the latest updates from microsoft ads

Over the last few months, Microsoft Ads have released a number of updates to better the performance of your paid search efforts.

In our run-through, we cover the launch of Automotive Ads, static headlines for Display Search Ads and Enhanced CPC. Take a read to find out what they are, what they can do for your business and the benefits.

automotive ads

As an automotive business, you will likely know the power of paid search advertising. Using these tactics, you can drive more clicks to your website and more sales for your business.

To make the most of the increased online volume, you need to highlight as much of your inventory as possible. This is where Automotive Ads can help.

what are automotive ads?

These product ads allow you to upload and showcase all elements of your automotive inventory such as brand, model, year and images on Bing.

When getting started with these ads, we recommend setting similar bids to your text ad campaigns. This will allow you to monitor performance so you can adjust accordingly.

We would also advise not to apply any bid modifiers based on audiences. Instead, measure and monitor performance first and then make changes based on your audiences.

the benefits

• increased volume: Advertise to shoppers who are closer to converting.

• better customer experience: Display photos, prices, descriptions and more to increase the quality of leads and your CTR.

• save time: Using feeds with keyword-less campaigns can generate ads faster allowing you to maintain accurate inventory and price.

static headlines for dynamic search ads

You will probably have heard of Dynamic Search Ads (DSA). If not, they're an innovative way to automatically target relevant search queries with ads based on your site's content. DSAs are then generated to respond to these search queries.

Saving you time, there is no need to maintain keyword lists, manage bids or update titles. Instead, DSAs do the hard work, connecting your business with those searching for your products/services.

However, with the headlines of Microsoft DSAs being dynamically generated based on your website's content, advertisers had less control over their ads than they may have liked.

That's where static headlines come in...

what are static headlines for dynamic search ads?

Static headlines are an extra column you can add to your DSAs which specify the ad title you want to display for a particular URL.

As advertisers already generate the description used in the ad copy, this new feature means you have full control over the copy.

It's worth noting, however, that advertisers can only add static headlines to their DSAs through a page feed at the moment.

the benefits

• full copy control: The new static headlines feature means you can enjoy the power of DSA matching your landing pages to relevant queries while having control over your full ad copy.

• increase your competitive edge: New search trends and queries are constantly emerging. DSA captures these unique queries and matches them to the right content on your site to display them to relevant users.

• high-performance ads: Lower CPC, increased click volume and ability to capture relevant business opportunities makes DSAs a powerful advertising tool.

enhanced manual bidding

Advertisers everywhere are using automation to help meet business goals. Microsoft Ads offer Automated Bidding solutions, giving you the ability to dynamically set bids at auction time based on your targets.

To take advantage of this automation technology, a new update has been released. All manual bidding strategies for search, shopping and DSA campaigns who have not yet opted into Automated Bidding are now optimised by Enhanced CPC.

Using automation in your bidding practice can help you adjust swiftly to the marketplace, optimise your time and work smarter to drive reach your goals.

what is enhanced manual bidding?

When you enabled Enhanced CPC for your campaigns, Microsoft Ads will automatically adjust bids in real-time. This means you can bid up on users that are more like to convert and bid down on users who are less likely.

Using this strategy, your average CPC won't exceed the maximum bid you set.

the benefits

• be responsive: Enhanced CPC enables you to remain responsive in a dynamic marketplace by adjusting bids in real-time based on user behaviour.

• increased conversions: This strategy can drive conversions, lower your cost per acquisition (CPA) and improve your ROI. In fact, advertisers using Enhanced CPC achieve 5-10 percent more conversions while maintaining their CPA.

• reach your goals: Enhanced CPC can work toward any performance goal such as maximising clicks and conversions or lowering CPA and target return on ad spend (ROAS).

want to get started with microsoft ads?

As a specialist paid media agency, we have close partnerships with the networks that matter. An Accredited Microsoft Professional Partner, we’re experienced at driving results across Microsoft Ads.

Always at the forefront of industry updates, we apply tailored strategies to your paid search campaigns to reduce waste, save budget and drive conversions. If you want to find out more about Microsoft Advertising and whether it could help you reach your paid media goals, please contact our team of PPC specialists.