The Most Significant Google AdWords Updates of 2016
Google is constantly refining its ranking algorithm to deliver more relevant results.
If the quality of the results started to suffer with spammy or low quality pages, users would turn to alternative search engines. In fact, Google is said to make hundreds of changes to its algorithm each year. There is also the occasional update that has major impacts on the search results.
An example of several major updates over the last few years include:
- Panda: This update penalises sites with thin or low quality content while pushing rankings higher for more authoritative sites. Panda is now part of the core algorithm.
- Penguin: The Penguin update was released to combat sites engaged in manipulative tactics to increase their rankings such as participating in link schemes. This update is also part of the core algorithm and processes in real-time.
- Mobile friendly update: Recognizing the increase in mobile usage, Google rolled out an update last year that made mobile friendliness a ranking factor.
So why are these updates important?
Because just as Google is constantly changing its ranking algorithm, the same is also true for AdWords.
New changes are routinely being tested but several are now permanent. Which means that advertisers must adapt or they risk potentially losing a competitive advantage, like not taking full advantage of new features.
With that said, the following looks at some of the most significant changes to Google AdWords in 2016.
Removal of the Right-Side Ads
Perhaps the biggest changes that Google made is with the removal of the right-side ads on the desktop search results. Now ads are displayed at the top and bottom of the page. Extra space was also added above the organic search results to display more ads.
Here is Google’s official statement on the removal of the side ads:
“We’ve been testing this layout for a long time, so some people might see it on a very small number of commercial queries. We’ll continue to make tweaks, but this is designed for highly commercial queries where the layout is able to provide more relevant results for people searching and better performance for advertisers.”
The changes affect all desktop searches worldwide. Here is an example of what the search results look like with the new update:
The search interface now looks much cleaner.
The new changes were primarily made to drive more ad revenue and to make the layout more in line with the mobile search results. But it also benefits advertisers as it means more space for ad extensions (e.g. sitelinks, call extensions, etc.) and an opportunity to attract more clicks.
One downside though for those involved in SEO is that the organic results are farther down the page. Even if you were in the first position for your keywords, traffic could take a hit. This is why advertising on AdWords for keywords relevant to your business is a good idea.
