Google Ads is rolling out an updated Experiments page, the company announced Wednesday. In the new Experiments pages, advertisers no longer have to create a separate campaign draft and changes made to the original campaign are automatically synced to the experiment as well.

Why we care. This streamlined experiments workflow saves advertisers time by eliminating campaign draft creation. Similarly, the experiment sync feature is also a timesaver because advertisers may no longer have to manually copy changes over from their original campaigns, which can be particularly time-consuming when running multiple experiments simultaneously.

And, the ability to apply the changes from an experiment to the base campaign with just one click also makes implementation easier.

The new Experiments workflow. First spotted by numerous PPC professionals in December 2021, one of the main features of the new workflow is the ability to set up an experiment in a single step, without having to create a campaign draft.

During experiment setup, advertisers can designate how much of their original campaign’s budget and traffic they’d like to use and how long they’d like the experiment to run for. Performance can be monitored from the Experiments page and changes can be applied to the original campaign with a single click.

Automatically sync experiments. The new experiment sync feature automatically updates the trial with any changes made to the base campaign.

Sync is turned on by default whenever a new experiment is created. However, it can’t be turned on for trials that have been scheduled or are already running. All changes made by experiment sync are reported within the account’s change history.

The post Google Ads’ updated Experiments page sheds campaign drafts and adds experiment sync appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Search marketers entering exact match keywords may see an alert towards the bottom of their Google Ads interface stating, “Broad match keywords are on. Keywords will be saved as broad match.” This message is an error and has no impact on how keywords are saved, Ginny Marvin, ads product liaison at Google, has confirmed.

Tip of the hat to Drew Cannon for bringing this to our attention.

Google is working to remove the incorrect message. “This message is an error that we are working to remove,” Marvin said on Twitter, “The message was intended for a potential opt-in experiment, but it has no impact on how keywords are saved or the traffic to which these keywords match. Our apologies for the confusion.”

Why we care. This message tells advertisers exactly what they don’t want to see when using exact match keywords, so it can be frustrating and cause them to question whether the platform is functioning properly. However, the ability to save exact match keywords remains intact, despite the confusing alert, so you can carry on as usual. And, Google is working on a fix, so the message should go away soon.

The post Google Ads error tells advertisers exact match keywords are saving as broad match appeared first on Search Engine Land.

“The more the platforms automate, the more we, as search marketers, lose control.” That has largely been the rhetoric over the years, and while there is certainly some truth to it, there are techniques that can help you reap the benefits of automation without sacrificing control.

Google has already announced plans to deprecate expanded text ads (ETAs), leaving advertisers with no choice but to embrace responsive search ads (RSAs). However, marketers can still use what they have learned from ETAs to improve their RSAs, increasing their chances of a successful transition. At SMX Next, Joe Martinez, co-founder at Paid Media Pros, shared how he benchmarks with ETAs to get the most out of the automated capabilities of RSAs.

Create ETAs to use later

“RSAs can really be hit or miss,” Martinez said, noting that “The reporting for this ad format is fairly poor.” “They [Google] give you a ‘good,’ ‘better,’ ‘best’-type aspect of how your ads are performing and we still see the overall metrics within the main columns, but we don’t get the right information on which combinations of the responsive search ads are performing best, because we can add in a variety of different headlines, different descriptions, but we don’t know what combinations are working.”

This lack of performance transparency is even more troubling for advertisers that currently rely on expanded text ads, since Google is sunsetting the format in June 2022.

“So, to prepare for this, you need to start making sure that you are focusing on adding as many expanded text ads in your account as possible,” Martinez said, “I’ve typically held around three to four expanded text ads — well, now we’re starting to add even more.”

By doing so, “We’re saying, ‘Okay, if I am going to eventually have to enter in a variety of different headlines and descriptions into my RSAs, I want to make sure that I’m entering the right ones — the ones that are going to perform the best when I am forced to use the RSA format,” he explained.

In addition to establishing a performance benchmark, how these ETAs perform should inform the creation of your RSAs when you eventually have to move your ads over to that format. “We’re making sure that we’re doing a bunch of varieties [of ETAs] so we know specifically which combinations are working because we’re controlling that with ETAs,” Martinez said.

To get the best benchmarks using this method, advertisers should ensure that their ads are set to rotate evenly so that impression share is divided across both ETAs and RSAs.

RELATED: RSAs vs ETAs, how, when, and why PPC experts use them

Pin headlines and descriptions accordingly

The RSA format allows advertisers to add up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, which can be pinned to specific positions. By benchmarking with ETAs (as described above), advertisers can take those findings and use them to pin headlines and descriptions in RSAs to gain more ETA-like functionality from them: “We’re pretty much creating our own expanded text ad within the RSA format,” Martinez said.

