16 Google Ads Features to Boost Your Performance + How to Use Them

Google Adverts options are helpful instruments that assist handle and optimize campaigns. Listed below are 16 we use each day together with find out how to use them.

16 Google Adverts options it’s best to learn about:

1. Above-The-Fold CPM Bidding on the Display Network
2. Ad Scripts for automation and efficiency
3. Time-lag reporting
4. Dynamic product remarketing
5. Seasonality adjustments
6. Data exclusion
7. Account-level automated extensions
8. Your audience insights
9. Countdown ads
10. Google Analytics audience
11. Advanced audience segments for focused campaigns
12. Google Ads Editor for streamlined campaign management
13. Pmax Placement Reports
14. Value-based bidding
15. Value rules
16. Campaign-level broad match keywords

Amidst a whirlwind of digital promoting, with an astounding $190.5 billion earmarked for PPC ads in 2024, it’s a head-scratcher that many entrepreneurs nonetheless aren’t absolutely harnessing the capabilities of Google Adverts. 

This information is your golden ticket to alter that narrative. We’re not simply skimming the floor right here; we’re diving deep into the lesser-known however immensely highly effective options of Google Adverts, that includes skilled insights from HawkSEM affiliate director of SEM, Rachel Corak.

 What are Google Adverts options?

Google Adverts options are a set of instruments throughout the promoting platform designed to assist you in creating, managing, and optimizing your PPC campaigns. These instruments cowl every thing from the fundamentals (like key phrase concentrating on and advert format choice) to the extra superior, like automated bidding and detailed efficiency analytics.

These options regularly evolve as Google refines its platform, unlocking new avenues to boost your advert campaigns and higher join along with your goal audiences.

 16 Google Adverts options and find out how to combine them

It’s typically the hidden gems in Google Adverts that may aid you create extremely aggressive, focused campaigns. Whereas the highlight typically shines on in style instruments, a treasure trove of lesser-known options can be obtainable so that you can use. Listed below are a few of our faves.

 1. Above-The-Fold CPM Bidding on the Show Community

Above-the-fold CPM (cost-per-mile) bidding ensures your show adverts pop up in probably the most seen elements of a webpage – the part seen earlier than a consumer scrolls (AKA above the fold). This function is a game-changer for campaigns specializing in model consciousness, because it maximizes your advert’s visibility.

use it

• Mix with focused show campaigns: Use Above-The-Fold CPM bidding with extremely focused show campaigns, together with video adverts, to make sure a related viewers sees your adverts.
• Use with remarketing lists: Pair it with remarketing lists to recapture the eye of customers who’ve beforehand interacted along with your web site, growing the chances of conversion.

 2. Advert Scripts for automation and effectivity

Advert Scripts are an underrated instrument in Google Adverts. These scripts, a mix of automation and effectivity powered by Google AI, allow you to automate on a regular basis duties, like bid changes or pausing campaigns based mostly on particular standards.

Over half of digital marketing agencies say their ad spend management has grown in the last year (2023). It’s essential to search for methods to automate and streamline workflows to take care of effectivity whereas the quantity of labor will increase – and the automation that advert scripts supply can just do that. 

With a little bit of JavaScript information, you possibly can customise scripts to fit your distinctive marketing campaign wants, saving time and growing effectivity. Or you should utilize current scripts that different entrepreneurs have created and shared on-line.

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• • Automate routine duties: Implement Advert Scripts to deal with repetitive duties, like adjusting bids in your search adverts and procuring adverts or scheduling adverts for peak instances.
    
  • Customized scripts for particular wants: Develop customized scripts tailor-made to your marketing campaign’s distinctive necessities, reminiscent of scripts that regulate bids based mostly on inventory ranges or promotional intervals.
  • Make changes: Make adjustments to CPA, key phrase bids, budgets, and plenty of different marketing campaign settings.

