Google has revamped its AdWords platform, letting advertisers set separate bid adjustments for mobile, desktop and tablet.
The news was announced at the Google Performance Summit in San Francisco.
Google also announced new ad features for Google Maps for local searches on physical stores.
At the event, Google said it now handles trillions of searches globally — up from the hundreds of billions most recently stated — with more than half of those searches starting on mobile devices.
As a result, Google has redesigned AdWords to reflect this massive consumer change. Expanded text ads in AdWords will be optimised to fit the screens of the most popular smartphones, offering more ad space to get messages across.
The company said that some early testers noted clickthrough rate jumps of as much as 20% compared to the current text ads.
In an official Inside AdWords Blog post, Senior Vice President of Ads and Commerce Sridhar Ramaswamy, said: “How do display ads look in a mobile-first world? From sites to apps to videos, mobile has unlocked a universe of new spaces to reach consumers. Responsive ads for display adapt to the diverse content across the more than two million publisher sites and apps on the Google Display Network (GDN).”
“They also unlock new native inventory so you can engage consumers with ads that match the look and feel of the content they’re browsing. Simply provide headlines, a description, an image, and a URL — and Google will automatically design these beautiful responsive ads.”
AdWords ‘for the mobile-first world’
Optimized for screen sizes of the most popular smartphones, new expanded text ads in AdWords provide more ad space so advertisers can showcase more information about products and services before the click.
Here are the key changes:
Responsive ads for the Google Display Network
Responsive ads for display adapt to the diverse content across the more than two million publisher sites and apps on the Google Display Network (GDN).
They also unlock new native inventory so you can engage consumers with ads that match the look and feel of the content they’re browsing.
Simply provide headlines, a description, an image, and a URL — and Google will automatically design these responsive ads.
Responsive ads for display adapt to fit any app or site on the GDN.
New ad formats for Google Maps
Google also introduced local search ads across Google.com and Google Maps.
Advertisers using location extensions will be able to prominently showcase their business locations when consumers search for things like “shoe store” or “car repair near me.”
There will also be a more branded, customized experiences for businesses on Google Maps — geared towards helping increase store visits.
Maps users may start to see promoted pins for nearby coffee shops, gas stations or lunch spots along their driving route. Local business pages are also getting a brand new look to encourage consumers to explore the store before they even arrive, with new features like special offers and the ability to browse product inventory.
