Should you be concerned about Google Managing your PPC Campaign?

On average, 41% of clicks go to the top three paid adverts on Google's search results page. A testament to the enduring value of pay-per-click (PPC) marketing.

But, while this branch of search advertising forms a valuable part of the modern marketer’s toolkit, will  Google Ad’s most recent statement serve to shift the PPC landscape, significantly?

Earlier this year, Google Ads sent out an email communication sporting the headline: "We’ll focus on your campaigns, so you can focus on your business."

What does this mean?

Fundamentally, the headline confirms that Google is introducing automation to almost every area of its campaign creation and management platforms and processes, including PPC.

But, what’s particularly interesting here is that the automation will be primarily human-powered.

Google is harnessing the power of its in-house 'Google Ads experts' to help manage marketers’ PPC campaigns behind the scenes. Moreover, Google’s ‘opt-in’ initiative means that unless you physically opt out within seven days of receiving the email, you will become part of this Google-driven program. That said, Google has confirmed that if someone is auto-enrolled, it will be possible to opt out at a later date.

And it seems that not everyone agrees with Google’s new PPC plans:

The role of Google’s advertising experts

To help you make your own decision, it’s important to explore the role of Google’s in-house advertising experts.

According to Google's email, the brand's experts will identify pivotal changes that can help digital marketers squeeze more value from their ads, from restructuring your ad groups or modifying target keywords to adjusting bids and updating segments of text. As part of the initiative, the search colossus also pledges to set up and activate advanced features on an ongoing basis for optimization purposes without affecting budgets.

In summary, Google’s team of PPC and advertising experts will make automatic tweaks and changes to pivotal part of your advertising campaigns with the aim of making them more successful and, ultimately, to provide you with a healthier ROI for your efforts.

Google’s PPC ad management: key considerations

To help you navigate Google’s brand new ad management initiative, here are the key aspects of the change you should be aware of:

• Google claims that despite intervening in marketers’ Google Ad campaigns, the account holder has the power to accept or rejection the suggestions and, as such, remain in control of their campaigns.

• In its recent communication, Google states that advertisers are still responsible for the results of their campaigns and shouldn’t put pure faith in its optimization efforts or suggestions.

• As a marketer, you are strongly encouraged to monitor your account on a regular basis to understand what’s happening with your campaigns at all times.

Any tweaks or suggestions made by Google’s PPC experts that serve to hinder an advertising campaign are subject to a potential refund.

Should you be concerned?

At first glance, Google's 'expert' PPC advertising intervention may feel somewhat intrusive to brands, businesses, and marketers.

This level of intervention could have an immediate impact on the campaigns powered by the new initiative, but at this point, it's difficult to say whether this will be positive or negative. However, we could assume that the changes made by the experts will be influenced by Google’s existing machine-powered recommendations engine.

What’s also clear is that by offering suggestions and optimization advice directly to account holders, Google could undercut a host of PPC marketing consultants and agencies that work with brands to improve, enhance and deliver their campaigns.

But, while some view these changes negatively, others believe that it could afford agencies, consultants, and marketers more time on strategy and less time on everyday optimization tactics by automating these processes.

Looking at these changes from a glass-half-full perspective, time-stretched digital marketers could benefit greatly from these tailored suggestions if they take them on. Plus, with the option to reject potential suggestions and opt out of the program if necessary, it seems that Google’s proposed changes offer more of an opportunity than a detriment to digital marketers responsible for PPC advertising.

Like anything in its infancy, it’s impossible to predict the impact these changes will have on the PPC advertising landscape as a whole but as the program isn’t compulsory, it’s unlikely to threaten the health or success of your campaigns anytime soon.