Tag: Ad Optimization

Unlocking VTC Bidding: A New Era for Google App Campaigns
I’ve noticed a significant shift in Google Ads as they now allow us to optimize bidding for view-through conversions (VTC) in Android App campaigns. This change highlights a growing emphasis on video-driven performance.

In the past, VTC was a subtle, behind-the-scenes signal within Google’s system. Now, it’s a visible option that allows me to focus on conversions that occur after an ad is seen, rather than clicked.

The shift. It’s evident that Google is steering app advertising away from traditional click-focused strategies, encouraging an approach centered around influence and incremental results. This is particularly beneficial for platforms like YouTube and in-feed video advertising.

This update means our bidding strategies align more intuitively with the actual ways users discover and install apps today.

Why it matters to me. This flexibility allows me to go beyond mere clicks, enhancing measurement metrics for video-centric app campaigns. It’s an exciting validation for those of us invested in upper-funnel marketing activities.

Who benefits the most? Advertisers who prioritize video content and focus on creating awareness and engagement. This is a game-changer for teams oriented towards long-term growth, not just immediate installs.

What I’m keeping an eye on:
- How Google’s attribution models affect campaign reliance
- Potential shifts in Cost-Per-Acquisition expectations
- The growing importance of creative quality over click-centric strategies
First seen by. I came across this update thanks to Rakshit Shetty, a Senior Performance Marketing Executive who first spotted this change.

Bottom line. Google is elevating view-based data for app campaigns to a priority status, marking a shift towards a performance marketing strategy led by AI and agnostic of sales funnels.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
December 15, 2025
Rethink Your Dashboards: Beyond Click-Based Attribution
As someone deeply involved in marketing, I’ve seen how the explosion of marketing channels and touchpoints has made measuring success a truly strategic endeavor.

I’ve noticed that click-based attribution models—such as last-click and first-click—are still widely used as standard. Yet, as I delve deeper into these metrics, I realize they’re becoming less effective as standalone measures.

These models dominate executive dashboards, giving me pause because this reliance can impose significant limitations.

In my experience, click-based metrics can indeed be valuable for understanding digital interactions. However, it’s risky for executives to center major strategies and budget allocations solely around clicks, as this can lead to neglecting vital parts of the customer journey—parts that truly count.

In this article, I want to explore:
- What click-based attribution really captures.
- How it falls short in a complex, multi-channel world.
- The risks of over-relying on click metrics for business decisions.
- Alternative measurement approaches that better align marketing with actual business results.
- Ways marketing leaders, like myself, can guide executives toward more comprehensive outcome-focused frameworks.
My goal isn’t to dismiss clicks; they have their place. They should, however, provide context rather than serve as the core measure of success.

What Does Click-Based Attribution Actually Measure?

Click-based attribution tracks ad clicks and assigns conversion credit to the responsible marketing touchpoints. In my role, I observe that models vary—first-click, last-click, linear, time-decay, to name a few—but fundamentally, they all divide credit along the user journey differently.

Platforms tend to default to click-based models because clicks are straightforward to capture and report. However, their clarity can often mislead.

I’ve learned that click-based attribution hinges entirely on user interaction with tracking links. Without a click, or with delayed decisions, important touchpoints might be misattributed or entirely overlooked.

While this approach might work in simplistic funnels, today’s customer journeys are multi-device and multi-channel, quickly diminishing the value of clicks in context.

Dig deeper: The end of easy PPC attribution – and what to do next

The Problems with Solely Relying on Click-Based Attribution

When I examine today’s buyers, I see that they rarely follow neat, linear paths—an assumption made by click-based models.

Instead, buyers interact across many devices, channels, and may even engage through offline touchpoints. Consider social media, AI like ChatGPT, or brand recognition from videos, influencers, or website content.

Many valuable interactions go untracked by clicks, though they meaningfully influence buyer perception and conversion readiness.

Imagine a buyer: they watch a video on LinkedIn, then research your product through third-party reviews and your case studies on your website. Days later, they directly Google your brand and make a purchase.

In click-based systems, only the final branded search click would be credited, overlooking all previous touchpoints that educated and persuaded the customer.

Such blind spots aren’t trivial; they form a canyon between reality and measurement.
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Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
December 15, 2025
Protect Your Holiday Budget: Tackle Uncontested Ad Costs
I recently discovered that uncontested ads might be silently eating away at my holiday budget. Even when I’m the sole bidder, my CPCs remain stubbornly high. Here’s how I began to reclaim those wasted dollars.

This holiday season, Google Search and Shopping Ads are projected to surpass a staggering $70 billion in spending. However, many advertisers, myself included, overlook a critical flaw in Google’s auction system that drains our funds—even in the absence of competitors.

The team at BrandPilot identifies this issue as the “Uncontested Google Ads Problem,” a significant yet often ignored source of wasted ad spend during peak times.

During SMX Next, I learned from John Beresford, the Chief Revenue Officer at BrandPilot, about a little-known quirk in Google’s auction logic. It’s fascinating how this can lead advertisers like me to overspend on our brand terms, shopping placements, and category keywords because Google doesn’t automatically lower our CPCs when no one else is bidding.

