If you look away too long, you’ll find that the world of online advertising has moved on and left you in the dark.

That’s the nature of the beast after all. You cannot expect the internet and technology to just stop still and stick with Windows XP forever.

But we’re here to help. We’ll give you the latest updates so your business can always stay on top.

Okay, let’s dive in. Here are 3 of the biggest recent changes that have happened in the online advertising world.

1. Google Ads removes two automated bidding strategies

When it comes to search engine results, everyone wants to be in first position.

That’s the very first thing users will see when they search. Your advert, at the very top of the page, no matter what device they’re using.

Which means you get the most eyes on your advert, and more chance for your advert to be clicked.

Let’s lay out the facts for you.

The top 3 adverts on the search results get 46% of all clicks.

If you’re in the first position, your CTR (Click-through-rate) is expected to be 35%.

Second position? It halves to 15%.

The third position is looking at 10%. And it just gets worse from there.

The new update Google makes it easier for businesses to target that top position.

It follows the launch of Target Impression Share last year. For those of you who aren’t sure, this is a smart bidding strategy that automatically adjusted your bids in real time to help target your ideal position on the page. You have three options to choose from:

• Absolute top of the page. This is the very first advert that gets shown on the Google search results.
• Top of the page. These are the adverts that are shown above the organic search results but aren’t the very first on the page.
• Anywhere on the page. This makes sure your advert is shown, regardless of if they appear above or below the organic results.

The latest update has Google pushing forward with Target Impression Share. Which means removing Target Search Page Location and Target Outranking Share from their offering.

If you’re currently using one of these strategies, it will automatically be migrated into Target Impression Share.

All in all, this is a good thing. That’s because it gives your business more control over where you want your ad to be shown, as well as better metrics to get an understanding of where your ads are being shown.

Before Target Impression Share, you measured your position with Google’s Average Position metric. This was a score that shows you the average, uh, position of your ads (sorry, the name kind of says it all). So, if you have a score of 2.0, you’re average ad position is 2nd.

But that’s not the full story. Because that score might have come from being in the top position for most of the day, then slipping down to 5 or 6. You just don’t know this information with this metric.

That’s why as well as switching to Target Impression Share, Google has also moved users off Average Position and onto a new set of metrics.

These are:

• Absolute Top Impressions. This shows the % of your ad impressions that have been shown as the very first ad on the page.
• Absolute Top Impression Share. This is a % of the impressions you received in the top location, over how many you were predicted to achieve in this location.
• Top Impressions. This shows the % of your ad impressions that have been shown anywhere above the organic search results.
• Top Impression Share. This is a % of the impressions you received above the organic search results, over how many you were predicted to achieve in this location.

Which will give you a more accurate insight into your positioning – and how many people have seen your ads.

2. You can order food directly from Google SERPs 

Whether it’s time for the weekly takeaway or you just really cannot be bothered cooking, everyone has their takeaway nights.

The whole point of takeaways is that they’re fast, convenient and low effort. Google’s new update has made this even quicker.

If you run a local restaurant and are partners with a third-party delivery company, users can now order food directly from Search, Maps or Assistant. That means that without going on a separate app, you can order your meal, select your delivery or pickup and even pay through Google Pay.

So far, the only apps that are supported are DoorDash, Postmates, Delivery.com, Slice, and ChowNow. Places like Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Grubhub, and Just Eat are currently missing, but will probably be added in the near future.

This might mean that users will turn to Google more when searching for food, rather than just open a delivery app. And if more people are searching on Google, you know exactly where to place your adverts to target them.

3. Instagram makes shopping easier with its checkout system

Instagram is really shaking up the industry in terms of sales.

In the UK alone, 39% of customers aged 16-24 have made a purchase through Instagram.

Young demographics do make up the majority of the platform’s audience. In fact, there are roughly 540 million users aged 18-34 on the platform alone. That’s 64% of their total users.

But it’s not just that age group who are buying.

And now, Instagram has made it even easier than ever to buy with the launch of their new checkout system.

This checkout system is an extension of their existing shopping feature, which allowed users to tap on an image to discover the product.

When they click this, users will now see a ‘Checkout on Instagram’ button. This allows them to complete the purchase right there and then, without leaving the app.

And when you consider that over 600 million users discover new products on Instagram, this is big news.

If you’re not already using Instagram, now is the time to get on board

Let’s recap

Here are the recent advertising updates you need to know about.

• Google Ads removes Target Search Page Location and Target Outranking share as automated bidding strategies. They’ve automatically migrated to Target Impression Share instead, which allows your business to more accurately where you want your ads to be shown.
• Google has also enabled mobile users to order food directly through their search results, allowing users to bypass 3rd party food delivery apps
• Instagram has launched a new checkout feature, allowing users to complete a purchase without leaving the social media platform.

Want to stay in the loop? Check out the latest news and updates here, where we’ll share changes in the industry and product updates to our own advertising platform.

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Most take seconds to apply, all with a single click.

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