These Are the Google Ads Trends for 2023

It promises to become faster, better, and more automated. This is also what Google pledges to its advertisers for 2023. Search Ads are not only supposed to deliver optimal performance for companies, but they should also be informative and relevant to the searchers. To support this balance even stronger in the future, Google has announced some innovations in recent months.

In this article, we will show you which Google updates are trending in 2023, and how to get the most out of your campaigns. Moreover, we will introduce you to Search Engine Advertising Softwares that can help you optimize your campaigns and boost conversions.

Current developments in Google Ads

The year 2023 will be exciting for advertisers as Google has announced various novelties and changes concerning Google Ads. The search behaviour of Google users changes rapidly and continuously, and Google attempts to accommodate this with new features and campaign types.

Responsive Search Ads

From 30th June 2022, Responsive Search Ads (RSA) will be the new standard in every Google Ads account. The well-known extended text ads will remain, but can no longer be edited. With the "new" RSAs, only individual modules (15 headers, 4 descriptions) can be created, which are automatically combined and – in the variant that works best – played out. Thus, advertisers face two challenges: they need a strategy on how to rebuild their ads, and they have to address the question whether this rebuild also impacts their campaign structure? There is another exciting new feature regarding the display of ads: Last year, Google introduced Image Extensions. These are intended to supplement text ads with visual elements, so that advertisers can better present their offered products or services.

Data-driven Attribution in Google Analytics

A change that doesn't take place directly in the Google Ads account but still has a significant impact on advertisers: since the beginning of January, Google Analytics offers a cross-channel and data-driven attribution. This new attribution model uses machine learning to deliver a custom credit assignment for each conversion, based on the historical data of an account. Thus, the models can be continuously improved and automatically adapt to changes in different touchpoint categories. So far, data-driven attribution is available in Google Analytics 4, where it is stored by default in the standard settings. You have to deactivate it manually if not desired.

New campaign type “Performance Max”

Attention, online marketers! Since November 2021, there is a new campaign type “Performance Max”, which allows ads to be served on all Google Ads channels (YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, and Maps) with only one campaign. The goal is to achieve a maximum cross-channel performance and - of course - more conversions, with minimal effort on the advertiser's side. It certainly makes sense to cautiously test this campaign type and allocate an “experimental budget”. In the long run, the relevance of Performance Max campaigns will continue to increase. Google has already announced that this campaign type will replace Smart Shopping at end of the year.

Performance Max will show as a campaign type selection if your advertising objective is “Sales”, “Leads”, or “Local store visits and promotions”.

Focus on Broad and Phrase Match

Lastly, Google has also changed its match types. As early as February 2021, Google began to gradually eliminate Broad Match Modifier (BMM) keywords","Also, the well-known Phrase Match was renewed in this process, to take over part of the old Broad Match Modifier keywords. Hence, the focus will be on Broad and Phrase Match in the future. More on this in the next section.How to successfully implement the Google Ads trends in 2023

To get off to a good start in 2023, we have summarised the four most important steps for successful Google Ads campaigns in 2023.

1. Define objectives

Think about the role Google Ads play for your company’s objectives. Depending on the priority, resources and a budget have to be provided. You should then break down your company’s objectives to the individual channels and campaigns and define the right KPIs to make your success genuinely measurable. Consider the customer journey as a funnel, in which each area involves its own objectives. Starting from new customer acquisition in the upper funnel down to sale in the lower funnel, different objectives can be defined. Based on this, the campaign setup in Google Ads should also be established. Additionally, the objectives defined beforehand can assist you in selecting the appropriate bidding strategy.

2. Use Google's Automations

Never before have there been more automation options in Google Ads that simplify our lives:

Smart Bidding Options

• : These are automated bidding strategies that optimize bids for conversions or a conversion value using machine learning. Google uses all the available data to set the ideal bid - depending on the entered search query, device, location, time of day, and remarketing lists.Simplified structure through DSA and Broad Match
• : Fewer keywords can still address all relevant search queries.Safety net through Smart Bidding:
• It ensures that your budget is not wasted, but you still meet your ROAS requirements.The advantages of Google Automation:

Easier management of your accounts by reducing complexity

• Increased team productivity due to less manual work
• Increased data collection and “quicker” learning of the algorithm
• Possibly, the set budget is used more effectively by Google
• So, it does make sense to consolidate campaigns, and to strategically work with the remaining campaigns. I recommend you to set up a campaign structure that mirrors your various company objectives. Suppose an electronics retailer has different profit margins for TVs and cameras, the campaigns could accordingly be structured. Another approach could be to structure campaigns based on top or lower funnel.

