Big Changes Are Coming to Google Mobile Ads in Late 2019

Google recently hosted a two-day event called Google Marketing Live 2019 where they announced all the latest updates and features on their marketing and advertising platforms. Particularly, they discussed changes happening on Google Ads (formally Google AdWords).

Google threw around several buzzwords such as machine learning, relevant content, and rich experience. Through all the jumble of excitement, the mega-search engine announced that it will not only change the way advertisers use the ad platform but will also change how businesses can use mobile ads to get discovered by their desired audience.

At Google Marketing Live, the keynote speakers unveiled three major mobile ad formats that were astounding and almost too good to be true.

After taking a few weeks to digest the new information and do a little research, our data analysts at Catapult believe that the changes could be a start to a stronger symbiotic relationship between consumers and businesses.

NEW: Discovery Ads

Consumers will no longer need to make a search to discover products and services that best tailor to their interests and needs. Google’s Discover Feed, an area under the Google search box that has a personalized news feed tailored to your interests, will now also feature Discovery Ads.

To make sure the Discovery Ads reach as many mobile users as possible, you will also find these native ads in the YouTube feed and under Gmail’s social and promotions tabs.

The idea behind the Discovery Ads is to provide consumers with a way to discover new products and services that they may like before they even realize they need it. Is all of that necessary?

Well according to the Google Marketing Live 2019 seminar, 76 percent of consumers enjoy making unexpected discoveries while they are shopping.

For B2C businesses, this could have a major impact on how your brand gets discovered by consumers with similar interests.

NEW: Gallery Ads

Later in the year, you may see a change in how ads are displayed in the search results. Don’t worry, search ads are not going away.

Instead, they will be getting a new sidekick called Gallery Ads.

This new type of online ad will have a swipeable carousal of images that will appear at the top of the search engine results page.

And just like traditional text search ads, advertisers will pay for every click that the Gallery Ad receives.

However, advertisers will also have to pay per swipe (PPS, maybe?).

Gallery Ads, however, will only show for advertisers in the first position of the search results. The search ads in the second, third, etc. positions will be the regular text ads that we are the most familiar with currently.

This means that being the first ad position of the Google results page will become much more competitive and possibly even more profitable. Organic results will also become more competitive as they are pushed further down the page below text ads, gallery ads, shopping ads, and local search and images.

After all, why just tell consumers what you can do when you can just show them?

REDESIGN: Google Shopping Ads

Google Shopping will get a facelift with a new interface and provide customers different ways to buy the products they want.

With the new Google Shopping platform, there will be a new home page interface that customers can personalize with product filtering options.

Customers will customize their homepage to their interests and Google’s AI will help consumers discover product ads that appeal most to them – almost like their very own robot shopper.

The powerful combination of Google Shopping and Google Express, Google’s online storefront, is creating a new way for customers to discover and buy new products. It’s also helping Google compete with big online retailers such as Amazon, E-Bay, and Wal-Mart.

One unique thing that Google Shopping will offer to customers, is a variety of options to buy a product.

If a customer finds a product they want, they can take action by ordering the item to pick up at the nearest store, or they can have it delivered either through the business’s merchant site or through Google Express.

With the variety of options available, Google will open up more opportunities for local retailers and national brands to compete at the same level through Shopping Ads.

Is Your Business Ready?

The way people use Google, especially on their smartphone, is about to change, and how they discover new products and services could change too. As these new advertising methods unveil, it’s important that you try these new features right the first time.

After all, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. Get a head start of the competition and call Catapult today to start creating your new online advertising strategy.

Ashley Boudreaux is a Digital Analyst for Catapult Creative Media. She is an LSU graduate with a B.A. in Mass Communication and a minor in French. In her free time, she enjoys visiting petting zoos and climbing trees.

Work with Catapult Creative Media Inc. Catapult Creative Media Inc. is a digital marketing and design agency serving clients over the United States but is proud to call Baton Rouge, Louisiana home. Founded in 2007, Catapult provides digital, social and mobile marketing solutions backed by relevant strategy and measurable results. Catapult works the web to their clients’ advantage, launching them to their next level of success.