 3. Time-lag reporting

This function affords insights into the time lag between a consumer’s first advert interplay and finishing an motion, reminiscent of a purchase order in your touchdown web page. Understanding this time lag is essential for refining your remarketing methods and bidding selections.

use it:

• Regulate remarketing methods: Use time-lag insights to tailor your remarketing, particularly if knowledge signifies an extended decision-making course of.
• Bidding technique changes: Modify your bids based mostly on the typical conversion time lag. For merchandise needing extra contemplation, think about growing bids for current interactors.

 4. Dynamic product remarketing

Dynamic product remarketing is nice for ecommerce and creating personalised promoting. It targets potential clients who visited particular product pages in your touchdown web page however didn’t convert, making your adverts supremely related.

use it

• Optimize Google Tag setup: Be sure the ‘id’ parameter in your Google Tag is on level for efficient remarketing.
• Collaborate with builders: Work carefully along with your group to make sure the Google Tag captures the right knowledge, significantly for ecommerce websites.

 5. Seasonality changes

Seasonality changes are a vital instrument for entrepreneurs utilizing clever bidding methods. This function permits you to inform Google’s algorithm of anticipated adjustments in conversion charges as a result of seasonal components, making certain that your bids are adjusted accordingly throughout these intervals.

Historically, seasonality changes are utilized for Buying campaigns. Nevertheless, should you promote for a enterprise that experiences seasonality, (suppose snow elimination or pool cleansing) it might be helpful.

use it

• Anticipate seasonal traits: Make use of seasonality changes throughout instances of anticipated conversion fee spikes, like vacation seasons.
• Knowledgeable changes: Base your changes on historic knowledge and market predictions to assist the good bidding algorithm.

 6. Knowledge exclusion

Knowledge exclusion permits you to omit particular knowledge out of your total marketing campaign knowledge, which is essential when dealing with points with conversion monitoring or irregular conversion drops.

use it

• Determine anomalies in conversion monitoring: Use knowledge exclusion to omit intervals the place you understand your conversion monitoring knowledge is inaccurate, reminiscent of throughout web site downtime or monitoring outages.
• Stop deceptive bidding changes: By excluding this knowledge, you make sure that the good bidding algorithm isn’t making selections based mostly on flawed info, sustaining the integrity of your marketing campaign efficiency knowledge.

 7. Account-level automated extensions

These extensions can fluctuate from sitelinks and callouts to structured snippets, providing potential enhancements to your commonplace advert codecs. 

Primarily, Google makes use of its algorithms to research your web site and routinely create extensions that it believes will enhance your advert efficiency. 

Whereas automated extensions will be time-saving, they might not all the time align along with your desired messaging. Being aware of those automated extensions and tweaking them as mandatory can make sure that your adverts preserve the supposed influence. Corak recommends customers flip this off to take care of extra management of messaging and branding.

use it

• Assessment and customise: In the event you preserve this function on, frequently evaluation the automated extensions that Google generates and customise them as wanted to make sure they align along with your marketing campaign objectives and messaging.
• Stability automation with management: Whereas automated extensions can save time, it’s essential to take care of a stability between automation and handbook management, particularly concerning messaging and branding.

 8. Your viewers insights

Corak says she says that is considered one of her favourite “obscure” options. The viewers insights report is a function that provides you a deeper understanding of your buyer base by analyzing knowledge collected by GA4 or your conversion tag. This instrument can reveal beneficial insights about in-market audiences and affinity segments, informing your concentrating on and advert copy methods.

use it

• Analyze viewers segments: Dive into the “Your knowledge insights” part to grasp which in-market and affinity audiences you’re indexing extremely for. This knowledge can inform your concentrating on and advert copy methods.
• Use the benchmarks: See how your viewers performs in comparison with a benchmark viewers.
• Apply insights to inventive technique: Use these insights to tailor your inventive and messaging, aligning your campaigns extra carefully with the pursuits and behaviors of your audience.
• Perceive demographic knowledge: Acquire beneficial insights into your viewers’s demographics so you possibly can regulate advert textual content, bid modifiers, and extra.