“Now, Google will say it can potentially hurt your Ad Rank if you’re not giving it [Google Ads’ machine learning systems] the full amount of options and combinations that Google would like,” he said, noting that, for some advertisers, this is a worthwhile compromise: “Okay, you may hurt your Ad Rank, that’s fine. But, we do understand in certain industries, control and order of message is very necessary.”

Despite the potential decrease in Ad Rank, advertisers in highly regulated industries may have to rely on pinning because, in some organizations, legal departments might have to approve every piece of ad copy that is written.

“So sometimes you may have to sacrifice on the Ad Rank just to make sure that your ad copy is on brand, it’s correct and you’re not going to get in trouble within your specific industry,” Martinez said.

For advertisers that aren’t bound to such stringent policies, pinning can still help create the experience you want to deliver to users, which may also justify any potential hit to your Ad Rank score, he added.

Utilize ad customizers

Ad customizers can provide additional control without sacrificing the flexibility that RSAs have to offer. You can use them to automatically insert keywords, a countdown timer, location, price, inventory count, discount rates or product names, for example.

“As you’re grouping and testing out different types of headlines within your expanded text ads, keep note: If your ad customizer ads are performing better, you may want to add those into your new responsive search ads and possibly pin them in certain locations,” Martinez said.

However, advertisers using this technique should be aware that there are no IF functions for RSAs.

“We’re losing that function and it makes sense because there are already so many different combinations that we really wouldn’t be able to see if an IF function customizer was working with RSAs,” he said, “So if you are using that one and you love it, test it out, understand which audience is seeing that one ad or that one variable, then you can start focusing on restructuring your campaign to a specific audience just to make sure that they’re seeing the proper headline that performed better for that particular audience.”

Unlock the potential of your RSAs before ETAs go away 

RSAs are already the default ad type for Search campaigns, but, on its way out, the ETA format still offers advertisers one of the most important tools for successful campaigns — data. Start adding more ETAs to your campaigns ahead of the June 2022 deprecation date to prepare your brand (or your client’s brand) for a smooth transition.

Watch the full SMX Next presentation here (free registration required).

The post How to automate your ad copy without sacrificing control appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Advertisers aren’t just competing against other brands for their audience’s attention. “Nowadays, the digital environment is so busy, we’re also competing against our best friend’s new babies and puppies and really great pictures of food,” Rebecca Debono, creative director at Jump 450 Media and formerly director of creative strategy at 3Q Digital, said at SMX Create.

With so many platforms, technologies and distractions available, it can be incredibly difficult to make ads that actually engage consumers. At SMX Create, Debono and Julia Thiel, VP executive creative director at 3Q Digital, shared their considerations for creating visually stunning ads to help brands cut through the noise and address customers’ motivators as well as barriers that may be clogging your sales funnel.

Design for the part of the funnel you’re targeting

Using different ads to address each part of the sales funnel ensures that you’ve got a pipeline that speaks to all potential audiences, regardless of whether they’re totally new to your brand or are on the tipping point of converting. Below are some goals that Debono associated with ads at different stages of the funnel.

• Top of the funnel: Introduce your brand and generate audience interest.
• Middle of the funnel: Educate audiences about your brand/product and entice them with your offerings.
• Bottom of the funnel: Encourage the audience to take action.

“Starting at the top, it’s got clear logo placement, that really helps to build brand awareness,” Debono said, referring to a top-of-funnel ad example (shown above). The logo is also prominent on the product itself, which is made more eye-catching by an on-brand background pattern. The background of the ad might also stand out on a white or black website background and uses the company’s brand colors.

The text elements clearly showcase the product’s value proposition and encourage potential customers to move further along the funnel with a strong CTA. Advertisers can also use movement or animation and text overlays to capture people’s attention, Debono added.

“As we start to move down from the top of the funnel and into the middle, I want to talk about how to really speak to certain audiences,” Debono said, noting that the typical creative process might involve iterating on a top-performing creative asset so that it can be used to target a broad audience.

“It’s not a wrong process, but we find that, as we start to get more mid-funnel, this process is often missing a step,” she said, “And that step is what motivates people, what is going to get them to buy or what is their barrier to entry?” Digging into customer personas can help advertisers address customers’ motivators as well as barriers, Debono said.

“Maybe the barrier is that there won’t be a flavor for me,” she provided as an example, “And so we could hit them with a message that there are 36 flavors that they could try.” Likewise, your messaging could help build a stronger connection with audiences by appealing to their motivators (with messaging like “freshly picked ingredients” for health-conscious consumers) or eliminating barriers (such as local availability, with incentives like free shipping).

As examples of successful bottom-of-funnel ads, Debono showed a collection of assets for Kombucha brand Suja (shown above). She called out the following factors behind successful performance ads:

• The product is prominently displayed for more visual impact. This also informs audiences of what they’re potentially buying.
• Offers to save money might nudge bottom-of-the-funnel customers to convert.
• Strong CTAs give customers a clear idea of what to do next.
• The text and visuals are simple, because bottom-of-the-funnel customers are likely already familiar with your brand and products.

