It feels like just yesterday that Google Marketing Live announcements were less frequent but packed a bigger punch—think responsive search ads in 2018 or max conversion value in 2019. While Performance Max might seem like the headliner for last year’s event, it’s still a hot topic.

So, what’s the takeaway? The main point is that Google’s yearly update list seems to keep growing, making it tough to sift through and figure out what’s truly important. That’s why we’ve put together this straightforward summary to make things clearer and help you determine what changes you need to make or get ready for.

Top 10 Google Marketing Live 2022 Updates

As mentioned, this year’s event was a whirlwind of minor features, advancements, betas, and tools, making it difficult to condense them into just 10 individual announcements. However, we can group them into 10 categories to help you wrap your head around it all:

1. Performance Max
2. Insights Page
3. Google Shopping
4. Reporting
5. Privacy
6. Asset creation
7. Messages in ads
8. YouTube shorts ads
9. Mobile-first responsive display ads
10. Google audiences for connected TV And for those who prefer the big picture, a comprehensive list of updates (as per Google) is available at the end.

1. Performance Max: What’s New?

Introduced last year, Performance Max campaigns are Google’s current claim to fame. We’ll let you decide whether Performance Max suits your needs, but as a refresher, this campaign type lets you advertise across Google’s entire network using a single campaign.

• Tracking and Bidding on Store Sales: If you utilize Performance Max for store objectives, you’ll soon have the ability to optimize not only for store visits but also for in-store sales. This feature is currently in beta for Local campaigns but will be rolled out to Performance Max in Q3 2022.
• Burst Campaigns: This also applies to Performance Max campaigns geared towards store objectives. Previously, Google recommended running store-focused campaigns for a minimum of 30 days to maximize reach. This campaign type is designed to help you achieve comparable reach within a shorter timeframe (two weeks). It will work in conjunction with your in-store goals to boost visits, calls, and direction requests during peak seasons like holidays.
• Experiment Tools: Currently in beta for Performance Max campaigns that don’t utilize a product feed, experiment tools will see a full launch throughout the remainder of the year. This feature lets you measure incremental performance improvements when you incorporate Performance Max campaigns alongside existing campaign types.

• Explanations: Instead of having to cross-reference data across various reporting tools, this feature will pinpoint the reasons behind performance fluctuations directly within the Google Ads interface. Google’s aim, as explained, is to provide greater transparency into how automation functions within your campaigns.

• Google Ads Recommendations and Optimization Score will soon be available for Performance Max campaigns. Based on your campaign settings, goals, and external elements like search volume and trends, Google will recommend optimizations for your targeting, budgets, and asset groups.

• Now Integrated with Search Ads 360: This update might not apply to most readers, but for your information: Search Ads 360 is Google’s enterprise-grade platform for managing large-scale search campaigns across multiple search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, etc.). SA360 users will now have the capability to view, create, manage, and generate reports on Performance Max campaigns, just like in Google Ads.

2. Insights Page: New Data at Your Fingertips

The Google Ads Insights page, released from beta last year, offers daily updates of tailored insights based on your account’s performance and current trends, all aimed at enhancing your results. To provide a clearer understanding of the reasoning behind automation’s decisions, Google announced three new insight types coming to this page.

• Attribution Insights: This update focuses on helping you understand the conversion journeys your customers take across your different Google Ads campaigns (Display, Search, YouTube, Shopping, Gmail, etc.). This multi-touch attribution data sheds light on the value of campaigns that indirectly contribute to conversions.

  

• Budget Insights: This feature will recommend budget optimizations by comparing your campaign budget’s pacing against its performance. According to Google, it will enable you to swiftly monitor and respond when your budget is limited or projected to be limited, or to reallocate funds when you anticipate a significant surplus by the end of the month.

• First-Party Audience Insights: Leveraging your first-party data, these insights will highlight the best-performing segments and provide signals for Google’s machine learning to optimize your campaign’s performance.

The Insights page will also be accessible for Manager accounts.

3. Google Shopping Gets an Upgrade

This year’s Google Shopping updates were peppered with “i” words—“inspiration,” “ideas,” “immersive,” and “intuitive” were generously used. We’ll let you interpret that as you see fit, but here are the key Shopping updates that e-commerce businesses should know.

• Checkout on Merchant: Soon, shoppers will be able to complete purchases directly from a listing, which will redirect them to the checkout page on the advertiser’s website. This feature will launch with Shopify and Walmart, with plans to expand to other partners and retailers in the future.

• Immersive Shopping Experience: For apparel retailers, a “dynamic, swipeable, visual feed” is set to roll out just in time for the holiday season. The SERP will blend organic results with Shopping ads that utilize rich images and descriptions, and users can swipe up on an ad to access more product details.

• 3D AR: We’ll soon have the capability to view 3D models of products directly within Search results.

• Product Feeds Expand to YouTube Shorts and Search: Google emphasized the increasing convergence of browsing and shopping experiences—for instance, “an entertainment moment can transform into a shopping moment” instantaneously, “when you least expect it but truly appreciate it” (could this relate to the surge in ads appearing in SERPs for queries lacking commercial intent? Check out our Search Advertising Benchmarks Report But I digress). Consequently, product feeds will soon be available on YouTube Shorts and Search, enabling businesses to “transform their video action campaigns into veritable digital storefronts.”
• Product Improvement Recommendations: Located within Google Ads, this tab will empower retailers to optimize not just their campaigns but also their individual products. It will identify and diagnose product-related issues such as missing information, insufficient bidding, and more.

