Pay per click (PPC) updates for January 2020

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is an effective way for businesses to reach their target audience online. With the constantly evolving digital landscape, it’s crucial for advertisers to stay up-to-date on the latest PPC updates to optimize their campaigns and achieve better results. In January 2020, several updates were introduced across various platforms, including Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Quora, and Amazon. In this article, we’ll dive into the details of these updates and explore how they can help advertisers optimize their PPC campaigns.

Facebook Offline Events Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms for PPC advertising. In January 2020, Facebook introduced offline events, which provided advertisers with the ability to track offline conversions driven by their Facebook ads. This update was a significant step forward for businesses that rely on offline conversions, such as in-store purchases or phone calls, to measure their campaign’s success. With this update, businesses could track offline conversions and optimize their ads accordingly. Facebook offline events – A powerhouse for offline conversions.

Close Variants Updates Close variants updates were introduced in January 2020, and Brad Geddes highlighted the impact of these updates and the necessary analysis and workflow required to maintain control and conversions. Close variants refer to the variations of a search term, such as plurals or misspellings, which Google now considers as exact matches. This update aimed to provide more relevant results to users, but it could also impact advertisers’ campaigns. With close variants, advertisers need to be more cautious in their keyword targeting and monitor their campaigns closely to maintain control and conversions. Brad Geddes sheds light on the impact of close variants updates and the analysis and workflow necessary to maintain control and conversions.

Negative Audiences Excluding negative audiences from PPC campaigns was suggested to make the ads more effective. Negative audiences refer to the audience that advertisers don’t want to target, such as people who have already purchased their product or service. By excluding negative audiences, advertisers can focus their budget on reaching new potential customers and improve their ad effectiveness. Make your PPC ads more effective by excluding negative audiences from your PPC campaigns.

Optimization Score The optimization score was updated in January 2020 to include Display campaigns in addition to Search and Shopping campaigns. The optimization score is a metric that shows how well an account is optimized for performance, and higher scores indicate better optimization. With the inclusion of Display campaigns, advertisers could get a better understanding of how well their entire account was optimized and make necessary improvements to achieve better results. Now optimization score will include Display campaigns as well – so you can see and act on optimization score for Search, Shopping, and Display.

Facebook Audience A discussion on Facebook audiences looked at whether broad or lookalike audiences work best for Facebook ads. Broad audiences refer to a larger group of people who share similar interests, while lookalike audiences refer to a group of people who share similar characteristics to an advertiser’s existing customers. While both types of audiences can be effective, the choice between them depends on the advertiser’s specific goals and budget. Which audience works best for Facebook ads, broad audience or lookalike audience? Click here to find out.

Tinuiti’s 2019 Cyber Five Data & Analysis Tinuiti’s report on Cyber Five Data & Analysis covered data and analysis across Google, Facebook, and Amazon. The report provided insights into the performance of campaigns during the holiday season, which is a crucial period for many businesses. Advertisers could use this data to optimize their campaigns for the next holiday season and achieve better results. Tinuiti’s 2019 Cyber Five Data & Analysis across Google, Facebook, and Amazon.

LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms LinkedIn introduced a new feature that made working with lead gen forms easier. Lead gen forms allow advertisers to collect information from potential customers, such as their name and email address, without them having to leave LinkedIn. This update made it easier for advertisers to create and manage lead gen forms and improve their lead generation efforts on LinkedIn. LinkedIn releases a new feature in the interface that will make working with lead gen forms so much easier.

Google Image Extensions Google enabled image extensions in search ads, allowing relevant images to be displayed alongside the ads. This update provided advertisers with an additional way to showcase their products or services and grab users’ attention. By including images, advertisers could make their ads more visually appealing and increase their chances of clicks and conversions. In a new update, Google’s been sneaking in the ability to enable image extensions, allowing advertisers to display relevant images alongside their search ads!

Facebook Ad Format A report was published on the best Facebook ad format, comparing images, videos, and carousels. This report aimed to help advertisers choose the most effective ad format for their specific goals and target audience. While all three ad formats can be effective, the report provided insights into which format worked best for different industries and types of campaigns. Read here the result of our experiment to find image vs. video vs. carousel: Which is the best Facebook ad format?

Gmail Ads A guide was provided on how to break out of simple display campaigns and explore Gmail ads. Gmail ads are a type of Google Ads campaign that allows advertisers to reach potential customers through their Gmail inbox. With this guide, advertisers could learn how to set up and optimize their Gmail ads and reach potential customers in a new way. A perfect guide to breaking out of simple display campaigns and exploring Gmail ads.

Message Extensions From January 27, 2020, message extensions were no longer part of AdWords and Google Ads APIs and scripts. Message extensions allowed users to send a text message directly from an ad, but this feature was discontinued in January 2020. Advertisers could still use other types of extensions, such as call and location extensions, to improve their ad performance. From January 27, 2020, message extensions will no longer be a part of AdWords and Google Ads APIs and Google Ads scripts.

Quora Lead Generation Forms Quora ads introduced lead generation forms for advertisers to acquire high-intent prospects. With lead generation forms, advertisers could collect information from potential customers without them having to leave Quora. This update made it easier for advertisers to generate leads on Quora and reach potential customers who were interested in their products or services. In a new move, Quora ads introduces lead generation forms for advertisers to acquire high-intent prospects.

Facebook Algorithm An article was published on how the Facebook algorithm works in 2020. The Facebook algorithm determines which posts are shown to users in their newsfeed based on several factors, including relevance, engagement, and timeliness. By understanding how the algorithm works, advertisers could create content that was more likely to be shown to their target audience and improve their organic reach on the platform. Everything on how the Facebook algorithm works in 2020.

The January 2020 PPC updates aimed to help advertisers optimize their campaigns and achieve better results across various platforms. With new features and targeting options, advertisers could reach more relevant audiences and improve their ad effectiveness. From Facebook offline events to Quora lead generation forms, these updates provided advertisers with more tools and insights to succeed in the ever-evolving world of PPC advertising. By staying up-to-date on the latest updates and trends, advertisers could stay ahead of the competition and achieve their advertising goals.