PPC Trends making waves in 2024 and beyond

By Raghav Tayal | October 23rd, 2022

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Table of Contents

Introduction

PPC has a reputation for being constantly changing. Given that social media platforms and search engines are continually updating their PPC strategies to assist marketers in targeting the right consumers, what worked last year might not work this year.

Keeping up with the most recent trends and innovations increases the likelihood of increasing conversions and ROI. We’ve put together a list of the most important PPC trends for 2023 that should be considered when developing a PPC strategy.

Here’s a glimpse into some of the big PPC trends that will help ensure success on any company level.

AI + Automation Is On The Rise

AI and Automation will continue to be hot topics in PPC trends in the coming years.

AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we target and bid on keywords, and automated tools can take a lot of the manual work out of running a PPC campaign.

Google has been rolling out automated bid strategies for PPC advertising, and in 2019 it actively encouraged advertisers to let automation manage their ad campaigns over manual bidding.

As a result of this push towards increased efficiency with PPC campaign management, we can expect more automation coming our way!

AI and machine learning are two of the most talked about topics in the marketing world today – and for a good reason!

How Artificial Intelligence and Automation Help Businesses?

Here are just a few ways AI and Machine Learning can help businesses stay competitive in the coming year:

  • AI is getting better at understanding user intent, which is essential for effective PPC targeting.
  • AI can help businesses process large volumes of data more quickly and efficiently, identify patterns and a few trends, and make better resource allocation decisions.
  • AI and automation can help businesses personalize their marketing efforts to reach and engage their target audiences better.
  • Automation can help businesses automate repetitive tasks, freeing up time and resources that can be better spent on strategic planning and execution.

AI and automation are on the rise, and there’s no sign of this trend slowing down.

As machine learning algorithms become more accessible, incorporating artificial intelligence into your paid advertising strategies will be easier in 2023!

The best part is; You can create automated PPC strategies that perfectly fit the needs and preferences of customers.

The Rise of First-Party Data

It’s time to bid farewell to Third Party Cookies!

Even though Google has delayed its plan to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome, it’s become apparent that third-party cookies will no longer be supported.

Why are third-party cookies going away?

According to Justin Schuh, Google’s Director of Chrome Engineering, Google’s rationale for phasing out third-party cookies is that users are “demanding more privacy, including transparency, choice, and control over how their data is used.”

In recent years, online privacy has become a hot-button issue, and rightly so.

With companies collecting ever more data on users, it’s important to have some control over how that data is used. That’s where collecting first-party data comes in!

3 considerations as we part with third-party data-tracking

Now that you are aware of the reasoning behind Google’s decision to do away with cookies let’s explore how user data will be tracked in a cookie-less future.

Increased Importance of First-Party Data

Luckily, Google isn’t planning to eliminate all cookies. So, if you’re worried about not being able to collect any user data for your marketing campaigns, you can relax!

Google will continue to support first-party data on its ad platforms. First-party data is generally more reliable than third-party data and can be used to create highly personalized customer experiences.

Google will continue to monitor user activity

Google’s announcement of wanting to create a more private Internet experience does not mean that the company is done tracking user behavior online. Instead of individually monitoring users, the tech giant is investing in alternatives to track data from groups of consumers with their Federated Learning of Cohorts.

As Google removes third-party cookies, new advertising opportunities arise

The innovative and new ways to advertise will allow you more space in your marketing strategy for increased ad revenue opportunities!

Since Google’s announcement, many brands have started to explore alternatives that can help them create personalized marketing messages that will be more effective with their right audience. It’s important to remember that third-party cookies are gradually fading, giving you plenty of time to research alternatives and find out other ways to help you provide valuable data about our audience.

In 2023, 50% of shoppers are expected to use voice shopping.

The rise of voice search queries has been one of the most significant changes in the digital landscape in recent years. And, with the continued growth of smart homes and personal assistant speakers such as Cortana, Siri, and Alexa, it will only become more important in the years to come.

According to Statista, more than 8 Billion people will be using digital assistants by 2023.

So, in 2023, get ready to create your PPC campaigns by:

Optimizing for Mobile

According to Adobe Analytics, mobile users are three times more likely to use voice searches!