Right here’s find out how to get there. “[Navigate to] Instruments & Settings → Viewers Supervisor → Your Knowledge Insights. You possibly can view how your viewers compares to benchmarks in accordance with Google,” explains Corak.

 9. Countdown adverts

Countdown adverts are an revolutionary advert modifier that creates urgency by counting all the way down to a selected time and date. This dynamic format is especially efficient for selling time-sensitive occasions like gross sales or particular promotions. You possibly can solely add these to responsive search advert and dynamic search advert sorts.

use it

• Spotlight limited-time affords: Use countdown adverts to emphasise gross sales or promotions, compelling customers to take motion earlier than time runs out.
• Improve seasonal campaigns: Leverage these adverts throughout peak procuring seasons or for particular occasions to capitalize on elevated shopper curiosity.
• Experiment with countdown durations: Take a look at completely different countdown lengths to search out the simplest timeframe for driving engagement and conversions.

 10. Google Analytics audiences

What’s the Google Analytics integration?

Google Adverts lets you use Google Analytics to create detailed, targetable audiences on your campaigns. This integration lets you construct advanced audiences based mostly on consumer habits and interactions over a number of classes.

use it

• Create behavior-driven personas: Use Google Tag Supervisor and Google Analytics to trace detailed consumer interactions and construct personas based mostly on these behaviors.
• Develop customized audiences for focused campaigns: Create customized audiences in Google Analytics based mostly on particular consumer behaviors and import them into your Google Adverts account for extra targeted marketing campaign concentrating on.
• Use in-market and affinity audiences: Use In-Market and Affinity audiences to focus on or exclude customers based mostly on their on-line behaviors and pursuits, permitting for extremely personalised promoting.

 11. Superior viewers segmentation for targeted campaigns

Leveraging audiences in Google Adverts campaigns is commonly underutilized, significantly in B2B advertising. Superior viewers segmentation includes creating distinct teams, reminiscent of previous converters, the highest 1% of consumers, and all guests. These segments permit for extra focused and efficient bidding methods.

• Create a number of segments: Develop no less than three distinct viewers segments for an all-encompassing method. This will embody segments like previous converters, the highest 1% of consumers, and normal web site guests.
• Layer audiences on current campaigns: Apply these segments to your current campaigns. This technique permits for nuanced bid changes and focused visibility.
• Use ‘Focusing on vs. Commentary’ settings: Select between ‘Focusing on’ for direct viewers engagement or ‘Commentary’ for insights-driven technique enhancement. This readability in settings can considerably influence your marketing campaign’s efficiency on Google search engine outcomes pages (SERPs).
• Bid adjustment based mostly on viewers interplay: Modify bids for particular audiences, reminiscent of those that have beforehand interacted along with your model or watched your YouTube movies. This targeted method can result in increased conversion charges and improved high quality scores.

 12. Google Adverts Editor for streamlined marketing campaign administration

The Google Adverts Editor is a complete administration instrument for Google Adverts campaigns. It’s designed to assist with bulk adjustments and optimizations throughout a number of campaigns and key phrases, making it a vital instrument for efficient pay-per-click marketing campaign administration.

use it

• Bulk edits and changes: Use the instrument for bulk adjustments, reminiscent of bid changes, CPCs, or advert copy updates throughout varied campaigns and advert teams.
• Enhanced group and effectivity: Set up your campaigns and advert teams effectively, making certain that new campaigns will be arrange and current ones will be managed with ease.
• Gadget-specific bid changes: Make the most of device-specific bid changes to cater to the rising significance of cellular visitors.
• Search and filter capabilities: Make use of its search and filtering features to search out and modify particular marketing campaign components shortly.
• Batch uploads for time effectivity: Use batch uploads for quicker implementation of adjustments, which is essential for agile marketing campaign administration and fast response to market traits.

