Google I/O 2017

Google recently held their annual keynote to discuss the new products, platforms, and updates they have in the works. The highlights of the presentation focused on AdWords, Analytics, and DoubleClicks.

As with years past, the speakers hit on the importance of mobile and therefore the mobile user experience. Citing statistics such as “87% of smartphone owners use mobile search first,” they emphasized that consumers are looking for frictionless mobile experiences. With that in mind, they announced a new beta for Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) for AdWords. This will allow advertisers to use AMP landings pages with their ads, ensuring fast load times on mobile devices. They are also increasing loading-speed for ads served across the Display Network.

Mobile Purchasing

As more consumers begin their purchasing process on mobile devices, the ability to track store visits is becoming ever more crucial. Last year Google tracked 5 billion store visits, and they are rolling out new tools to make this information more robust. Advertisers will soon be able to import transaction data into AdWords, and a Google partnership with third-party vendors will allow advertisers to receive store sales data.

They also announced updates to their audiences, with new audience segments and broader reach across channels. They are seeking to improve the quality of their audience segments by connecting data across different platforms and devices. Google is also launching new audiences based on consumer patterns and life events, to be utilized with YouTube. These audiences will also take culture and location into consideration, as different populations and countries celebrate different milestones in life. The search network is getting some updates as well, as now in-market audiences will available with search ads.

New Google Advertising Tools

Google also unveiled several new tools to allow advertisers to fully understand their marketing results, and get the most out of their marketing efforts. Google Attribution will measure the impact of marketing across all touch-points, across multiple channels and devices. Surveys 360 will allow advertisers to send surveys to people who have clicked on their ads, to get more information on why they clicked, which can then be utilized to improve user experience. Finally, Google Optimize is a tool that will allow advertisers to run quick and easy A/B tests to determine which website changes are most beneficial to them and their consumers. 

Taken as a whole, Google appears to be creating tools to help advertisers better serve their customers, giving them the ability to create the best user experience possible.