Search engine marketing or Pay per Click [PPC] strategies in 2022 will be a lot different from what we have been following until now. A lot of new platform features, major innovations and myriad privacy issues are going to dictate how and where we publish our ads. All paid ad processes are going to change and, I expect SEM in 2022 will be promising and lucrative.
Feature innovation in most ad platforms due evolution of AI based technologies has brought in a sea of change in the search marketing function. There are many new avenues to publish and reach audiences in 2022, whether you are planning brand new search engine marketing campaigns or looking to revise existing PPC strategies.
We, as search marketers, always look for a better return on investment [ROI]. let us look at what SEM in 2022 has in store for us.
Automation
With Artificial Intelligence taking up the mantle of deep analytics and behaviour based decision-making, a lot more vistas in terms of advertisements and A/B testing have evolved on the search engine marketing scene. This is one of the happening SEM trend in 2022.
Automation using AI saves time and resources, however, manning the automation process will ensure a more effective use of technology.
Human beings make better decisions and, therefore, leaving the automated decision-making to AI makes little sense. When making use of smart bidding strategies, it is wise to keep tabs and tweak the Target ROAS or Target CPA.
It is important to decide which elements of a PPC strategy should use automated bidding [using scripts] and which ones to leave alone.
We should monitor responsive display ads and search ads on an individual level to assess performance. Use data points to compare with past manual campaigns and make the right decisions.
Track conversions
Analytics is the baseline and the decision-making point for any PPC strategy. As automation takes over, and technology does the hard-work, AI complicates the process by bringing in more and more trackable actions.
Of course, more trackable options mean more flexibility, but it also means more analytics and backstage work.
The typical processes of tracking transactions, contact forms, phone calls, demo requests, local directions, chats, customer goals, and offline conversions are measurable. Track all these and put a value to each of the conversion goals to understand the total ROI on the campaign. This will simplify your goal-keeping for SEM in 2022.
Keyword match types
Las year saw some major changes in keyword match technologies from search engines. And this change warrants a change in your keyword strategy. As far as keyword match types go, SEM in 2022 has made a quantum jump.
The ‘broad match’ type has is being discontinued and the other 2 types of matches have also seen major changes. This means the old keyword strategy will not work satisfactorily anymore and there is a need for a revamp. In fact, the keyword strategy will become more compact and simpler. You will need to make some structural changes to your keyword strategy to incorporate these changes.
Match customers
Long before PPC networks introduced improved targeting, PPC advertisers have been following the mantra of finding the ‘right customer at the right time.’
Today ‘customer match’ is an underrated strategy. However, SEM trend in 2022 recommend that it is time to get back to the drawing board. The reason being the requirement of first-party data in absence of the use of third-party cookies because of the regulatory frameworks like GDPR.
List building and using in-house data is the only way out and therefore ‘customer match’ comes to the fore and becomes the core of SEM in 2022.
This targeting option is old and available on all PPC platforms. All you need to do is to test, slice, dice and integrate into your strategy.
Customer Match has become more accessible and easier to use.
Leverage responsive display ads
Many advertisers use display ads to ensure brand messaging as a part of their PPC strategy. These ads have a better reach and they have a simpler creative process. Until now, text ads have been the center of PPC strategies, it is time to change that. This many sound revolutionary, but SEM in 2022 is going to change that drastically.
The best part of responsive display ads is that they can dynamically integrate all elements of the ad and fit into any ad size, unlike static ads that have to be tailored to pre-fabricated dimensions.
Responsive display ads ) can run parallel to other kinds of ads you integrate into your strategy besides being capable of using Google Ads Performance feedback.
Ad Copy review
A never-ending task, but critical to your PPC strategy, always perform this after a review of the keyword strategy. It keeps performance levels at optimum and ensures that your strategy is not leaking money.
SEM trends in 2022 advocate this to be critical because of the paradigm changes happening to the ad formats, which may render the text ads obsolete in no time.
Search are moving to RSAs (Responsive Search Ads) and they will be the default format in no time. With 4 descriptions and 15 headlines enabled for combination testing, this will ride on the machine-learning technology (AI at it, yet again!).
In the RSA era, we can pin multiple ads with specific assets. This is good news for delivering CTAs, however overuse of pins can be detrimental. And, Google recommendations to improve keyword or headlines are shown in real-time.
Conclusion…
The technology transformations that have taken place over the last year are the reason for the above recommendations. Do remember that technology is rapidly changing and it will introduce quickly more and more changes. You need to keep up the pace and be game to beat the competition at the end game.
More Digital Marketing trends for 2022.
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