In 2018, Google Ads (formerly AdWords) is a robust tool for digital advertising, but it has limitations when it comes to managing campaigns across multiple search engines. It is restricted to the Google Search Network and its search partners, such as YouTube Search.
On the other hand, Search Ads 360 (formerly DoubleClick Search) offers powerful machine learning-driven reporting features that allow marketers to efficiently run campaigns. Its automated bidding capabilities further enhance campaign performance. Native integration with the Google Marketing Platform enables marketers to manage and track digital campaigns across a single platform, facilitating cross-channel buying, reporting, and attribution.
While Google Ads has advanced reporting features and Smart Bidding automation, these can only be applied at the ad group and campaign levels, not at the keyword level. In contrast, Search Ads 360 allows automated bid strategies to be set at the keyword level across different engine accounts, providing a more granular level of control.
Without Search Ads 360, managing ads and keywords across multiple search engines becomes cumbersome, and analyzing performance across different engines is challenging. The platform simplifies this process, saving time and reducing complexity, while also enabling better decision-making and increasing Return on Investment (ROI) for search marketing campaigns.
Campaign Management with Search Ads 360
Business Challenge: When a consumer enters a keyword in a search engine, various ads appear in the search results. What determines which ads appear and their ranking position?
Search Ads 360 Solution: Search Ads 360 campaigns allow you to traffic ads and keywords to supported search engines. The platform maps these ads and keywords to similar objects on the search engine via an API. When a consumer searches using one of these keywords, an ad from the campaign may appear in the search results.
Google Ads offers similar solutions, but they are limited to the Google Search Network and its partners.
Strategic Bid Optimization with Search Ads 360
Business Challenge: Manually setting bids for keywords, monitoring ad positions, and adjusting bids to meet profitability goals can be time-consuming and complex.
Search Ads 360 Solution: The platform simplifies keyword bidding through machine learning-driven bid strategies. These strategies automatically adjust bids based on predefined rules and key performance indicators (KPIs), removing the complexity from the process.
Google Ads provides less sophisticated bid strategies, which can only be applied at the campaign and ad group levels and are limited to Google’s network.
Agency Management with Search Ads 360
Search Ads 360 is designed to mirror the structure of advertising agencies, allowing for the management of multiple advertisers under a single agency network. Each advertiser can have its own group of engine accounts, campaigns, and users. Reports can be generated at the level of individual engine accounts, advertisers, or the entire agency network.
In contrast, Google Ads’ My Client Center offers similar management capabilities, but only within the Google ecosystem.
Integration and Data Exchange with Search Ads 360
Search Ads 360 connects directly with multiple search engines through APIs, enabling seamless data exchange. This allows for the automatic synchronization of campaign settings, keywords, and ads between Search Ads 360 and the search engines. Changes made in the search engines, such as Google Ads or Bing, can be imported and synchronized with Search Ads 360.
Google Ads, however, only connects to Google’s engine accounts, limiting cross-engine campaign management.
Performance Tracking with Search Ads 360
Search Ads 360 tracks performance metrics using URL redirection, a technique that records user interactions as they navigate from the search engine to the advertiser’s landing page. This process ensures that every click is tracked, and conversions are accurately reported.
The platform distinguishes between clicks (reported by search engines) and visits (recorded by Search Ads 360), with discrepancies arising from issues like unavailable landing pages. Conversions are tracked using Floodlight tags, which are part of the Google Marketing Platform and ensure consistent reporting across different channels.
Floodlight Tags and Conversion Tracking
Floodlight is the conversion tracking system used across the Google Marketing Platform, enabling the integration of conversion data from both display and search advertising. This prevents double-counting conversions in cross-channel campaigns, ensuring accurate reporting.
In Google Ads, conversion tracking is not as seamlessly integrated with other properties within the Google Marketing Platform, as its tags are specific to Google Ads.
Summary
The introduction of the Google Marketing Platform has unified several tools under one umbrella, with Search Ads 360 (formerly DoubleClick Search) being a key component. While Google Ads has been rebranded and its capabilities expanded, Search Ads 360 remains the more sophisticated tool for managing campaigns across multiple search engines, offering greater control, automation, and integration.
As Brad Bender, Vice President of Display and Video Advertising at Google, stated, “Google Marketing Platform brings together DoubleClick Digital Marketing and the Google Analytics 360 Suite to help you plan, buy, measure, and optimize digital media and customer experiences in one place.”
While Google Ads (formerly AdWords) serves as a robust tool for most advertising needs, Search Ads 360 is tailored for those who require a more comprehensive, cross-channel approach to digital marketing. As always, the effectiveness of these tools depends on the expertise of the campaign manager, so choose an experienced, data-driven agency like TMI to ensure your campaigns achieve the best possible results.
