Search engine marketing: 5 key Google developments

For companies, the giant Google is now indispensable in search engine marketing. However, frequent updates, new tools, or algorithm changes at Google can make it easy to lose track. So what should you pay attention to when it comes to SEA / search engine advertising, SEO / search engine optimization, and SEM / search engine marketing? Our SEA agency team has compiled the five most important Google developments for you in an overview.

Development 1: Free Shopping ads

An important development in SEO and search engine marketing is the option to place free listings on Google Shopping in addition to paid Google Ads.

This SEA format is referred to as Google Shopping Organic (free, organic product listings) and displays only truly relevant search results as Google ads to potential customers.

Our Google Ads agency recommends this option, as it is not only suitable for SMEs with a small marketing budget but also offers larger companies the opportunity to present free ads with product details such as brand, availability, price, or rating in the organic shopping results.

This allows ad placements on Google to be specifically tested and optimized without the need for high upfront spending.

Development 2: Intelligent link building with a focus on deep links

When companies use links to guide prospects specifically to certain subpages, it becomes easier to convert visitors into customers. It’s important to know that Google evaluates each subpage of a website individually. So-called deep links improve both the ranking of the main page and the traffic of the subpage that ranks well for a specific keyword.

Deep links are direct links to specific subpages that allow users to access desired content and offers immediately.

Google assigns a higher value to deep links because they help mobile users — for example, those shopping via smartphone — find and purchase products immediately based on keywords and search behavior.

This enables advertisers to achieve a significantly higher conversion, making the use of deep links particularly lucrative for both Android and iOS operating systems. They can currently be integrated into various ad formats such as display, shopping, or search ads.

Development 3: Targeted approach to acquiring new customers

As an online marketing agency, we recommend considering various features within Google Search when acquiring new customers.

Among other things, first-party data (company-owned data collected, for example, in an internal customer relationship management system) can be integrated to create audience lists of existing customers who will not be targeted by the advertising. This ensures that your marketing campaign is focused exclusively on new customers.

In line with this, online marketing activities on Google can be optimized to target the so-called “statistical twins” of your existing customers — that is, potential customers who resemble your current ones, for example in purchasing behavior.

Development 4: Individual product margins for campaign control

As part of artificial intelligence (AI), Google relies on numerous automation processes using key metrics that enable highly targeted audience engagement.

First-party data can be integrated to evaluate individual product margins for campaign control. This way, the campaign is aligned with real and tangible business metrics, rather than being based solely on revenue.

Development 5: Audio ads for music and podcast streaming

In the blog of our search engine marketing agency, we’ve already taken a closer look at the podcast marketing trend. In this context, you should keep audio advertising in mind for podcasts, music streaming, or audio apps.

Google offers a new feature, currently in beta, that focuses on YouTube Music and podcast streaming. As early as the end of 2020, YouTube launched audio ads as a new format offering for Google Ads and Display & Video 360. This gives advertisers the opportunity to significantly increase their reach for audio-based content and engage users more effectively.

Conclusion: Leveraging Google developments strategically for your business

Google thrives on change, and for businesses, it is crucial to stay in tune with the developments of the market leader. This way, you can fully leverage the potential of your internal SEO and search engine marketing and explore new paths in online marketing.

Our SEA agency continuously monitors the latest developments in SEO, SEA, and SEM. We are happy to support you in using Google’s wide range of tools optimally for your business — to satisfy both new and existing customers. We look forward to your inquiry.