Google deems the mobile user experience crucial to a successful website and factors it into its rankings, which leads to expanded text ads and visual search.

To ensure your website is optimized for text and voice search, consider implementing a responsive design and explore other ways to make your website mobile-friendly.

Identify and Use Conversational and Question-based Keywords

You may have heard that short and vague keywords are bad for SEO.

In most cases, it’s advisable to use a mix of mid-tail and long-tail keywords. The more specific the keywords are, the more likely they are to reach your target audience.

Even long-tail keywords aren’t enough for voice search!

Instead, it would help if you used complete phrases and questions typically used in conversations with another person.

Luckily, keyword-finding tools can help you identify relevant phrases and questions for responsive search ads.

You can also take inspiration from Google’s autocomplete and “People Also Ask” features for PPC marketing.

Brand affinity using audience targeting

In 2023, the best PPC marketers will go above and beyond to create campaigns that raise awareness and build strong relationships with their audience.

It’s important to focus on building relationships with your audiences and inspire them to feel good about your brand instead!

To take advantage of this paid search trend in 2023, focus on:

  • Delivering the absolute best customer experience possible
  • Speaking to people in a timely and professional manner
  • Encouraging conversation among your audience

Extending Your Reach with PPC

When it comes to PPC advertising, you aren’t confined to search engines like Google or Bing. You have the option of expanding to other platforms. Alternative platforms must be taken into account if you wish to succeed with PPC in 2023. Explore options like Microsoft advertising or Bing ads.

Targeting every platform is not the same as expanding to other ad platforms. It entails knowing where your target audience spends their time online and using paid advertising to connect with them. Invest effort into learning where your target audience congregates (and whether they’re likely to migrate to a different platform in 2023). Test your advertising there to evaluate how well they perform and if the platform is a good fit for your business.

Video Ads

By including videos on landing pages, conversion rates increase by 80%. Video advertisements are one of the most important paid search trends to keep an eye on. Google has simplified the process of making adverts using your YouTube material over the past few years. The availability of CTV advertising on other platforms is also increasing, enabling more SMBs to launch video advertisements on streaming services like Hulu. Additionally, be prepared for advertising to arrive on Netflix because the streaming juggernaut unveiled plans for a new ad-supported tier last year. One in three social media platform users watch brand videos, so don’t forget about videos in social media advertising.

Remarketing Campaigns

Remarketing campaigns retarget users who have previously interacted with an online store or mobile platform.

These PPC campaigns use customer data to curate personalized ads to customers who have shown interest in a brand’s products or services but have yet to make a purchase or sign up during their initial visit.

These targeted ads are one of the most popular PPC trends.

According to a study by AdRoll, retargeting can lead to a 147% higher conversion rate than traditional advertising. (Source:AdRoll)

The success of remarketing campaign performance heavily depends on the ad creatives. Write good ad copy that is visually appealing, attention-grabbing, and resonates with the brand’s message.

Remarketing is not just limited to one platform. It is a multi-platform trend in PPC strategies. It can be implemented across multiple platforms like social media, display ads, google ads, video ads, and email marketing strategies.

Google Analytics says that potential customers retargeted with display ads are 70% more likely to convert as buyers.

Going Social

Ignoring social media is not possible anymore. Social media platforms have become increasingly important for PPC trends in recent years.

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok have billions of active users, offering vast audience targeting capability and reach.

Use social media platforms for PPC campaigns to reach specific demographics, interests, behaviors, and even retarget users.

Facebook’s targeted ad options allow marketers to reach over 1.96 billion active users based on various criteria.

Most social media platforms prioritize video advertising, a powerful format for PPC ads.

Features like Instagram Shopping, Facebook Marketplace, and Pinterest Shopping Ads allow marketers to use smart bidding strategies to reach their paid advertising goals.

Another important thing is that the lines between social media, -commerce, and influencer marketing must be revised. Brands increasingly collaborate with influencers on social media platforms to promote products.

Social media platforms are introducing more targeted ads, including polls, quizzes, etc. These are interactive ads that eventually improve campaign performance.

Keep an eye on the latest social media updates to stay competitive in the market and maximize the success of PPC marketing strategies.

