Recently updated: May 25th, 2023
The year 2022 is already passed, which means it’s the perfect time to prepare your 2023 PPC strategy. But why should anyone even focus on paid ads and searches? It’s because paid ads convert better. PPC Stats show that while organic results get only 35 percent of clicks, paid results receive 65 percent of clicks (and convert 50 percent higher), which is way too better.
The only way to come up with an effective future PPC strategy is to first get familiar with the PPC trends that will prevail in 2023 and change the game of online advertising for every digital marketer. But, for the newbies, let’s first take a look at what PPC means.
In the context of digital marketing, PPC is an acronym for the Pay-Per-Click marketing model that digital marketers, companies, and professionals leverage to market their brands, products, and services by paying for only those clicks they have got at a particular platform. Hence, the name – pay per click!
The PPC model is dynamic and keeps evolving and therefore, PPC experts keep creating and finding new ways to get the best out of PPC ads by defining and redefining their PPC strategies.
So, no matter if you are a professional marketer, a blogger, or a small business owner, you are more likely to benefit if you create your future PPC strategy that will align with the following trends.
PPC Trend #1: PPC Automation via AI and ML
The trend of automation is getting ubiquitous, and the digital advertising world is no exception. While the automation trend has already settled its root in 2021, it will become one of the biggest trends in 2023. For PPC automation, both Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) will be used to do labor-intensive and prediction-related tasks when preparing and launching ads on Google, Bing, and other platforms.
How exactly will marketers be able to use automation in PPC campaign optimization? PPC experts suggest that automation will be used in the future in a variety of ways, such as:
- Defining the best bid strategy and optimizing keywords
- Tracking, optimizing, and analyzing bids for maximum conversions
- Practicing smart bidding
- Determining CPC for ad auctions that are more likely to convert
- Identifying performance issues
- Prioritizing high-performing ads
- Generating ads dynamically based on user behavior and website content
- Developing and optimizing ad copies depending on data feeds
- Producing ad performance reports automatically
A recently released report by Future Business Insights stated that the size of the global AI market that covers all industries including media and advertising is projected to reach USD 360.36 billion by 2028 with a CAGR of 33.6 percent from 2021. This growth will also reflect in the world of PPC campaigns. So, it will be no longer an option for competitive businesses to lead the market without considering automation for PPC optimization.
If you are still not ready to use Google scripts to automate your bidding work, you are more likely to fall behind those PPC advertisers who will adapt in 2022.
PPC Trend #2 Investing in First-Party Data for PPC Campaigns
In the future, third-party cookies will not be as useful as they used to be in the past. It’s because many changes have been made in the global privacy policies and restrictions (and many are expected to be on the way) to prevent third-party intruders from stealing data and compromising its confidentiality. Marketers will be required to comply with all these rules and policies.
Thus, in 2023, the focus will be more on first-party data which can be gathered using various sources, such as business cards, email signups, and others. To boost traffic on your site, you can also use different tools, such as Snitcher and Clear bit.
These tools will help you assess the marketing channel performance, synchronize marketing and sales data, calculate ROI across marketing campaigns, and more. If you heavily rely on third-party data, keep in mind that first-party data is the future. So, harnessing first-party data will be a better choice for future PPC campaign success.
But before you do that make sure to audit your Martech stack (marketing technologies stack) and revamp it if necessary. It is vital because when you will move to first-party data, you will most probably introduce new tools, processes, and data routing. Your digital marketing team can help you audit, revamp, and organize your Martech stack.
PPC Trend #3 Diversifying Creative Assets in PPC campaigns
According to Google experts, variety in creative assets allows you to create ad campaigns that resonate with a range of users. Besides, diversifying will also help you launch and run your ads across different ad channels. With changes made in Google’s recent ad policies, it will become more important for PPC marketers to diversify.
Therefore, apart from Google and Bing, you can consider paid advertising on other platforms such as:
- Facebook
- Instagram
- YouTube
- LinkedIn
- Pinterest
Besides, advertisers will also be able to leverage exclusive e-commerce platforms for PPC advertising such as Amazon, Walmart Marketplace, Sears Marketplace, and more.
However, you don’t have to feel overwhelmed with so many platforms because you don’t need to target every platform in 2023. You just need to find out where your potential customers spend their time online. Then, you can test your ads on those platforms and see if these platforms are more profitable for your business.
So, start exploring now and become well-versed with other ads platforms as early as possible.
PPC Trend #4 Access to New Ad Types
Digital advertising platforms like Google Ads make things easier for you when it comes to promoting products, services, and brands across the digital web. However, some advertising media were previously used by only big brands due to high entry costs.
The good news is that more companies, regardless of their size, will have access to new ad types without spending a fortune. Soon, more businesses and marketers will be seen experimenting with different ads formats and platforms, such as podcast ads, connected TV ads, and video ads.
Trying new ad types for your business will help you target potential users in all stages of the purchase funnel, see how different ad formats work in your favor, and stay ahead of your competitors who will still be sticking with traditional advertising tactics.
PPC Trend 5# Video Advertising
Unsurprisingly, video ads will be more prevalent in 2023 because of the record-breaking performance they give than other types of ads. Yes, video ads deliver higher ROI and bring more conversions. What’s more, these days, people frequently switch between online search and videos while researching for something.
Still, not convinced? Check out these stats:
That’s your cue to integrate more videos into your PPC campaign to attract the attention of more people in 2022 and beyond.
Fortunately, Google has already made it simpler for you to create video ads.
New Ways to Create Video Ads in 2023
1) Discovery Ads: Even if you don’t have a video to upload, you can profit from Discovery ads. All you need is to upload the best images from your social campaign and Google will optimize your media mix across Gmail and Discovery along with YouTube Home Feed.
2) Bumper Machine: The next tool you can use for video ads creation is Bumper Machine. This tool is developed keeping in mind small businesses that don’t have enough resources or budget to create small videos. Bumper Machine can help you generate 6-second video ad variations from longer video assets. Based on Machine Learning models, Bumper Machine is trained to identify well-structured key moments such as those containing a product, brand information, human faces, motion, or contrast.
With one in three users watching video content on social media, incorporating videos in PPC campaigns is also going to be a buzzing trend in 2023.
PPC Trend #6 Integrating Voice Search with PPC
With the increasing trend of people talking to their digital assistants and smartphones, the trend of integrating Voice Search with PPC will also be on the rise the next year.
Stats on voice search sales are also staggering. For instance:
Besides, more and more consumers are using voice search to find a local business online. So, undeniably, videos are sure to alter PPC strategies in 2023. If you want to continue to appeal to your customers and increase your reach in the upcoming year, you can’t take this trend for granted.
A Piece of Advice
To survive in the competitive world, the only trick is to adapt according to the changes and events occurring in real-time. So, if you want your PPC ads and strategies to continue to do better and help you convert more and earn more, the best next step is to wrap your mind around the above trends while crafting PPC strategies in 2023. That way, you will not just survive but stand out from your competitors.
