How COVID-19 is Impacting Google Ads Results

COVID-19 pandemic has sent economies spinning globally. With lockdown and social distancing prevalent in most countries, life has come to a complete standstill. Businesses are forced to shut down temporarily. Schools, colleges, and shopping malls are closed till time unknown. Retail outlets under the “emergency” category are experiencing minimalist footfalls.

 

The effects of lockdown on businesses are significant. Amid this pandemic, consumer buying behavior is changing rapidly. People are spending more time at home, buying only emergency products & services that can help battle the crisis. Store visits are nearly zero. As such, companies are also considered restructuring their operations, taking their businesses online.

 

As COVID-19 takes a worse shape, consumers are turning to online search to get answers for their “new” needs. This new search trend facilitates lucrative opportunities for some businesses, driving new audiences. For others, the impact isn’t impressive and they need to shift their focus. Advertisers are rethinking their AdWords PPC strategies as Google Search ad impressions begin to slow at the rate of 7% below average.

 

In this blog, we will see how some businesses are affected by a coronavirus, impacting overall Google Ads results. We will also discuss some effective PPC strategies that can help cope up with this crisis.

 

Impact of COVID-19 on Google Ads Results & Ad Spends

 

Global events as havoc as this often offset PPC performance. What’s surprising is how searchers are behaving on SERPs. Their outlook towards search engine advertising has changed radically. We are seeing searchers looking for something completely different. Their primary search element on Google is COVID-19 and therefore, most PPC ads might seem irrelevant to their search intent. Even if they click, they might bounce back due to lack of coronavirus-related information or maybe apprehensive about converting the same day.

 

As a result, Google Search ad clicks have slowed down and so are the conversion rates. COVID-19 is affecting USA business majorly and their Google Ads results have dropped by 21% on average.

Source: WordStream

Google and Facebook are also predicted to lose over $44 billion in global ad revenue as an impact of COVID-19. Google’s total net revenue from ads is now estimated to be around $127.5 billion for 2020 – an 18% decline over what Cowen & Co estimated earlier this year.

 

As Google Ads – the largest PPC advertising network – is witnessing a modest dip, 69% of brands are expected to reduce their ad spend this year. Presumably, most of these brands belong to regions in lockdown and have stopped their PPC ad campaigns for products they are unable to sell amid coronavirus pandemic. 65% of businesses have also reported a decrease in revenue following COVID-19.

 

Google Ads Results across Different Industries following COVID-19

 

During this pandemic, some businesses have come to a standstill while others are seeing an increase across all PPC metrics. This is influenced by consumer’s changing interests and buying behavior at this time. As people are locked down at home, the demand for essential items – including healthcare – has increased considerably. As such, Google Ads performance across these segments has shown a significant surge.

 

According to a study by WordStream, certain industries where PPC ad spends are generating great returns are:

 

• Healthcare & medical
• Non-profits and charitable institutions
• Beauty & personal care
• Business management
• Finance
• On-demand media or live streaming entertainment

 

As clicks, impressions, and ROI are experiencing a boost across these sectors, advertisers are considering increasing their ad spends. They are investing in hiring professional AdWords experts to reshape their PPC strategies and generate more revenues in this crisis.

 

On the other hand, there are many businesses affected by COVID-19. This is particularly due to the effect of lockdown and social distancing, resulting in immobility. The travel & tourism sector is the worst hit, and so are food & entertainment, real estate, auto, and other sectors. Below are the industries that are badly affected by coronavirus:

 

• Automotive
• Real estate
• Retail
• Home furniture & home improvement
• Legal services
• Education and jobs
• Live entertainment
• Travel & tourism
• Sports and fitness
• Manufacturing and industrial

 

While it may take some time for these industries to revive, they should consider revising their PPC strategy and make them more relevant to the current situation. Hiring a Google Ad expert might seem a luxury for most businesses, especially when they are planning to cut down their ad spends by 50% or put a complete stop to it. But only an expert in PPC can devise strategies that are well-aligned with the pandemic condition and can deliver measurable results.

 

Visual Capitalist gathered data from Stackline, Amazon, CNBC, Business Insider, and Euro News to list the “Top 10 fastest growing e-commerce product categories” and “Top 10 fastest declining e-commerce product categories.”

Source: Visual Capitalist

The infographic indicates how COVID-19 is reshaping consumer buying behavior online. This calls for expert PPC service to battle the current crisis effectively.

 

Google AdWords PPC Strategies to Survive COVID-19

 

Want to battle the COVID-19 pandemic with definitive PPC strategies? Experts in Google AdWords suggest the following tips to optimize your PPC campaigns and get more conversions:

 

• Start with a comprehensive audit of your existing PPC campaigns. Measure the impact of coronavirus using Google Analytics or other cutting-edge tools like Optmyzer’s Google Ads Script, Google Performance Planner, or Tinuiti COVID-19 Performance Dashboard.
• Perform thorough keyword research to identify the most relevant search terms that align with the coronavirus situation. Integrate these in your ad copy and landing pages.
• Your expert in AdWords may leverage location-based targeting. This enables you to target your ad to specific regions where you can sell even amidst COVID-19 situation.
• Incorporate negative keywords into the ad copy to prevent irrelevant searchers from clicking your advert.
• Diversify your PPC campaigns. Do not depend solely on Google Ads as any drop in conversion rates due to COVID-19 can affect your marketing initiatives. Invest in PPC campaigns on other lucrative platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, etc. – any network that is experiencing a boom in this crisis.

 

Conclusion

 

Despite the setback, Google Ads is fast catching-up as more advertisers are considering spending in PPC. The ad rates are lower; competition is less. This is the best time to leverage expert PPC marketing service and fight the COVID-19 situation to get modest results. An Adword specialist will analyze where your business stands amid COVID-19 and devise strategies that can help overcome the crisis.

It is the best time to put into practice expert Adwords PPC tactics and battle the effects of coronavirus on your business. So get started with hiring an Adwords optimization expert today.