.
However, here's what to do manually
While Google can predict changes in conversion rate and conversion value based on a variety of commonly applied factors for a range of advertisers, these systems do not yet take into account the unique factors that affect individual advertisers. This is advertisers "automatic" This means that it must support its bid strategies with a management methodology that changes objectives based on business-specific conversion factors.
Flash sales, media coverage, weather, social media buzz, and the like can affect an ad campaign's conversion, but these factors may not be evident in Google's machine learning, so the advertiser who is aware of these factors can opt for effective bid management. However, a max. Instead of managing things by changing the CPC bid, his management now requires changing the target.
Dynamic Search Ads
For advertisers with large sites or selling lots of different products, it can be difficult to keep search ads in sync with what they're currently serving. Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs) provide an automated solution that targets ads to relevant queries with relevant ads and the right landing page. It does this by using Google's organic index to find situations where a page on an advertiser's site would be a good match for a search but did not trigger any ads in Google Ads.
What are Auto factors in dynamic search network
The advertiser can choose whether to include all pages in the Google index on their site or only those in the feed. From this point on, Google will automatically target ads and show ads with an automatic headline.
Well here's what still needs to be done manually
Bids can be automated using a bid strategy, but it's still possible to manage bids manually, unlike goal-based campaigns like Smart Campaigns, Goal-Based Shopping Campaigns, and Universal App Campaigns. As with some types of automated campaigns, optimization can be shifted away from Google Ads to managing structured data (in this case, your website).
Conclusion
Besides what we've covered, there are other automations in Google Ads. Automated ad extensions, optimized ad rotation, and even using broad match to automatically show ads on relevant queries are forms of automation that help reduce the time it takes to manage a successful campaign. Besides what we've covered, there are other automations in Google Ads. Automated ad extensions, optimized ad rotation, and even using broad match to automatically show ads on relevant queries are forms of automation that help reduce the time it takes to manage a successful campaign.
Things that are automatic now typically precede the name “Clever” e.g. Smart Campaigns, Smart Bidding, etc. It recalls the days of SmartASS, the old internal name for Quality Score, one of Google's earliest forays into machine learning with its advertising products.