4. Reporting Updates: Delving into the Details

While the automation and machine learning updates get a bit technical, we’ll keep it concise.

• Search & Conversion Lift Tests: Search Lift tests will divide your audience randomly into those who have and haven’t seen your YouTube ads, allowing you to measure any increases in organic searches driven by your YouTube campaigns.
• Conversion Lift Tests: When you set up a Video Action or Discovery campaign, Google will segment your audience into two groups: users who will see the ad and users who would have seen it but are instead shown the next ad in the auction (essentially, a competitor’s ad). Google will then analyze conversions on your site to determine if there was a lift in conversions from those who viewed your Video Action or Discovery ad.
• Simplified Tagging: A single Google tag will replace the Global Site Tag for all Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts, enabling centralized tag management without extra code.

• New Reporting Features: New data points, such as on-device conversion measurement and a lead funnel report, will provide insights into the performance of your qualified and converted leads.

• GA4’s New Home Experience: With GA4 replacing Universal Analytics, this update is noteworthy. Google Analytics 4 will soon feature a revamped Home dashboard that automatically reveals insights and predictions based on where your audience members are in their customer journey.

5. Privacy Takes Center Stage

Google extensively discussed modeling, APIs, and other privacy-related topics, but admittedly, much of it delved into intricate technical jargon. Here are some key takeaways:

• Privacy Sandbox APIs: Google shared its ongoing development of multiple APIs for interest-based advertising and targeting without relying on third-party cookies, with testing slated to commence later this year.
• Enhanced Conversions Enhancements: These include integrations with HubSpot and other CRMs, along with support for a wider range of browsers. In case you’re wondering about enhanced conversions, it’s one of Google’s solutions for cross-device conversion tracking without cookies. You transmit first-party data gathered during a user’s conversion on your website (e.g., email and phone) to Google. Google then matches this information to corresponding Google accounts in its database, enabling it to connect that conversion to various Google ads the user interacted with before converting, regardless of the device used. Since the data is transmitted in a hashed format and then aggregated, it maintains privacy.

6. Asset Creation Gets Streamlined

Google made several announcements related to asset creation:

• Auto-Generated Responsive Search Ad Assets: Launching later this year, this feature empowers Google to create RSA assets on your behalf, drawing on content from your landing pages and existing ads. Yes, it’s automation for automation!

• Introducing the New Asset Library: This will evolve into a centralized hub for advertisers, allowing them to import, collaboratively work on, and share all their assets across all campaigns within a unified location, complete with Google Drive integration. According to Google, you’ll be able to craft an ad using only five image, logo, and text assets. Moreover, you’ll gain the ability to create and publish a video directly to YouTube from within the asset library in under a minute—“faster than I can pop a bag of popcorn” (perhaps we can incorporate popcorn into Performance Max Burst Campaigns for even faster popping? Just a thought, Google).

7. Messages in Ads: Bridging the Gap

Google Business Messages will enable consumers to communicate directly with businesses through Search ads.

8. YouTube Shorts Ads: A Short and Sweet Opportunity

Google reported that YouTube Shorts now boasts over 30 billion daily views, a fourfold increase from the previous year. Additionally, “75% of individuals agree that YouTube enhances the traditional shopping experience by providing unexpected inspiration.” As such, ads on YouTube Shorts are now a reality.

9. Mobile-First Responsive Display Ads: Embracing the Small Screen

These will encompass full-screen portrait mode ads, scrollable ads, and video ads, all powered by product feeds.

Image source

10. Google Audiences Extends to CTV

Google Audiences, which include affinity, in-market, and demographic audiences, will soon be available for connected TV campaigns. Connected TV ads represent a form of OTT advertising, a format gaining traction as the number of [cable] cord-cutters continues to rise.

Google Marketing Live 2022: The Complete Picture

Let’s wrap up with a categorized list of all the announcements made by Google at Google Marketing Live, divided into “available now” and “coming soon.” Available Now

• Immersive Shopping Ads
• Asset Library
• GA’s New Home Experience
• Conversion Modeling Updates
• DDA as Default (Didn’t this happen already?)
• On-Device Conversion Measurement
• Visual Product Feed
• AR in Search
• Performance Max (We Get It, Google) Coming Soon
• Ads on YouTube Shorts
• Video on Discover (Not to be confused with Discovery Campaigns; this refers to the Google Discover app)
• Google Audiences for CTV
• Performance Max
  • Experiment Tools (Not to be confused with Experiments, a feature available for other campaign types in Google Ads)
  • Insights and Explanations
• Search Lift Tests
• Conversion Lift Tests
• Automatically Created Assets
• Message a Business in Ads
• Insights Page
  • Attribution Insights
  • Budget Insights
  • Audience Insights with First-Party Data
  • Availability for Manager Accounts
• Optimization Score for All Campaign Types
• My Ad Center
• Privacy-Safe Advertising
• MMM Improvements
• Google Tag
• Enhanced Conversions Support
• Lead Funnel Report
• Visual Ad Experiences in Search
• Product Feeds in YouTube Shorts and Search
• Store Sales in Performance Max
• Checkout on Merchant
• Product Listing Improvement Recommendations in Shopping Ads
• Loyalty Benefits on Google