Instead of enjoying lower costs as the sole bidder, I found myself paying the same high rate as if competitors were still active. It’s a situation that unfolds thousands of times a day for major brands, and like me, many marketers don’t even realize it.

In John’s session, we explored:
- Understanding why “competition gaps” are far more frequent than we think.
- Discovering how uncontested moments can warp CPCs, even on brand keywords.
- The potential of real-time auction visibility—and how AI is revolutionizing the field.
He also shared how advertisers are deftly reclaiming wasted spending and channeling it back into growth, without giving up impression share, traffic, or revenue.

Watch the session from BrandPilot to learn how to:
- Identify why CPCs are artificially high when competitors are missing.
- Calculate the true financial impact of the Uncontested Ads Problem on your budget.
- Execute AI-driven bidding and suppression strategies to avoid self-bidding and increase ROAS.
If you’re managing Google Search or Shopping campaigns this holiday season, this session is a must-see. Learn how to keep Google from sneaking off with your budget and start converting those savings into real performance improvements.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
December 15, 2025
Why Double-Checking PPC Settings Can Save Your Campaign

As a seasoned PPC professional, I’ve learned the hard way that even experts can fall victim to default settings. It’s become clear to me how crucial it is to thoroughly double-check every campaign setting.

On episode 334 of PPC Live: The Podcast, I chatted with Sophie Fell, Head of Paid Media at Liberty Marketing Group. We delved into a memorable PPC mishap involving location targeting, illustrating how minor oversights can escalate into significant issues—but also how to resolve them effectively.

Sophie shared a story where she inadvertently launched a campaign with worldwide location targeting. The campaign quickly amassed 1,500 leads, which appeared promising until she realized they were from unintended locations.

At first glance, such a spike in leads seemed like a triumph, yet we soon saw it as a cautionary tale. Upon further investigation, the reason was clear: the location settings were misconfigured. This experience taught us the importance of scrutinizing results that seem unusually favorable.

The client noticed the mistake around the same time as Sophie. She addressed the situation with honesty, acknowledging the error, clarifying the misstep, and resolving it promptly. This transparency was crucial in maintaining trust, even if the client felt understandably frustrated.

This wasn’t a case of lacking expertise; rather, it was about rushing through processes and assuming reviews had been done. We’ve all made assumptions that trip us up, and this incident was a stark reminder of the dangers inherent in default settings.

Once the issue was corrected, Sophie’s campaign achieved exceptional results, hitting targets early and surpassing revenue goals by £3.5 million. This success wasn’t defined by the initial error but by the way it was handled.

Nowadays, Sophie double-checks campaign settings multiple times for assurance. She examines settings during any unusual performance shifts and ensures results are thoroughly vetted. Her key takeaway: post-launch reviews often catch what pre-launch overlooks.

When mistakes occur, Sophie advises: pause, assess, and be transparent. It’s critical to take responsibility, explain the error, and detail preventive measures. Errors only escalate into issues if mishandled.

In her audits, Sophie frequently encounters outdated accounts, over-reliance on brand campaigns, and misapplied automation tools. She emphasizes the ongoing importance of aligning keywords, ads, and landing pages, even in the era of AI-driven marketing.

Discussing mistakes is vital—many assume industry veterans no longer err, but learning never stops. Sharing these experiences fosters junior confidence, enhances leadership, and propels industry evolution.

I believe a healthy team culture tolerates experimentation and accountability. Sophie highlights the need for clear testing frameworks, budget constraints, and openness. Teams claiming perfection often lack innovation.

The key takeaway? Regularly verify your campaign settings. Platforms evolve, defaults change, and assumptions can lead astray. Ensuring campaigns align with intentions prevents mishaps.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

December 12, 2025
Unlock Boosted Ad Performance with Google Merchant Videos
I’ve discovered that Google has quietly introduced a new feature in their Performance Max (PMax) campaigns, allowing advertisers like us to access video assets directly from the Merchant Center. This seemingly small adjustment is poised to make a significant impact on how we handle retail and e-commerce ads.

How it works. As part of this update, Google Ads now enables us to:
- Auto-surface product-associated videos directly from Merchant Center during the PMax setup process.
- Shorten creative workflows for our retail and e-commerce teams, saving us valuable time.
- Improve product-to-creative alignment, thereby enhancing ad relevance.
- Boost performance especially for those of us managing extensive SKU catalogs.
Why this matters. This update is a game-changer because it eliminates a key friction point within PMax: the challenge of integrating high-quality, product-relevant videos into our campaigns. By streamlining this process and pulling videos directly from the Merchant Center, Google is enhancing the connection between inventory and creative assets. This means higher ad relevance, greater engagement, and improved overall performance.

For brands like ours that have vast SKU inventories, this feature significantly accelerates the workflow and guarantees comprehensive video coverage — something we used to find challenging and resource-draining.

The bigger picture. It seems that Google is on a mission to expand PMax’s creative capabilities. From integrating social video imports to this new Merchant Center video feature, there’s a clear intention to make PMax more user-friendly for advertisers heavily involved in commerce.

First seen. This update caught my attention thanks to senior performance marketing executive, Rakshit Shetty, who shared his insights on LinkedIn.

The bottom line. Although it’s a subtle change, it’s undoubtedly a meaningful victory for brands operating at scale in the eCommerce space.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
December 12, 2025