Have you looked at Google’s search page lately? Who am I kidding? Of course, you have! In which case, you may have noticed something is missing. That’s right, the PPC ads on the right-hand side are gone. On Feb 24, Google rolled out the new page layout. Google officially only shows ads in the main, left hand, column of the Goole search engine results page (SERP).
Why is Google doing this?
We all know there is a big push for continuity between user experiences across all devices. Google is looking to stay ahead of the crowd in providing that. Other companies in the industry have been experimenting with the number of, and the placement of ads.
With fewer ad placements available to advertisers this creates a greater competition for those placements. This puts a fire under those advertisers each of them to make sure they provide the highest quality of ads.
In the industry, it’s pretty common knowledge that the ads on the right generally received very little interaction in comparison to those on the left. Company’s like Google want to cut out anything useless. So, in a sense, Google is essentially just cutting the dead weight.
What to Expect
As mentioned, there will spots for ad placements, and, as a result, more competition. This can make it more difficult for ads to be seen. It will also likely increase the cost-per-click (CPC) for those ads — this will be particularly true for the most popular of keywords.
That being said, historically the ads on the top of page significantly better than those on the right-hand side. So, you can expect to generally see fewer impressions and a greater click through rate.
How can we Prepare?
Be willing to pay more for click.
Do not just “set it, and forget it.” Perhaps a greater level of diligence will be required in optimizing, and maintaining your campaign.
Sculpt your landing pages to be specifically made for AdWords. What I mean by this is: Now more than ever Quality Score will play a significant factor in getting your ad to show. Make sure your landing page provides the best user experience, your landing page has only the most relevant content, and your site loads quickly.
Is this Ad-ageddon?
No. It very likely will not be the end of online marketing as we know it.Yes, there are a lot of valid concerns to be had about this, but there will be, and already are, a lot of simple overreactions. The truth is no one knows exactly how this will impact the online marketing world. But the one thing that is certain, online marketing will continue to stay strong, and grow.
