Celebrating 23 Years of Google Ads: A Retrospective

Taking a Look at Google Ads in 2023

This year, Google Marketing Live revealed significant product updates primarily focusing on AI-powered capabilities of Google Ads, enhancing the platform for marketers around the globe.

New Products Announcement at Google Marketing Live

Artificial intelligence took center stage at Google Marketing Live 2023, where a slew of AI-related ad products were announced. These products include Google Ads with conversational AI capabilities, Google Search Generative Experience integrating Search, Shopping ads, and much more. Google aims to empower marketers to effectively manage their automated campaigns by leveraging AI, not replace them.

Advertising on SGE

In mid-2023, Google introduced search ads on the Search Generative Experience (SGE). To ensure optimum user experience and ad performance, Google initially didn’t allow marketers to choose not to appear on this platform.

Retiring Four Attribution Models

Google decided to retire four rules-based attribution models – First-click, Linear, Time decay, and Position-based. This decision stemmed from their decreasing usage, which dipped to less than 3% for Google Ads conversions.

Federal Antitrust Trial Impacting Google

The federal antitrust trial involving Google brought various revelations that could impact advertising policies and practices within the ecosystem.

Launching Demand Gen Campaign

By replacing Discovery Ads with Demand Gen, Google began to revolutionize its offering to advertisers around the globe.

A Lookback at Google Ads in 2021-2022

Changes in Keyword Match Types

Google made several changes to keyword match types, impacting advertisers and causing concerns related to data control and revenue maximization.

Enhancements in Audience

Google Ads introduced essential features in 2021-2022 to improve audience targeting, including the use of connected TV campaigns, reusing audiences across campaigns, and renaming some key terms in the audience report.

Retirement of ETAs and Onset of RSAs

Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) replaced Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) as the default ad type in 2021.

Automated Advancements

Google Ads saw numerous advancements, including the launch of Automated Vehicle Ads, an open beta allowing advertisers to see Display Ads, the addition of nine new policies to the three-strike system to catch clickbait ads, and more.

Addressing Privacy Concerns

Google also addressed several privacy concerns like depreciating third-party cookies and introducing alternative targeting technologies such as Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC).

Audience and Privacy Changes Between 2015 and 2020

Google also introduced GA4 and other predictive marketing techniques to enhance its ad targeting and measurement capabilities.

Several changes were made to Google Ads between 2015 to 2020, including changes to attribution models, privacy policies, and search term reports. The introduction of Performance Max campaigns, responsive search ads, automated extensions, and changes to automated extensions were other key highlights of this period.

Three FAQ’s About the Updates to Google Ads