PPC Trends for 2022

2021 was a busy, ever-changing year for paid search advertising. Not only did this field have to contend with the remaining effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Google also made several policy updates that shook up established practices significantly.

2022 is likely to keep up this blistering pace, but we can make a few predictions about how the field will develop in the coming year. Keep reading to learn more about our top 10 PPC trend predictions and why enlisting the help of a PPC agency in Toronto may be the best way to capitalize on them.

Top 10 PPC Advertising Trends for 2022

1. First-Party Data

Relying on third-party data for remarketing and other PPC marketing personalization strategies will not be an option in 2022. Although Google is not phasing out third-party cookies until 2023, marketers who do not adapt to this change now will be left floundering when they are left with no alternatives.

Collect as much first-party data from your leads as possible using first-party cookies, email sign-up forms, and other methods. Then, use this data to construct and deliver PPC ads that match your leads’ profiles without intruding on their privacy.

2. New Marketing Tools

Marketing automation and other technology is constantly advancing. Many of the tools available on the market today will help you overcome some of the most pressing problems in PPC marketing.

With first-party data taking over, now is the time to look into offline conversion tracking using tools like Facebook’s Conversions API or Google’s Offline Conversions Tracking. Investing in automation and machine learning technologies can also help you scale your operations and create targeted, hyper-specific ads that synthesize data from a variety of sources for maximum impact.

3. New Ad Formats

Have you been thinking about trying out new types of PPC ads in the near future? Putting these plans into action is a good idea for your 2022 PPC strategy.

Which formats should you try out? Consider ambitious options which have only recently become feasible for smaller marketers. Video PPC ads are a relatively new invention that show tremendous promise on platforms like YouTube. Likewise, podcasts are exploding in popularity, are relatively easy to produce, and will help you deliver a whole new type of content to your leads. Doing this will help you target users with different content preferences through all stages of the buyer’s journey.

4. Adventurousness

Due to considerable market instability, 2022 is the perfect time for PPC marketers to diversify their channels. Exploring other avenues (especially staple strategies like SEO and email marketing) can help stabilize your marketing efforts and provide better, more consistent results.

You should also see if you can diversify the channels you use to market yourself. Do not reserve SEO activities for your website – branch out to TikTok, LinkedIn, and Quora. Do not rely on a simple newsletter to bring the latest company news to your leads – try out podcasting for a change. It may take some time to get used to these new strategies, but the more channels you add to your marketing toolbox, the more dependable your results will be.

5. Targeting and Segmentation

In 2022, choosing the right keywords for your PPC ads may not be as important as targeting your content to the right audience. Google’s latest updates stress the importance of search intention, signalling to marketers that quality content is more valuable than ever.

The trouble is that not every audience considers the same content equally valuable. This is where audience segmentation shines. By identifying and catering to specific demographics in your audience, you will ensure that all your content strikes a chord with the people you are most interested in reaching.

6. Responsive Search Ads (RSAs)

Have you switched to using responsive search ads (RSAs) in your PPC campaigns yet? If not, this should be a top priority in your marketing activities for the new year.

RSAs dynamically combine images and snippets of ad copy to create ads that match each lead’s needs and interests. Using them makes it easy to test a multitude of marketing ideas and pick the winners from that set. They also allow for more precise targeting and campaign automation than expanded text ads or ETAs.

Not only are RSAs superior in performance, but ETAs are being phased out of use and will be gone entirely by the end of June 2022. Be sure that you are familiar with creating an effective RSA before this date arrives!

7. Brand Affinity

People who feel close to certain brands are more likely to buy from those brands in the future. PPC marketers can take advantage of this phenomenon by taking some time to nurture their lead’s affinity for their brand.

The best ways to do this in paid search ads boil down to timing. Take the time to craft memorable ads that give your leads an excellent experience at exactly the right time they need it. You should have ads that target users in every stage of the buyer’s journey and enough data and automated help to deliver them their messages are most salient.

8. Doing More with Less

Many small businesses have experienced significant financial volatility in the past two years. Depending on how well your business has been able to weather the storm, you may not have the resources to invest heavily in PPC marketing this year.

If this is the case for your business, now is an excellent time to re-evaluate your PPC marketing strategy. Look for ways to stretch your budget by targeting low-cost keywords with highly relevant and personalized ads. With the right strategy, you will accomplish great things with PPC even if you do not have a lavish budget with which to do it.

9. Going Back to Basics

After doing PPC advertising for a while, you may assume that you have the basics down. This may not be as true as you think. Fundamental PPC concepts like keywords and bidding have undergone significant changes in the last few years. Are you sure that the strategies you learned are still relevant? Take a few minutes each week to refresh your knowledge of PPC basics. You will reinforce what you know, update any outdated information you learned, and sharpen your overall PPC skills.

10. Unexpected New Developments on the Horizon

We may not know everything that the new year has in store for PPC marketing, but we can be confident that it will involve even more change. In 2022, prepare to pivot quickly into new strategies when needed, and be ready to hire digital marketing services to help fill in the gaps in your knowledge. Do not let these new developments catch you by surprise: the sooner you see them coming, the better equipped you will be to adapt to them.

Get Your Company Prepared for 2022 with Help from Our PPC Agency

Despite the changes that are expected to surface this new year, PPC advertising will remain an instrumental part of any well-rounded company marketing strategy. Investing time in understanding and adapting to these new developments will help you take advantage of these trends instead of being overwhelmed by them.

If you need additional help to leverage these paid search trends for your business, WSI Comandix would be pleased to assist you. Contact us today and ask us about our PPC management offerings and any of our other digital marketing services you might like to commission for your business. With our help, your company’s future is sure to be bright.