Google’s Marketing Live event has come and gone but left us with several upcoming changes to the ad platform. All updates had a central theme of being responsible, being there, and being useful. So what does this mantra mean for your business? Google will continue to build on its targeted ads to ensure your ad reaches the perfect consumer at the perfect moment with the perfect offer, all while being aware of consumer privacy. While other platforms (*ahem Facebook*,   check out our breakdown of F8 conference ) are moving away from the scrollable timeline feed, Google is embracing and retooling Google’s Discover feed ads.

In 2017, Google released a new smart timeline feed within the mobile app that curated various forms of content by using an algorithm to understand what would be attractive to the consumer. A year later, the smart feed underwent a rebrand, and thus, the Google Discover feed was born. The new redesign spoke to Google’s goal of transparency by showing users why they saw that specific content based on previous interests. Fast forward to May 2019, and according to Google, now more than 800 million people use their Discover feed each month. This reach makes Google’s Discover feed the perfect platform to target consumers and introduce them to brands that are of interest to them. Brands will now have the opportunity to engage with consumers when they are most open to making a purchasing decision. While consumers peruse the YouTube home feed, swipe through Discover to catch up on the latest news or music, or check out exclusive offers in their Gmail Promotions tab, they will be receiving targeted ads curated for them.

With the latest on Google’s Discover feed – not to mention how much more exposure it’s likely to get once it lands on google.com mobile browsers – you may be wondering how to optimize your content for Google’s newest feature. SEO won’t be the same for Discover as it is for your everyday search results. Remember, there are no actual search queries here, meaning you can’t rely on search phrases and keywords to drive traffic and high rankings. And though we don’t know for sure how Google will select content for Discover, we can speculate that one prevalent search theme will remain the same: relevant content that matches user intent. So while the emphasis on keyword optimization won’t be as heavy, many of the same SEO principles will still apply.

Here are a few to keep in mind.

No change here: quality content is key to success – no matter where you want your content to show up.

That starts with a deep, granular understanding of your target audience, their pain points, and how you can address them through your content.

Because Google’s Discover feed is meant to mimic a social feed, it makes sense that you would optimize for it similarly.

So take a page out of Facebook’s (new, updated-algorithm) book; mainly, focus on building a reputable brand with engaging content.

We can expect Discover ads and campaigns to be released later this year. To get started advertisers will need to create a Discover campaign with copy and creative. An added perk of Google’s Discover feed ads is the swipe-able image carousel to best display your brand to consumers by using robust content. Think of using this swipe-able image carousel to showcase how to use or different uses for your product or services. Google will then optimize the best combinations of copy and creative by using machine learning to ensure your ROI. On top of that you can expect results with Google’s incredible reach by placing these in-feed native ads, not in just one place, but three ( the YouTube Homepage, Discover feed, and Promotions page within Gmail)!

But wait there’s more!

A more visually compelling search ad format. Similar to the swipe-able carousel format of discovery campaign, but hosted on the mobile search results page. Gallery ads will have between 4 and 8 photos that users can expand for a more in-depth view. Once the consumer views all of the images in the Gallery ad, a call to action will appear to visit the brand’s website. Google reported the initial testing of Gallery ads shows that ad groups including one or more gallery and have up to 25 percent more interactions—paid clicks or swipes

First introduced in 2017 as a way for retailers to reach consumers conducting a non-branded search — i.e., backpack instead of searching for a Herschel backpack. When showcase shopping ads, Google claims that 60 percent of queries are for these broad product-category searches. Google will now be releasing showcase shopping ads in Google Image results and the Discover Feed to catch consumers in the places where they are already turning to for inspiration and ideas.

Google will make mobile shopping easy by giving consumers the ability to compare products and purchase directly on Google, be redirected to the brand’s website, or be given the option to buy locally in a store. Users will have a personalized shopping page they can filter based on their interests. Currently, the new shopping experience will be available on Google’s main platform to roll this out to the Youtube homepage and Google Images later this year.

In a recent Google + Ipsos study, 76 percent of consumers enjoy making unexpected discoveries when shopping. To top that off 85 percent of consumers will take a product-related action within 24 hours of discovering a product: reading reviews, comparing prices, or purchasing the product — sometimes all at once! Brands taking advantage of Google’s new ad updates will have a higher chance of converting clicks into leads or sales. Are you as excited as we are about Google’s Discover feed ad Campaigns? If you’re not sure how to make them a part of your digital marketing strategy, let’s talk about it! Schedule your complimentary consultation or shoot us an email at hello@briteideamarketing.com