Don’t fight Google!

It’s often said that people don’t like change, and that humans are very much creatures of habit. This may very well be why we find the 21st century so overwhelming – because if you stand still for more than five minutes, you soon fall behind!

This is truer than ever in the world of digital marketing. The way a marketer would maintain and optimise a Google Ads campaign has changed drastically in the five years I have worked at Fountain. When I first joined, we would review keyword bids and search term reports daily, and make small adjustments to ensure our clients would get the best performance possible.

In the relatively short time since then, Google products and algorithms have transformed, taking us into a whole new world. Bid strategies are no longer focused solely on what people are typing into search engines, but their entire online experience. This allows AI to make a judgement about the intention behind the search, and chase after those who are more likely to buy your product or sign up for your service.

The science involved behind this data analysis can be mind boggling, and this has left some suspicions about its effectiveness. Rather than leave campaign strategies in the hands – or codes – of the machines, some still cling on to their tried and tested techniques. However, there are two main reasons why you should embrace change:

1. Google has spent untold amounts of money and numerous hours of resource to develop the most sophisticated machine learning for their platform. It has been tested, and tested, and tested again before being released into the wild. Given this investment, they are unlikely to release something which would lose them or their partners money.
2. Google will ensure that its platform is optimised for the latest developments, meaning that the legacy products and bid strategies won’t benefit from them. Campaigns which don’t adapt to the change will see their performance slowly fade, meaning you could be losing out on sales or leads.

The one note of caution is that you need to make sure you are providing good data for the algorithms to use in order to fully reap the benefits. Make sure you have robust conversion tracking implemented, and that the value of your goals is accurate. And always ensure that the campaign objective and targets fit in with the appropriate stage of your marketing funnel.

Once the groundwork is in place, you can sit back and watch the magic happen – whilst you crack on with the dozen other actions on your to-do list!