PPC, or pay-per-click advertising, is an important pillar in a complete online marketing strategy. As with everything in this sphere, PPC is constantly changing. Today, we’re going to look at the big trends this year in PPC and talk about how to position your store to take advantage.

1. Proactive analysis is king.

Because the pandemic was unprecedented, the market ended up playing catch up for the duration. Businesses had to cope with differing regulations, guidelines, and customer demands, as well as often contradictory or vague directives from state and federal authorities. A lot of businesses suffered simply because they were perpetually behind the curve. While it would be difficult to foresee everything that happened, key indicators often did give a broad strokes outline of what to expect. When planning your PPC buy, make liberal use of the ad preview tool and Google’s auction insights. Look how the market is changing in the short and long term and plan accordingly.

2. Privacy is the expectation.

Third party cookies are a thing of the past. Google has promised that their FLoC program will deliver almost the same results, and if you want more information on that, we have it in our extensive archives. The quick version is this: consumers want privacy, and embracing that desire is good for business. Collect the bare minimum of information that you need for your leads and be up front with your customers about what it’s for.

Look how the market is changing in the short and long term and plan accordingly.

3. Keep lines of communication open.

To help stay ahead of the market, every available line of communication needs to stay open, from stakeholders to employees. Keep everyone updated on your business, and you will have a number of new sources of information.

4. Automation is the single biggest trend.

As automation grows more reliable and cost-effective, its adoption has increased across industries. Your marketing department should be using it whenever possible for your PPC buys to save you time and money.

5. Online habits are staying the same

Most consumers say they will continue the online purchasing habits they adopted during the pandemic. The convenience has become too attractive to ignore. For PPC buys, this means that online marketing is more powerful than ever before, but the funnel from first visit to lead is no longer as linear or predictable.

Keep an eye on these trends, and remember that the market is in a constant state of flux. Keep your eyes on the road, high enough to see the curve ahead of time. If you’re already a Happy Hao Car client, have no fear. We’re always tracking these and other trends in our commitment to providing the best level of service that we can.

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Author Justin Robinson-Prickett

Justin Robinsion-Prickett is a content writer from Los Angeles with over a decade of experience in the auto industry under his belt. When not working, he enjoys fencing, re-editing dialogue in old movies to remove articles, and playing with his two dogs James Westphal and Dr. Kenneth Noisewater.

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