Differentiate your brand by differentiating your ads

“Being different and standing out in a sea of sameness, especially if you’re in a crowded category, is super important,” Debono said, adding that customers may not understand what brand an ad is from if every brand appears visually similar, as it does in the image above.

In the example below, she highlighted an ad that disrupts the pattern: Instead of focusing on the product itself, the ad seeks to relate directly to the target audience by highlighting the lifestyle that the brand wants to associate with the product. It’s also accompanied by a unique CTA (“Follow your gut”), which also helps the ad stand out.

Although showcasing product imagery is typically best practice, distinguishing yourself from competitors may help increase conversions, so advertisers should keep an eye on the landscape they’re advertising in to know which type of creative to use.

“Being disruptive doesn’t mean you have to completely throw your brand guidelines out the window and do something that doesn’t even look like it’s from your brand,” Debono said, pointing to another example (below) in which a company used the same fonts and colors to create a sense of cohesion.

“You can tell that both of these ad themes are from the same brand, but they’re just discernibly different and that’s what makes a really great disruptive ad,” she said.

Using original graphics and photos, as opposed to stock images, can also help your brand differentiate itself. “There’s nothing wrong with the stock image . . . except that the whole world can use that same image if they want to,” Thiel said, adding that the same goes for stock video footage, stock illustrations and stock icons.

For advertisers that may be bound to using stock images (perhaps due to budget constraints, for example), “one solution could be to at least put your own spin on it and overlay your brand colors on the image, maybe you use a different crop,” or add your logo to it, she recommended.

Consider the elements of your brand kit

Determining the right colors to represent your brand often comes down to the psychology of each color and what you want to associate your brand with. The colors your competitors are already using and the right mixture of colors to ensure that your ads will attract your audience’s gaze (usually by including a brighter color) are also important factors.

“Your logo is your storefront — you want it to stand for everything you do,” Thiel said, “So the first step here when designing a logo is to think about what your brand should say.”

Using her agency’s logo as an example, she pointed out that the intertwining of the “3” and the “Q” are meant to convey partnership. She also pointed to the blend of strong and contrasting colors as well as unique iconography to create a visual signature on your ads. “Lastly, but not the least important, is the typeface should always compliment your logo and, in the digital ad context, it also really needs to be highly legible,” she said.

“At a minimum, in your ads, you should always use your logo, your brand font and your brand colors — not all of them at once, but some of them,” Thiel added.

Factor in the format

“There are some challenges when working with RDAs [Responsive Display Ads],” Thiel said, “For example, when it comes to the image and on-image text, some of the banners are very, very small, and they leave very little room for your image.”

Because the placement is responsive, the cropping of your banner might be out of your control as well. “In my opinion, it is not a good idea to have on-image text on RDAs, period,” she said, noting that on-image text can impede your visual branding.

“Headlines and descriptions in RDAs are mixed and matched when served,” Thiel said, “So all of the combinations have to make sense. The banner image can also be matched with all the different combinations of headlines and descriptions, so the visual has to work with all the combinations as well.” Additionally, the copy can be served without the banner image, “so it [the ad copy] really needs to speak for itself,” she emphasized.

When designing for Responsive Display Ads, Thiel recommends:

• Being concise with your copy rather than cramming all the content into the visual part of the banner.
• Keeping in mind that the copy is just as important as the banner.
• Creating strong on-brand headlines and descriptions that can be mixed and matched.
• Filling the image space with bright, eye-catching imagery that is really easy to understand at first glance and at a very small size.

Don’t overlook the creative — it’s one of your biggest levers

As the PPC industry becomes increasingly reliant on signals and automated systems, advertisers may feel like there are fewer ways to differentiate their brand or directly influence campaigns.

“It used to be that the best bidding strategy or the best targeting strategy would kind of win out, but in a world of automation, truly, creative is one of the biggest levers that we have to pull in order to stand out and make a great campaign,” Debono said.

The post 4 tips for creating visually stunning display ads appeared first on Search Engine Land.

The ability to exclude undesirable ad placements for Smart Shopping campaigns has been spotted in the Google Ads interface. Placement exclusions can be applied to the Google Display Network and YouTube, according to the screenshot (below).

We’ve reached out to Google for more details about this feature but have not received a response at the time of publication. Tip of the hat to Davey Stokkers and Fabio Antichi for first spotting this feature, and Gianpaolo Lorusso for bringing it to our attention.

Why we care

More and more consumers are seeking to purchase from brands that align with their ethics and values. Being able to control what your ads appear alongside can help you prevent unwanted brand associations, which can, in turn, affect your conversion rates.

Additionally, Smart Shopping and Local campaigns will be bundled into Performance Max campaigns sometime in 2022. It’s not clear whether placement exclusions will still be available when that occurs. We will update this article with more details when we receive a response from Google.

The post Google rolls out placement exclusions for Smart Shopping campaigns appeared first on Search Engine Land.