Experts Share Google Predictions For 2022
As the evolution of Google’s landscape continues to take shape, we know the future success of businesses advertising on Google will require testing new approaches and strategies in preparation for a major shift.
Although we can’t be sure what to expect in the new year, we asked our leading industry experts what trends they predict will impact Google in the near future. Take a look at their responses* below. Whether you agree or disagree – please share your thoughts in the comments section!
*Note: All predictions and responses listed have not been confirmed, denied, or provided by Google.
Expert Google Ad Predictions for 2022
1. Only savvy advertisers will thrive in the new Google landscape.
Launched in December 2002, Google Shopping has officially reached its 19th birthday. The service underwent some name changes over the years—Google Product Search, Google Products – as well as more than a few updates to the service itself, of course.
Of those updates, perhaps the most impactful and noticeable is that Google Shopping ads are now everywhere—Google Search, Google Search Partner sites, Google Images, and the Google Display Network (Gmail, YouTube, and Google Discover). Their priority placements and extensive reach speak to their value and importance for advertisers and consumers alike, within the Shopping tab and far beyond.
In 2021, Google also introduced a variety of changes in automation and technology, privacy updates, and new data insights but only savvy advertisers who embrace the latest in innovation will thrive in 2022 and beyond.
“Advertisers have to increase their creativity when it comes to the campaign selection and approach they take on Google in 2022,” Patrick Hayden, SVP, Acquisition Media at Tinuiti says.
“With all the changes in automation, data availability, and insights over the past year, what worked last year may not work the same way in 2022, so savvy advertisers will be testing new campaigns, new approaches, and new workarounds in preparation for a change in control or campaign type while others will wait and hope their previous successes translate over into a new landscape.”
2. Make way for Responsive Search Ads.
Starting June 30, 2022, Responsive Search ads will be the only search ad type that can be created or edited in standard Search campaigns. Meaning after June 30, 2022, you’ll no longer be able to create or edit expanded text ads. Ultimately, the goal of this change is to help “simplify the way you create Search ads and make it easier for you to drive performance with our automated tools”. [Source]
Responsive Search Ads are an ad format where you give Google several headlines and description lines. Then Google tests various combinations to find out which is ‘best’ for your account.
“While it seems your choices might be limited, they are not, and you do have options in how you manage the RSA transition. Your comfort level with Google’s automation and your need to control your messaging will play a significant role in how you manage your RSA strategy.”
– Brad Geddes, Co-Founder, Adalysis
Want to learn more about how Responsive Search Ads will impact your strategy? In the following article, we spoke with our Search experts to get their take on the recent announcement.
You can also download Tinuiti’s upcoming 2022 Google Ads guide to learn more about how the experts will approach the RSA transition.
“In 2022, I predict that Google and Microsoft are going to put some serious work into responsive ad types. Responsive Search Ads are one thing, but I wholly expect channel providers to continue to work on more malleable ad types to ensure relevant messages to users.”
– Aaron Levy, Head Of Paid Search at Tinuiti
3. Have an integrated mobile strategy for Google Reviews and Ratings.
One way to drive traffic and increase on-site engagement is through a dedicated product and site reviews page.
In our upcoming 2022 Google Ads Guide, one of our co-marketing partners (Yotpo) writes:
“Off-site and mobile reviews consolidated onto a dedicated SEO-optimized page provide more content for search engines to analyze. Brands that collect reviews with a trusted Google ads partner provide important information about their brand’s online engagement, sentiment, and more to Google. Google can then crawl and index reviews so they show up in SERPs, or Seller Ratings & Product Listing Ads. Trusted Google Reviews partners, such as Yotpo, have the unique capability of increasing SEO, boosting organic traffic, and making Google ads more effective.”