 13. Pmax Placement Report

Corak says we shouldn’t overlook the Pmax placement report. Inside this report, you possibly can see all your advert placements in a single place. Why is that essential? This marketing campaign sort exhibits throughout all of Google’s networks, which embody Gmail, YouTube, Show, Uncover, and Search, so there are various placements you possibly can seem on.

Presently, you possibly can solely see impressions, however Google is including new metrics to reviews on a regular basis, so that you’ll doubtless see much more knowledge sooner or later.

use it

• • Model safety: Use the information to remove irrelevant placements and shield your model.
  • Price range conservation: A greater understanding of your placements will mean you can regulate your funds effectively.
  • Create new adverts: While you higher perceive placements, you possibly can craft your copy for these placements.
  • Content material suitability: Based mostly on what you see within the report, you possibly can select to exclude apps, particular placements, and even regulate content material themes or sorts.

To get there, “Go to Insights & Reviews → Predefined Reviews → Different → Efficiency Max Campaigns Placement. You possibly can exclude these placements for higher high quality adverts, though it’s a handbook effort,” Corak explains.

 14. Worth Based mostly Bidding

Value based bidding helps you give Google extra details about your conversions. You can provide extra knowledge to machine studying so it could study which conversions imply probably the most to you. Sharing offline conversions with values will give a greater image of your clients. The values you assign will play straight into how properly the bidding technique, Maximize Conversion Worth, works.

“Worth-based bidding is a function that may be very helpful for lead technology because it helps information the algorithm towards understanding your highest-priority conversion actions,” explains Corak. “This lets you construct stronger funnels and ship Google higher alerts to enhance concentrating on inside machine studying.”

use it

• Weigh conversions: Inform Google which conversions you worth most by assigning values to your conversions. This may be performed for lead gen and never simply ecommerce.
• Enhance efficiency: Giving Google extra details about what actions you worth will drive higher efficiency.
• Buyer segmentation: Present Google with knowledge about probably the most beneficial clients in order that your campaigns will drive extra conversions.

 15. Worth guidelines

You may make campaign-level changes to exclude or assign worth to gadget, location, or viewers section. Consider it as bid changes for good bidding.

use it

• Exclude poor performing segments: For example, cellular gadgets don’t convert properly; you possibly can inform Google they’re not very beneficial.
• Give extra weight to segments: If an viewers section converts properly, you possibly can enhance the worth adjustment to focus extra on the viewers.

 16. Marketing campaign-level broad match key phrases

Hidden within the marketing campaign settings is a setting that swaps all key phrase match sorts to broad match key phrases in your complete marketing campaign. That is used with conversion and conversion worth good bidding.

use it

• Scaling campaigns: If you wish to scale your campaigns, you might use this to find new key phrases. Nevertheless, you’ll have to observe your search question report like a hawk and add unfavorable key phrases frequently.
• Low quantity phrases: If the key phrases you’re concentrating on have low quantity, you would possibly use this to alter the match sorts and forged a wider internet. Consider it as a discovery mode permitting machine studying to take over and discover your viewers.

 Google Adverts is all the time evolving

Probably the greatest issues about Google Adverts is that it’s not a static platform. It’s all the time evolving to satisfy each advertisers’ and customers’ wants. For example, worth guidelines attribution fashions, Good Buying, and expanded textual content adverts have all been phased out and Efficiency Max and Demand Gen campaigns have come into play.

“Google is often forward of the curve on the planet of PPC and usually leads the cost when it comes to innovation,” says Corak. “Presently, Demand Gen campaigns are new and distinctive to Google. Their algorithm and machine-learning capabilities basically are much more superior than most platforms.”

The takeaway

By delving into the lesser-known and new options, you possibly can unlock a wealth of recent instruments to boost your campaigns. Whether or not it’s leveraging the immediacy of countdown adverts, the precision of Google Analytics audiences, or the strategic use of Above-The-Fold CPM bidding, every function affords distinctive benefits to refine your advert technique.