Welcome to Cultivative’s weekly roundup for all things PPC from around the web—everything you need to know right now about PPC!
At Cultivative, we’re all about making your life easier. We’ve gathered the top PPC news and innovations from around the web and getting it into your hands. Check out what we found this past week.
Responsive Search Ads Are Now Default Type for Google Ads
By Susan Wenograd | Feb 18, 2021

Responsive Text Ads will now be the default ad type created in Google Ads search campaigns. Advertisers can still create new Expanded Text Ads and edit existing ones. Google encourages advertisers to use additional tools within the Ads setup to maximize the performance of RSAs, such as the “Ad strength” indicator and continuing to utilize personalization features such as location and countdown customizers. This is the most recent announcement in continued consolidation to simplify and streamline account management.
Google brings Display ads to attribution reports as an open beta
By George Nguyen | Feb 18, 2021

Google has added Display ads to its Google Ads attribution reporting as an open beta, allowing advertisers to see Display ads alongside search and YouTube. Display ads within attribution reporting can help you see how your campaigns across different channels complement each other and move customers along their journey. You can also use that information to help you make better campaign and budget decisions.
3 Search Marketing Tactics to Drive Last-Minute Ecommerce Sales
By Lee Wilson | Feb 19, 2021

There’s always an opportunity to get more sales with effective search marketing, whether it’s managing stock or maximizing sales during a hectic time of year. If you’ve found yourself working on short-duration digital campaigns to increase online revenue, Lee Wilson has three effective tactics to help you reach your goal, including:
- Target Free Product Listings on Google
- Increase Focus on Your Core ROI & Commercial Impact Pages
- Leverage the Value of Your Home Page
3 Factors That Are Driving Instagram Ad Spending Growth
By Rachael Chudoba | Feb 19, 2021

Merkle noted that spending on Facebook ads increased by 12% Y/Y in Q4 2020, and more drastically, Instagram ad spending increased 30% Y/Y. Despite Instagram continuing to receive the minority of spend against Facebook (Instagram received 20% of total Facebook budgets in Q4 2020), the trend of increasing Instagram spend YoY is clear. Rachael Chudoba puts forward that this can be attributed to three different factors:
- Instagram usage is growing more than other social platforms
- Social commerce increased on Instagram during the holidays
- The rise of influencer marketing
10 PPC Copywriting Best Practices for Extra Effective Text Ads
By Adam Heitzman | Feb 22, 2021

There doesn’t seem to be a magic ad-writing formula out there — if there was, everyone would use it — but there are good practices you can follow, and great ad copy always stands out. Get more clicks on your paid search ads by applying these ten copywriting best practices from Adam Heitzman:
- Know What Your Target Market Wants
- Address Your Audience
- Use Emotional Triggers to Your Advantage
- Use Numbers, Trademarks and Register Marks (™, ®)
- Remove Objections
- Use All Your Space
- Emphasize What Makes You Stand Out
- Go Local
- Use Strong, Creative Calls to Action
- Split Test Your PPC Ads Frequently
4 Ways to Identify How Your Display Ads Impact Search Ad Performance
By Joe Martinez | Feb 23, 2021

User intent for Display Ads is different than search ads on Google, and clients will express concern over performance. There are several ways you can check and see if Display Ads are impacting overall performance on Google. Joe Martinez recommends these four methods:
- Display-specific Google Analytics audiences
- Observation audiences
- Google Trends
- View-through conversions
10 Ways Ads End Up in Facebook Jail & How to Avoid It
By Ilya Cherepakhin | Feb 23, 2021

It’s critical to avoid being cuffed to Facebook Jail so that your ads never run. While many rules are apparent, it’s the nuances that make or break a campaign from going live. Ilya Cherepakhin reviews how to avoid these ten common pitfalls that could land your ads in Facebook Jail:
- Facebook Page Quality
- Facebook Ad Quality
- Incorrect Ad Format and/or Goal
- Landing Page Quality
- Billing
- Restricted or Prohibited Topics
- Copyright & Trademark
- Using Facebook’s Brand
- Being Reported for Spam
- Keep a Single Account
We hope you learned something new you can apply to your PPC business strategy. Let us know in the comments below what you want to start implementing. As always, we are happy to be a resource for your paid advertising needs. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
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