The Evolution of Google AdWords for Small Businesses
Google AdWords has been one of the most popular advertising platforms for small businesses for quite some time. Unlike traditional advertising methods like TV, radio, and newspapers, Google AdWords enables small business owners to easily spread their message across the internet with a small budget. Whether you run an SEO business or an SEO tools website, providing customers with the ability to track and report their Google ranking for specific keywords is essential. The Zenserp API is a great tool for this, allowing you to obtain location-based and geolocated search engine results.
In today’s mobile-first world, it’s more important than ever for businesses to be there for their customers when they need them most. With over half of all searches happening on mobile devices, businesses need to be optimized for this platform. At the Google Performance Summit, Google announced several updates to their AdWords and Analytics platforms that are designed to help businesses reach their customers more effectively in this mobile-first world.
Here are five AdWords developments that small businesses need to know about:
1. New Local Search Ads Across Search and Maps
Nearly one-third of all mobile searches are location-based. To help businesses reach customers searching for local businesses, Google introduced local search ads across Google.com and Google Maps. This feature allows businesses to display their location more prominently when customers search for things like “dentist” or “car repair shop near me” on their mobile phones.
2. Branded, Customized Experiences for Businesses on Google Maps
Google is testing new local ad formats that will allow businesses to strengthen their brand presence in Maps. These ad formats will also make it easier for customers to find local businesses as they navigate on Google Maps. For example, Maps users may start seeing experiments like logos on Maps or promoted pins for gas stations or restaurants along their driving route.
3. Expanded Text Ads to Help Your Ads Work Harder Across Screens
New expanded text ads are optimized for smartphone screens, offering more ad space for businesses to provide the information that customers need before tapping through to their website. These ads include two 30-character headlines, rather than one 25-character headline, and one consolidated 80-character description line, instead of two 35-character description lines. This gives businesses the chance to showcase more unique details about their business, such as being family-owned or sourcing from local purveyors.
4. Responsive Ads for Display, Designed to Adapt to Various Screens
With responsive display ads, businesses can easily access inventory for the different formats available on the Google Display Network. These ads will automatically adapt to the diverse content, shapes, and sizes of the more than two million publisher sites and apps on the Google Display Network. Business owners can simply provide headlines, a description, an image, and a URL, and AdWords will create beautiful ads that look great on every device and site.
5. More Control and Flexibility for Bidding on AdWords
In today’s mobile-first world, businesses need more control and flexibility to optimize bids on different devices. Currently, advertisers set mobile bids as a multiplier of the base bid for desktop. Later this year, businesses will be able to set individual bid adjustments for each device type – mobile, desktop, and tablet – separately and optimize with greater precision, while keeping it simple to reach customers across devices. Google also announced a wider range to adjust bids – up to +900%, offering even more flexibility.
In conclusion, Google AdWords continues to evolve to work harder for businesses in this mobile-first world. The updates announced at the Google Performance Summit are designed to help businesses reach their customers more effectively and efficiently. With over trillions of searches on Google every year, the AdWords and Analytics platforms have an incredible impact on businesses of all sizes.