Google Ads (formerly AdWords) has come a long way since its launch in 2000. Back then, it started with 350 advertisers reaching thousands of searchers across the country.
As its 20th birthday (anniversary) approaches, many are asking what the future holds for this platform. The stats are encouraging for Google, as Google Ads continues to grow and add thousands of new advertisers each year.
According to Google, over 1 million advertisers use the platform to promote their products, services and businesses.
Here are some interesting statistics and facts to help you learn more about Google Ads:
Has more prominence than Organic listings above the fold
The recent changes to the Google search results pages has made some significant changes to Ads. Google ads now have more prominence in the search results because of their positioning.
The top 4 positions are occupied by ad results for many business and transactional searches. So, Organic listings rank lower and this is one of the reasons why advertisers with top 4 positions are achieving higher click through rates (CTR).
In the past, the right section of the search results page was occupied by Google ads. And the main part of the page was dominated by Organic listings.
Now, ad results have more prominence than before. And if you have an ad position between 1.0 and 4.0, then your ads are likely to be at the top. However, it’s important to note that ad position doesn’t refer to the ranking of an ad relative to other ads. It doesn’t refer to the position of the ad on the page.
In fact, an ad could have the highest ad position at 1.0 but still appear below the Organic listings at the bottom of the page. This is quite common with informational searches.
One sign that a search is informational is when information sites like Wikipedia appear on Page 1 of the search results.
So if you’re looking to increase sales or leads, you should steer clear of informational searches. Aim for transactional searches that include words like:
- buy
- purchase
- download
- free
- expert
Also, with many competitors to contend with, you should aim to bid for higher positions. There are many benefits to appearing at the top of the ad results including higher click throughs, more traffic, more sales etc.
Has over 70% of search traffic (netmarketshare.com)
Google Ads’ market share trumps all other PPC advertising platforms. And Bing Ads is a distant second with about 15% of Search traffic. So, it’s a no-brainier that Google Ads should be your primary search advertising platform, followed by Bing Ads and Yahoo.
Mobile traffic drives over 50% of searches (Google Benchmarks and Insights)
Mobile has continued to grow in importance and now currently drives over 50% of searches on Google. So as an advertiser you should have a mobile strategy to reach your audience.
This should include understanding the devices they use to search and also browse your website: tablets and smartphones. And your website should provide a great experience that increases stickiness and reduces bounce rates.
For example, aim to include the most important content and features above-the-fold. People on smartphones are busy and fickle and will not hang around to figure out what your website is all about. They will click the back button in no time.
Advertisers make $2 from every $1 they spend on Google Ads (Google Economic Impact Report)
That’s a 100% ROI and it’s difficult to replicate on other platforms. Because searchers are highly qualified on Google, many of them will be looking to complete an action like purchasing, downloading, subscribing and a host of other actions that could be relevant to your business.
So, you’re able to reach them with targeted ads as they search for your products or services.
Display ads reach 80% of global internet users (Google Benchmarks and Insights)
Google owns the worlds largest online network. And according to Google Insights, that reaches 80% of global internet users. This is a powerful network for any business looking for sales and to increase brand awareness.
As a Google Ads advertiser, you should launch display campaigns and target people on the Display Network with image, video and text ads.
15% of searches on Google each day are new to them (thinkwithgoogle.com)
This shows that Google continues to grow and more people are using search to find products and services. As an advertiser, that means about 15% of the searches you get each day is a good opportunity for your business.
However, it also means you should keep a close watch on your search terms report to ensure that all searches are targeted.
Summary
There are many other statistics and facts to look out for in 2019, that will help you setup and launch effective campaigns. Google continues to release new features and capabilities that help you create relevance for your audiences and you can view them here https://support.google.com/google-ads/announcements/9048695
