The Google Performance Summit on 24th May 2016 was a landmark event for advertisers and marketers worldwide. If you are not familiar with the summit, it is Google’s annual showcase where the company unveils upcoming AdWords updates, product innovations, and key research insights.
As expected, Google announced major changes to AdWords and paid search advertising—changes that will reshape how businesses manage campaigns across desktop, mobile, and tablet devices. Below is a summary of the most important updates shared during the summit.
Device-Level Bidding: Mobile-First Approach
With more than half of Google’s trillion searches now happening on mobile devices, it’s no surprise that Google is shifting towards mobile-first advertising. Soon, advertisers will be able to set device-level bidding in AdWords.
Previously, bids were tied closely to desktop performance, limiting flexibility. Moving forward, advertisers can set a base bid for one device (desktop, tablet, or mobile) and then apply separate bid adjustments for other devices. These adjustments will range from –100% to +900%, giving advertisers more control to optimise their campaigns for each platform.
This change is designed to help businesses allocate budgets more effectively and improve ROI by reaching customers on the device they use most.
Expanded Text Ads for All Devices
Earlier in 2016, Google removed right-hand side ads on desktop to enhance user experience. Building on this, Google announced that Expanded Text Ads (ETAs) will soon roll out across desktop, tablet, and mobile.
This means advertisers will have more space to showcase their message. The key changes include:
- Longer headlines
- Additional characters in description lines
- Improved formatting for higher visibility on all devices
These expanded ads are designed to capture more attention, deliver higher click-through rates (CTR), and align with today’s mobile-first browsing behaviour.
The Google Performance Summit 2016 confirmed that the future of advertising is mobile-first, with greater flexibility in bidding and improved ad formats. Advertisers should start preparing their campaigns to take advantage of device-level bidding and expanded text ads to stay ahead of the competition.