Three PPC Marketing Trends to Watch in 2023

As you plan your 2023 search marketing strategies, keep these key PPC trends in mind.

As we begin 2023, it's a good time to consider the macro-level trends we saw last year.

Here are a few trends that I believe will be around in 2023 and should be considered as you plan your search marketing strategies.

1. A slowing economy and a greater emphasis on efficiency

In case you haven't heard, the economy has been in trouble (joke). Most of us, have no idea how long this downturn will last.

Having said that, I believe many digital marketers are already feeling the effects.

• Budgets are becoming more constrained.
• Teams are becoming leaner.
• Questions such as “What’s the ROI?” or “What’s the CPA?” are becoming more common. 

These environments are difficult to navigate, and I don't have all the answers.

However, the first piece of advice I usually give is to lean into your data. Make sure you have a thorough understanding of your top-performing tactics and prioritize your investment in them.

An analogy I often use is the concept of a sports team in the playoffs. When it comes down to it, a coach will always put his or her best players in the game for as long as possible. Players who are still developing will most likely be watching the game from the bench.

Take this same mindset when it comes to your search strategies. If your budget is limited, focus your efforts on the strategies that will yield the greatest return.

I'm sure many of you reading this are thinking, "Yeah, thanks for stating the obvious," but I don't mean simply focusing on a brand keyword strategy. Rather, you should:

• Investigate the various performance segments of your campaigns.
• Learn which devices, audiences, geos, times of day/week, and campaign types produce the best results. Prioritize your investment in those segment combinations.
• Consider creating a more granular campaign delineation to better skew spending toward the best-performing combinations. 

2. Automation vs. autonomy

This debate began long before 2022. However, I believe the heat was turned up last year with:

• Performance Max campaigns are on the rise.
• The redesigned broad match.
• Expanded Text Ads are being phased out in favour of Responsive Search Ads.
• The use of automated performance and creative recommendations.

Machine learning is becoming more powerful and will be increasingly integrated into campaign management platforms.

To be successful in 2023, I believe you must best balance the power of automation with the autonomy required to achieve your stakeholders' goals.

Consider this when developing an automated bid strategy. Part of that process includes giving the algorithm business-specific guardrails to operate between - and toward. The higher the quality of your inputs, the closer your results will be to your goals.

That same mindset, I believe, should be applied to more general AI applications in campaign management platforms.

Automation reduces the number of resources needed for foundational tasks. However, we must still direct it to achieve our business objectives.

Consider what datasets you can incorporate more tactically. The more data points you provide, the better these algorithms can inform their optimizations and recommendations.

Consider what levers you must maintain control over and where you can free up your grasp by relying on machine learning to optimize for you.

Finally, consider how to structure your accounts so that the automation can perform optimally.

Depending on the complexity of your strategy, the balance of automation and autonomy will differ.

Advertisers who understand the best how to strike this balance for their business will benefit.

3. Is Microsoft on the rise?

What would an article like this be without at least one opinion that is a little "edgy." Buckle up, folks!

Last year's updates from Microsoft were quite impressive. Not only have they expanded their ad offerings, but they've also expanded their geographic reach by about 70 new markets.

Microsoft Advertising has always emphasized its lower costs and comparable features to Google, but we are beginning to see some platform-specific innovation (e.g., Multimedia Ads).

To be clear, I do not anticipate a significant shift in search engine market share. However, if you haven't looked into Microsoft Advertising's innovation opportunities, now might be as good a time as any.

Because of the (generally) lower CPCs, it's a good testing environment, and much of the innovation they've implemented can help to improve conversion rates.

In budget-constrained environments, improving conversion rates combined with low CPCs sounds like an opportunity worth revisiting.

This recommendation is especially relevant for B2B advertisers, as Microsoft Bing has seen particularly strong engagement, most likely due to research conducted on work devices.

The Longevity of Search Marketing in 2023

It's an exciting time to be in search marketing right now. It's difficult to keep up with all of the platform updates.

Search marketing is one of the most effective digital marketing tools. Aside from search, there are only a few other environments where users express their preferences so clearly.

I've highlighted a few of the trends I'm keeping a pulse on, but in our fast-paced industry, there are likely plenty more trends that you will consider as you build out your 2023 strategy.