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.
Microsoft Ads broad match modifier keywords now serving ad broad match
By Nicole Farley | Mar 15, 2023 | Search Engine Land

Microsoft Ads has updated its broad match modifier (BMM) keywords to include close variants, meaning that ads will now also be triggered by relevant variations of the BMM keywords. The change has been made to provide more reach and simplify campaign management for advertisers. Nicole Farley notes that while the update may be beneficial for some campaigns, advertisers should also monitor their campaigns closely to ensure that they are still targeting the right audience and not wasting ad spend on irrelevant clicks.
Facebook’s Advantage+ shopping campaigns: Are they worth the ecommerce hype?
By Curt Maly | Mar 16, 2023 | Search Engine Land

Curt Maly discusses the potential benefits of Facebook’s Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns for ecommerce businesses. The campaigns allow advertisers to create product catalogs directly on Facebook, making it easier to showcase products to potential customers. Additionally, the campaigns leverage Facebook’s data and machine learning algorithms to optimize targeting and deliver ads to users who are more likely to convert. While the campaigns may not replace Google Shopping, they can be a valuable addition to an ecommerce advertising strategy, particularly for businesses with a strong Facebook presence. Advertisers should consider testing Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns and measuring their performance to determine their effectiveness.
5 new updates to Google AdSense Auto Ads
By Nicole Farley | Mar 16, 2023 | Search Engine Land

Nicole Farley discusses five new updates to Google AdSense Auto ads, which are designed to make it easier for publishers to monetize their websites. The updates include the ability to display multiple ad formats in a single ad unit, improved ad placement customization options, and the ability to exclude specific pages or sections of a website from displaying ads. Additionally, publishers can now use custom search ads to monetize their search results pages, and Google will provide more insights into how Auto ads are performing on a site. Farley notes that these updates could help publishers generate more revenue from their websites, and encourages them to test the new features to see how they perform.
New Google Analytics item-scoped custom dimensions
By Nicole Farley | Mar 17, 2023 | Search Engine Land

A new feature in Google Analytics, called item-scoped custom dimensions, allows users to track specific attributes of products and transactions on an ecommerce website. This new feature provides more granular data than the existing product-level custom dimensions, which were limited to the product level and could not track attributes such as color or size. Nicole Farley notes that this feature can help ecommerce businesses gain more insight into how customers are interacting with their products and make more informed decisions about marketing and merchandising. However, Farley also cautions that this feature requires technical expertise to implement and may not be necessary for all businesses.
Experimentation vs Testing in PPC Campaigns: Dos, Dont’s & Key Differences
By Brett McHale | Mar 20, 2023 | WordStream

Brett McHale provides tips for testing and optimizing PPC campaigns, where he recommends testing ad copy, landing pages, and targeting options to improve the performance of campaigns. McHale suggests using A/B testing to compare different versions of ads or landing pages, and using data to identify trends and make data-driven decisions. He also encourages advertisers to consider testing different bidding strategies and ad formats, and to use remarketing campaigns to target users who have previously interacted with their website. Finally, McHale emphasizes the importance of monitoring campaigns regularly and making adjustments as needed to maximize their impact.
Google Responsive Search Ads Guide for 2023
By Vimal Bharadwaj | Mar 20, 2023 | Optmyzr

Vimal Bharadwaj provides an overview of Google’s Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) and offers tips for creating effective RSAs campaigns. RSAs can help advertisers generate more clicks and conversions by automatically testing different combinations of headlines and descriptions. Bharadwaj suggests using a mix of broad and specific keywords, as well as experimenting with different ad formats and calls to action. Additionally, he recommends monitoring performance closely and making adjustments as needed to ensure that RSAs campaigns are delivering the desired results. While RSAs can be a valuable tool, it is important to continue testing and optimizing other elements of a PPC campaign as well.
Value-Based Bidding In Google Ads: How It Works, Best Practices & Pitfalls
By Frederick Vallaeys | Mar 20, 2023 | Optmyzr

Frederick Vallaeys provides a guide to value-based bidding in PPC campaigns. Vallaeys notes that value-based bidding involves setting bids based on the estimated value of a conversion, rather than the cost per click. The article offers tips for identifying high-value keywords and calculating estimated conversion values, as well as strategies for adjusting bids based on the expected value of a click. Additionally, Vallaeys suggests using automated bidding tools to simplify the process of value-based bidding and to allow for real-time adjustments based on performance data. Value-based bidding is not a one-time process; advertisers should continually monitor and adjust their bids to maximize the return on their ad spend.
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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