Top 10 Paid Search Marketing Trends of 2016

Top 10 Pay Per Click (PPC) Trends of 2016From Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages Project to Micro Moments and Brand Focus, we list the Top 10 Paid Search Marketing trends occurring in 2016.

1. Google AdWords Expanded Text Ads

With the recent expansion of text ads to two 30-character headlines and an character description that deleted all right-side ad displays and put them inline, Google AdWords – by far the largest pay per click advertising system in the world – has made it possible to completely reinvent your Google Ad listing. The increased character count created the opportunity to include more keywords and a more concise, differentiated business description that wasn’t ever before possible.

2. Going Mobile

The introduction of Google Accelerated Mobile Pages Project (AMP) and even the improvement of Google SERPs for mobile platforms has now made it crucial for advertisers to completely reinvent their websites for the mobile format. More than ever, searches on Google have been done under a mobile device and Google AdWords has innovated its mobile format to make shopping ads and even title tags more sizeable to the mobile format.

3. RLSAs

RLSAs (Remarketing Lists for Search Ads) allow companies to target users who have already visited their website to create ad displays for users actively searching using the keywords they are bidding on. RLSAs will become more popular as the shift from keyword to consumer content is used to reel in users who ultimately complete conversion goals. RLSAs are important because they target users who are more affiliated with your site and are more likely to click through to your webpage.

4. Video Ads

Recently, Google and Bing have been experimenting with the inclusion of video ads. In April of 2015, Google found that 65% of YouTube ads had a significant increase in brand recognition. In a world dominated by social media and more video sharing services, watch companies use low-cost video ads across YouTube and Google to better market their brands.

5. Facebook Ads

Facebook has recently remodified its algorithm to reward non-spam and more authentic advertisements. This was in a move to include more user shares in user feeds. Of course, paid ads were not punished and businesses are now vexed between paying more for Facebook ads or creating more compelling content that doesn’t register as click-bait in the Facebook algorithm.

6. Voice Command

Siri, Cortana, etc. have been rising in use as smartphones become, well, smarter. Just like RLSAs, companies must utilize more compelling content to entice user CTRs and return visitors. As it stands, voice command services are more likely to suggest products and services that you have already visited or are local to your area.

7. AI Content Creation

A number of companies have used AI (Artificial Intelligence) to rewrite content to better conform to Google’s standards and curate better landing pages, advertisements, and keyword usage. This is a step that has unforeseen results, yet for those who utilize AI to help their paid search campaigns, they will be more likely to increase their revenue as this remains a relatively new phenomenon.

8. Local Search Ads

Google’s introduction of LIA’s looks exactly like Google’s own universal shopping display. It’s a carousel pointing users to the nearest shops and the products they are looking for. By entering an email address, location, and phone number into Google AdWords you can monetize your local searches by a lot. Look at a lot of local businesses begin to take advantage of this trend.

9. Understanding Micro-Moments

Micro-moments can be described as user activity that occurs across browser, online to offline, and even the factors that affect bounce rates and conversion goals. Mainly we are starting to see a shift from keyword focus to people focus. Google rewards good content and websites with returning visitors. Simple strategies, such as being placed in the answer box, testing keyword results, and utilizing keywords that reach conversion goals will be a major part of understanding which paid search marketing strategies will work best.

10. Brand Focus

In terms of paid search, brand focus does not seem the most common thought in creating CTRs, e-commerce, or conversion goals. Yet, social media strategies, such as increasing shares, engaging with consumers and even including website information on social media posts can help to garner more CTRs and gather conversion goals. Users who like your brand are more likely to choose your product over the competitors. This means less money bidding for specific keywords and more profits reaped in.