Integrating SEO and PPC

Incorporating search engine optimization with PPC automation processes is one of the popular PPC trends in digital marketing. They work together to make your brand more visible in search campaigns and attract more customers.

Key Benefits of Integrating SEO and PPC:

Study shows that integrating SEO and PPC campaigns can lead to an increase in overall clicks and profits compared to using either of the channels separately. This combination provides valuable insights into which keywords drive organic and paid traffic. Marketers can prioritize high-performing keywords in their overall strategy to rank higher in search engines.

According to a Microsoft study, a brand that appears in organic search and paid advertising has 30% higher click-through rates.

Marketers can analyze shared data on clicks, impressions, and conversions to make informed decisions, allocate advertising spending, and adjust innovative bidding strategies accordingly.

Search engine algorithms are continuously changing. Integrating SEO with PPC strategies helps businesses quickly adapt to the sudden algorithm changes that may impact organic search engine ranking.

Combining SEO and PPC provides a significant competitive advantage, as marketers can quickly adapt marketing strategies based on real-time data.

Such integration allows cost-effective conversion tracking. Marketers can identify target keywords and content strategies based on the conversion data and allocate an ad budget accordingly. This approach ultimately improves the overall return on investment.

Testing, Testing, and More Testing

This part of digital marketing is non-negotiable in terms of the PPC trend. Testing is the most important task out of all PPC automation for marketers to be successful, maintain competitiveness, and maximize their revenue.

As stated earlier, digital marketing waves are unpredictable. What works today may not work tomorrow. To keep up with these changes, regular testing is important. Experiment with audience targeting options, identify target audiences, predict future ad CTRs, and smart bidding strategies.

Write good ad copy to make a compelling impression. Test different ad copy with images, videos, and calls to action. Conduct A/B testing of your Google ads, like headlines, meta descriptions, and visuals, for maximum impact. Optimize your content that can align with visual search.

Privacy concerns like GDPR and the removal of third-party cookies significantly impact audience targeting capability. Test alternatives like contextual ads or first-party data strategies to maintain effective campaigns in the PPC trend.

Successful PPC campaigns mean getting users to click on your ads and take the desired action on your website, whether purchasing or subscribing to newsletters. Regular testing, optimizing bids, and landing pages for user experience, load time, and relevance to the ad can significantly boost conversion rates.

Regular testing helps you identify the most prominent PPC trends others may have overlooked and seize the opportunity to create competitive marketing strategies beforehand.

Conclusion

The only strategy for success in today’s cutthroat global economy is to be flexible enough to respond to immediate changes and advancements. To ensure that your pay-per-click (PPC) ads and strategies continue to be successful in 2023, it is important to keep the trends mentioned above in mind as you develop your PPC plans.

FAQs

PPC metrics are key performance indicators that are used by businesses to measure the success of their pay-per-click advertising campaigns accurately. These metrics help understand the depth of results obtained from the budget spent and can help make better decisions about upcoming campaigns. Some important metrics to take into account are:

Advertising is important for businesses that are aiming to create an impactful online presence for their business. It allows businesses to approach their target audience with ads that are relevant to their needs at the right time.

As PPC ads are placed above search engine results, these ads can be seen by people who are searching for something with a specific keyword. As they are already searching, it indicates that they are interested and might buy your products or services if they find your PPC ad useful.

Since PPC ads are targeted for specific keywords, demographics, and interests, they will only be seen by interested people. This can attract results faster and is measurable in all aspects to develop a better understanding of your target audience, their interests, and their evolving browsing behavior.

Here are some PPC trends that you should know about:

  • PPC automation is becoming popular as it can help businesses save time, effort, and money while significantly improving their campaign performance.
  • Smart bidding that uses machine learning to optimize bids for conversions for improved and better ROI.
  • The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning will increase to improve the quality of bids, targeting ads, and for better measurement of results.
  • There will be greater use of platforms, including Google Ads, Bing Ads, etc., to diversify the platform's brand and reach its target audience.
  • The focus is shifting to making ads more accessible to mobile users, as an estimated 92.3% of internet users access the internet from their mobile phones.
October 23, 2022
Raghav Tayal