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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.

PPC forecasting with Google Sheets and Vertex AI

By Benjamin Wenner | Sep 7, 2023 | Search Engine Land

Benjamin Wenner discusses PPC forecasting techniques, emphasizing the value of predicting future campaign performance. The article introduces Google Sheets’ FORECAST function and its limitations due to linear regression. Wenner suggests enhancing forecasting by incorporating external trend data. He also explores advanced forecasting using Vertex AI, which accommodates complex PPC campaigns with large datasets and multiple variables. Ultimately, Wenner highlights the choice between Google Sheets and Vertex AI for PPC forecasting, enabling data-driven decisions in campaign optimization.

Maximize Q4 Ecommerce Profits: 13 Tips for a Successful 2023 Holiday Season

By Vimal Bharadwaj | Sep 7, 2023 | Optmyzr

With the Q4 shopping season approaching, preparations for advertisers are essential. Consumer behavior trends have shifted, with earlier shopping habits during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and December holidays. To make the 2023 shopping season profitable, here are some key tips shared by Marcel Smal during a PPC Town Hall conversation:

1. Start preparations early, allowing sufficient time for planning and alignment.
2. Set efficiency targets and utilize seasonality adjustments.
3. Consider Discovery ads and allow for a ramp-up period.
4. Develop pre and post-Black Friday strategies, focusing on different goals during each phase.
5. Utilize ad extensions and customizers for retail campaigns.

Additionally, for Performance Max campaigns in 2023 Q4 Shopping, Marcel recommends:

1. Align goals with business objectives and give Performance Max time to learn.
2. Monitor results and use Mike Rhodes’s PMax script for enhanced insights.
3. Avoid creating too many asset groups; use insights to optimize.
4. Set up effective targeting settings, including custom intent audiences.
5. Consider bidding strategies based on conversion values and prioritize profit over revenue.

What Are Good Google Ads Benchmarks In 2023? [STUDY]

By Brooke Osmundson | Sep 8, 2023 | Search Engine Journal

This report provides insights into Google Ads benchmarks for 2023 across various industries, helping businesses answer critical questions regarding campaign performance. The data is sourced from thousands of campaigns on Google and Microsoft Ads in the top 20 industries, including Arts & Entertainment, Automotive, Education, Finance & Insurance, Health & Fitness, Home Improvement, Shopping & Retail, and Travel.

Key findings include:

1. Average Click-Through Rate (CTR): The average CTR across industries in 2023 ranged from 3-5%, with Arts & Entertainment leading at 11.78% and Attorneys and Legal Services at 4.76%. CTR should be analyzed in conjunction with other factors to assess ad performance.
2. Average Cost-Per-Click (CPC): The Attorneys and Legal Services industry had the highest average CPC at $9.21, while Real Estate and Arts & Entertainment had the lowest at $1.55. CPC should be considered alongside CTR to optimize bidding strategies.
3. Average Conversion Rates: Conversion rates varied significantly by industry, with Animals & Pets and Physicians and Surgeons leading at 13.41% and 13.12%, respectively. Some industries like Furniture and Apparel/Fashion & Jewelry had lower conversion rates due to factors like high-ticket items and intense competition.
4. Average Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): The Careers & Employment industry had the highest CPA at $132.95, while Automotive Repair, Services & Parts and Animals & Pets had lower CPAs at $21.12 and $23.57, respectively. CPA can be influenced by factors like CPC, CTR, and audience targeting.

The report emphasizes that these benchmarks serve as guidelines, and businesses should set realistic goals, explore alternative search engines, allocate appropriate budgets, optimize keywords and landing pages, and prioritize the mobile experience to improve campaign performance if they fall below industry averages.

Target ROAS in Google Ads: 5 key considerations

By George Prodanov | Sep 11, 2023 | Search Engine Land

The Target Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) strategy in PPC advertising is highly regarded for optimizing financial outcomes. It contrasts with click-based and conversion-based bidding, focusing on value-based results. Transitioning to Target ROAS from other strategies has shown a 14% increase in conversion value with similar ROAS, according to Google’s data. However, results can vary across industries and businesses, and adopting Target ROAS requires careful consideration.

Five key considerations are highlighted:

1. Variability in Sales Value: Businesses with variable sales values can benefit more from Target ROAS, optimizing for high-value conversions.
2. Sales Volume: Adequate conversion data is crucial for Target ROAS, with specific minimum conversion thresholds based on campaign types.
3. Sales Cycle Length: The length of your sales cycle impacts the speed at which you can assign conversion values and feed data back to Google.
4. Data Accuracy: The accuracy of conversion values is vital for Target ROAS success, with options to optimize for proxy values, revenue, profit, or customer lifetime value (CLV).
5. Data Infrastructure: Proper data tracking and infrastructure, including manual tracking, tag-based tracking, or offline conversion tracking, are essential to implement Target ROAS effectively.

How To Switch From DSA To PMax To Future-Proof Your Google Paid Ads

By Frederick Vallaeys | Sep 11, 2023 | Search Engine Journal

Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) have been a staple in digital advertising, but Performance Max (PMax) campaigns are gaining traction and may eventually replace DSAs. PMax offers advanced machine-learning capabilities and can automate tasks that DSAs handle, making it a logical choice for Google to focus on. PMax supports multiple ad formats, including text, display, and video, making it more versatile and capable of reaching a wider audience. It also operates across various channels like YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, and Maps, streamlining advertising efforts. Advertisers should prepare to shift from DSAs to PMax, recalibrating their performance metrics to include impressions, brand recall, and engagement rates.

6 Non-Obvious (Yet Simple) Strategies to Increase Conversion Rates

By Michelle Morgan | Sep 12, 2023 | WordStream

Michelle Morgan discusses strategies for increasing conversion rates in paid media campaigns. She emphasizes the importance of page speed and suggests using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool to assess and improve loading times. Providing easy-to-digest information on landing pages is recommended, including product highlights, features, benefits, and visual content. Social proof is highlighted as a valuable element, including customer reviews, media mentions, awards, and certifications. Setting clear expectations for the conversion process and offering multiple ways for users to convert, such as phone calls or chat, is suggested. Lastly, minimizing required form fields to only essential information is advised to prevent user irritation and enhance conversion rates.

Google Performance Max: Everything you need to know

By Menachem Ani | Sep 12, 2023 | Search Engine Land

Menachem Ani discusses Google’s Performance Max campaign in Google Ads and its unique features. Performance Max allows advertisers to upload various assets and access all of Google’s ad placements from one campaign, including text, videos, feeds, and images. He highlights the campaign’s powerful targeting capabilities, including audience signals, keywords, and product feeds. Ani also covers bid management using Smart Bidding and the ability to control complex auctions and intent matching. The article provides insights into using Performance Max for different types of accounts, such as ecommerce and lead generation, and offers a balanced view of its pros and cons. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of PPC managers in effectively utilizing Performance Max.

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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