No integrated digital marketing strategy is complete without a provision for paid search; indeed, paid search is increasingly vital for gaining visibility on the search engine results page (SERP), and works best when it’s combined with the organic SEO approach.

Something that’s important to understand about paid search is that it’s always in flux. In the past year alone, Google and Bing have both initiated some significant changes to how their paid ad platforms work. Launching an effective paid search strategy means being nimble, and adapting to these changes as they come.

A good place to begin is simply knowing what these changes are. Here is a brief recap of some of the recent PPC changes that are, in our view, especially significant.

Google Eliminates Right-Side Ads

Nearly a year ago, Google killed off the right-side ads on desktop displays as part of an effort to bring greater uniformity between desktop and mobile search experiences. This change came with the addition of a fourth ad spot above the organic search results.

This Google shake-up was initially met with skepticism, though it’s worth noting that it doesn’t seem to have led to any major change in PPC effectiveness. However, it does make those four ad listings, above the organic search results, more competitive—and more important—than ever before.

Google Expands Text Ads

Another big change came in AdWords, where Google introduced expanded text ads. The Google engineers themselves have called this the most significant AdWords change-up since its debut: The available size for text ads has effectively doubled, and advertisers now have two 30-character headlines and one 80-character description line to work with. This additional space provides more wiggle room for advertisers looking to fine-tune their ad copy.

It’s worth noting that, in an effort to keep up, Bing has expanded its text ads, too, though it’s also maintaining its original, smaller-sized text ads—giving advertisers on Bing some additional options.

Google Rolls Out New AdWords Interface

Another major change to AdWords, this one taking place more on the back end, was last summer’s introduction of the streamlined AdWords interface—largely a cosmetic change, but one that many say has made AdWords sleeker, more intuitive, and ultimately easier to use. That’s all subjective, perhaps, but it’s at the very least encouraging to see Google’s efforts at providing advertisers with improved functionality convenience.

Google Introduces AdWords Message Extensions

Here’s a cool new AdWords feature: As of last October, businesses can actually empower customers to start texting them directly from an online ad. This AdWords extension even lets business owners offer a pre-crafted text message to help get the conversation going. All told, this makes texting a much more viable avenue for companies looking to engage their audience and increase conversions.

Staying Up to Date with PPC Changes

There have been other key changes, too, and that’s just from 2016. The new year will bring further paid search alterations still, and it’s important to stay on top of them. At enCOMPASS, that’s part of our job, and we’d love to help keep you in the loop.

Speak with us about where paid search is headed, and what it might mean for your business. Contact us today to start the conversation.