3. Develop RSA Strategy

As already explained, Responsive Search Ads will soon be the new ad standard on Google. The way users search for something changes continuously. And consumer trends change and develop continuously as well. This is why about 15% of daily search queries are those that have never occurred before. It is therefore all the more important to make users aware of your business using relevant and useful ads. RSAs offer you flexibility in text creation and additional testing possibilities. This already reduces the manual administration effort during ad creation. Google allows automated testing using headline tests, which increases the relevance and allows the ad to be served to your potential customers more often.

Example: How you can consolidate campaigns

4. Broad Match is back

The accuracy of Phrase Match has been combined with the reach of Broad Match Modifier. The new Phrase Match is now broader than the “old” Phrase Match and slightly more restrictive than the discontinued Broad Match Modifier. According to Google, this makes it easier to reach the right users. The following match types will remain: Exact Match for precision, Broad Match for more reach, and Phrase Match for a balance of both.

Broad Match is having a comeback: With the previous introduction of the Broad Match Modifier, the keyword option “Broad Match” seemed less attractive to users, as it spread ads wider compared to BMM and thus risked displaying their own ads in an irrelevant context.

The improved Broad Match now analyzes additional signals (that are not taken into account with other match types) in your account to provide more relevant search queries. Added as additional signals were landing pages, keywords in their ad group, and more.

In combination with Smart Bidding, these Broad Match signals can now help to uncover new opportunities and generate a higher relevance of your own ads for users. Moreover, 10% of all queries are “wrongly” written, and new word combinations are continually added. Broad Match covers these wrongly written and new search queries as well.

Why You Shouldn't Ignore the Google Ads Trends

If you follow these four steps, you will reduce your manual work in the account. In general, the work of advertisers is becoming increasingly strategic. To this end, you should always keep your objectives in mind. It is still important to group your ad groups thematically logically. With the right campaign structure, the algorithm can quicker and better understand which keywords work best with which ad options. And the golden rule is: Better Data for better Performance! Even a machine is only as good as the data we feed it. Properly measuring success and the derived reportings are therefore essential to draw the right conclusions.

These tools support you with the Google Ads trends in 2023

Search Engine Advertising (SEA) Software

supports you in placing paid adverts for specific keywords and keyword combinations on search engines such as Google, Bing or Yahoo! Thus, your own website appears under the search results marked with “ads” or “adverts” when browser users search for the respective keywords. An example of a suitable tool is Finch, which we want to introduce to you in more detail now:Finch

Finch is the first eCommerce Growth Platform that intermeshes software and expert knowledge, aiming particularly at the needs of eCommerce companies.

For 12 years, Finch has been supporting brands and manufacturers in their growth on the most important digital channels, including Google Ads. Through our collaboration with countless customers globally, we know what matters: clearly defined objectives, a well-grounded growth plan, comparable data, meaningful reports, control over our own processes, transparent and efficient workflows, expert knowledge across all relevant channels – all integrated into a powerful platform.

These are the benefits:

The core of the Finch platform: 

• a customer-specific, detailed growth plan for the next 12 monthsAll in One
• : Objectives, next steps, timeline, daily tasks, and results at a glanceIntegrated
• Task-Management for efficient campaign handlingInsights Reporting
• : clear dashboard, comparable data from different channels and meaningful reportsStrategic advice and support
• from experts across channels or specific to a channelFull control and transparency
• for the advertiserAgnostic, channel-independent partner
• On our software rating platform OMR Reviews, we have summarised a variety of

Search Engine Advertising Tools for you, which include, among others:Google Ads

• Channable
• adsoul
• Channelpilot
• Adspert
• Conclusion: How to be successful with Google Ads in the long run

The trend is toward a simpler Google setup, by using Google automations and feeding them as best as possible with the tips stated above. The operational effort is thereby continuously decreasing. In general, a founded strategy for Google Ads is crucial. To be able to still filter out the right action recommendations from data, more expertise is in demand now. “For Google Ads, it is advisable to build up internal SEA know-how in the long term or look for a suitable strategic partner”, summarises Timo Bernsmann, Vice President Marketing at Finch.

Our SEA-expert

Timo Bernsmann is responsible for global marketing at FINCH as Vice President Marketing. Since his dual studies with a specialisation in E-Commerce in 2006, Timo is at home in digital marketing. He follows the development of digital advertising possibilities, particularly on Google, intensively. With FINCH, he has already won several Google Premier Partner Awards and secured a number of nominations. Since 2017, he is an OMR expert on the topic of Google Ads and contributes to many OMR formats from Deep Dives and Reports to the

OMR Academy. mit.