Pay per click (PPC) advertising has come a long way since Google AdWords was launched in the year 2000. Who remembers when ads used to be at the side of the search results rather than the top and bottom?
Now that we’re in a new year, there are even more changes to how we carry out PPC advertising ahead of us. We’ve listened to what the experts have to say about PPC in 2022 and put together our own thoughts.
How will the PPC market evolve and change in 2022? Let’s take a look.
1. PPC costs are set to increase
Next year, we’ll see PPC costs rise globally, especially in fast-growing markets like the United States. This will make paid search more challenging.”
Manick Bhan – CTO/Founder, Link Graph
PPC is a supply and demand market. The more businesses that use it, the higher the premium PPC platforms can charge.
According to AdAge, PPC costs are up 30% to 40% on what they were in 2020.
The good news is that businesses can still take advantage of PPC, even if they don’t have a high budget. Ensuring your ads are relevant, focusing on shoppers who are at the end of the sales funnel and A/B testing your copy can all help drive costs down.
2. Platforms will push automation as a way forward
If you haven’t already, it’s time to get started on identifying audiences, creating a variety of content, developing differentiated ads, and embracing automation, for both paid search and paid social,”
Melissa Mackey – Paid Search Manager, MerkleB2B
Automation has long since divided PPC marketers, and the debate will continue long into 2022. While automation can help advertisers save time on their campaigns, it can also lead to a loss of control.
Unfortunately, PPC platforms are now pushing automation onto customers, such as expanded text ads on Google Ads, which we’ll go into a bit more detail about later. PPC specialists will need to work with automated services in 2022, rather than fight against them.
The good news is that the artificial intelligence that powers automation is improving all the time. This means automated processes are becoming more efficient and reliable.
3. Don’t be afraid to look to new PPC channels
If you haven’t yet, see what other ad platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Quora, Pinterest, and others can offer, as they too, have grown and can be lucrative.”
Akville DeFazio, President, AKvertise
There are more PPC networks than ever before. If you played it safe with Facebook and Google Ads in 2021, moving to new PPC platforms could help boost your brand and introduce you to new customers.
As with all marketing, it’s essential to take your target audience into consideration. For example, if your typical customer is a retiree, advertising on TikTok may not be a sensible choice.
Once implemented, test and review your new PPC channels as much as possible. It’s better to make lots of small, agile changes than bigger, less frequent ones.
4. Get ready to say goodbye to expanded text ads
Test ETAs for as long as you can – and consider even adding in additional variations for later testing, once they can no longer be created,”
Amy Bishop, Owner/Digital Marketing Consultant, Cultivative
30 June 2022 will be the end of an era in Google Ads as expanded text ads (ETAs) will no longer be able to be created or edited.
This move has been met with disappointment by advertisers, who see it as a way for Google to push responsive search ads (RSAs) instead.
ETAs will be available until the middle of the year, so we recommend creating and editing them now while there is still time. If you haven’t done so already, it is definitely worth setting up at least one RSA in each ad group now, so you don’t get caught short when the changes come in.
Don’t forget that you can pin selected elements of your RSAs, so they behave like ETAs. However, we’re not sure if Google will try and close down this particular loophole.
There you have it. What tips or trends do you predict for 2022? Feel free to drop a comment below.