In 2022, Google made several announcements, updates, and not-so-subtle nudges that shifted the paid search landscape. (Google’s announcement page is a helpful and relatively objective compendium.)
This article will break down:
- The major moves from the past 12 months.
- How they impact paid search marketers.
- What they mean for the future of Google Ads.
A quick recap of major announcements
The change that got the most attention (for good reason, which I’ll explain briefly) was Google sunsetting Expanded Text Ads. This forced advertisers toward Responsive Search Ads (RSAs), which the platform announced in August 2021 and took effect in July 2022.
Other big updates included a big push toward Performance Max. Released to all advertisers in November 2021, it has taken over most ecommerce accounts with Google’s heavy-handed push away from Smart Shopping.
A similar trend with RSAs, Performance Max encourages marketers to advertise across YouTube, Display, Gmail, and Maps aside from search and signifies less control for advertisers as bidding and ad placements are automated.
It also means expert advertisers have fewer ways to give their campaigns an advantage over those run by beginners. (Lowering the barrier of entry seemed to be a big theme for Google in 2022.)
On the brighter side, Google released useful reporting upgrades with Custom Columns. They introduced nuance and flexibility within the Google Ads UI and took the burden of off-UI reporting workarounds from advertisers.
The last significant shift was the rise of image extensions (now called “assets”), which Google released to desktop en masse at the end of 2021. Currently, image assets include a “dynamic” option that automatically uses the most relevant image from the ad’s destination landing page.
This change shows Google’s directional push toward a more interactive SERP which they highlighted at Search On 22.