“Customers expect brand experiences that are convenient, mobile, and instantaneous. So brands that are agile enough to meet these customer expectations will be set up to win in 2022 and beyond. Having an integrated mobile strategy for Reviews and Ratings is key to making it as easy as possible for brands to garner social proof from customers, which can ultimately help build trust, transparency, and increase conversions from the brand’s community.”
– Erika Kwee, Product Marketing Manager, Yotpo
4. Embrace Google’s Automated Ad Solutions
In 2022, we expect Google will continue to emphasize the integration of smart campaigns and ad types that utilize machine learning to target ads to users across the Googleverse (including Google Search, Google Shopping, YouTube, Gmail, Google Display Network, Google app, etc.)
Having an intelligent campaign architecture—such as performance-based product segmentation, a clear understanding of overarching goals, and flexible reporting and data management solutions—will all be key factors in successfully harnessing these campaigns.
“Automated campaign types are here (love them or hate them) and have proven themselves, when executed strategically, to be value-adds to advertising programs. We are only at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to automated campaign types and the incremental value outweighs the resistance/doing nothing approach. But it’s up to the advertiser to be forward-thinking about leveraging these solutions to not only improve performance but get a leg up on the competition.”
– Pat Hayden, SVP Acquisition Media at Tinuiti
In 2020, Google introduced Performance Max campaigns as a new way to buy Google ads across YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, and Maps from a single campaign. According to Google, Performance Max campaigns “complement your keyword-based Search campaigns to help you grow performance across Google’s full range of advertising channels and inventory.”
After strong beta results, Performance Max campaigns rolled out to all advertisers in November 2021 and were deemed by Google as, “the next generation of Smart Shopping and Local campaigns,” which will both upgrade to Performance Max in 2022.
“With the continued march toward automated campaigns types (Performance Max in general, and Shopping included within Performance Max), practitioners’ main value will increasingly be on how to leverage these and other more automated solutions strategically within existing channel mixes. The time is now to embrace the automation.”
– Josh Brisco, VP Growth Media at Tinuiti
5. Privacy Restrictions Will Continue To Shape the Google Landscape
In 2021, privacy restrictions limiting or preventing the collection of third-party data through cookies have made first-party data even more valuable to marketers than ever before, and for good reason.
“Trust and transparency are going to be key to the future of marketing. Google is taking privacy seriously and your ability to collect consented first-party data became that much more valuable with enhanced conversions.”
– Nirish Parsad, Marketing Technologist at Tinuiti
First-party data has the fewest restrictions around its use. It’s also the most reliable because you know it’s been collected from your own customers and contains information relevant to your brand and your market.
At Google’s Live Streaming event in 2021, Vidhya Srinivasan, VP/GM, Ads Buying Analytics and Measurement at Google, said,“ I’ve talked to many of you and I know just how daunting it seems to make this fundamental shift away from cookies and other identifiers,” “The reality is our industry is changing and right now is the time to do the hard work of preserving the future of measurement.”
At Tinuiti, we know how challenging it can be to keep pace with the rapidly changing privacy landscape while accelerating performance, which is why we created our Privacy Hub – “The Future of the Web” to inform on the newest restrictions, cookies, IDFA, first-party data, and all things privacy from our Tinuiti experts.
6. More “shoppable” moments and integrations with Google
“Google will continue to make its platforms more shoppable, with video and YouTube being a primary focus. At Tinuiti, we anticipate additional growth and opportunities to incorporate product details into video in 2022 and beyond.”
– Evan Kirkpatrick, VP of Shoppable Media at Tinuiti
“I predict more advertisers will adopt in-app checkout on social commerce platforms. Previous blockers of checkout included development resources and loss of CRM data. However, the iOS updates create some tailwinds for checkout integration. One of the benefits of letting all your transactions happen on Facebook, Pinterest, etc. is that revenue attribution in these platforms won’t have any iOS-related data loss.”
– Mike Wojciechowski, Senior Director, Shoppable Media at Tinuiti
Got a 2022 prediction to share with us? Comment below!
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