Google Ads tackle lead generation with latest updates

It’s been a busy few weeks for Google, with not one but two rounds of updates and products being announced recently.

It doesn’t stop there, though; earlier this week we were one of just ten EMEA agencies invited to learn about more new products which are aimed at improving lead generation.

In this blog, we will run through the releases and how these updates can benefit your lead gen campaigns.

Lead Form Extensions

Lead Form Extensions have been in beta mode for a while and are being officially released and rolled out across Search, YouTube and Discovery ad units, with Display launching later this year.

Lead Form Extensions appear as forms directly within adverts, with the user’s details automatically filled in for a frictionless form complete (as long as they are signed in on Google properties). The form can be customised, making it easy to collect relevant details for your campaign; this ability to customise options also means it can be used for multiple types of leads, whether B2B or B2C.

This type of ad already exists for Facebook and typically performs well, so we expect them to be a powerful tool in improving lead generation campaigns across the Google networks.

Offline conversion tracking

Google’s Offline Conversion Tracking feature allows marketers to track a user beyond the initial form fill; as the person progresses down the sales funnel, information is fed back to Google Ads so that we can see what plays into the customer journey and use this insight to optimise campaigns.

This update means that Google’s unique click identifier (GCLID) is no longer needed to match up offline data with ad campaigns, which should make it easier to manage offline conversion tracking without input from a technical team.

Offline conversion tracking is an essential aspect of lead generation campaigns. While there are more advanced ways of offline conversion tracking which look at all leads (not just Google Ads leads), for example via Google Analytics or Search Ads 360, this is a much simpler solution, and therefore more easily accessible to advertisers who have previously been put off from tracking offline conversions.

Customer Match improvements

Google Ads’ Customer Match feature allows advertisers to find existing customers on Google’s networks  who can then be targeted or excluded in ad campaigns.

There are many reasons to use this feature; targeting customers who have had their data collected offline, excluding existing customers from campaigns aimed at reaching new customers, promoting discounts to existing customers, and more. Targeting or excluding certain customers can help to improve the performance of campaigns when used appropriately.

The latest update to this feature uses a traffic light system to highlight how good your match rate is, and how this compares to other advertisers. Google will also provide recommendations on how to improve the match rates.

While this is a fairly small update, it’s great to see Google proactively tackling this issue, as some advertisers do struggle with low match rates. Customer Match can be a powerful tool in lead generation campaigns; improving the match rate will improve the quality of leads.

Zapier integration

This is a brand-new release that means Google Ads users will be able to use Zapier for easy integration of their CRM and Google Ads data. By making data integration simpler, this update means there is less of a technical barrier for advertisers wanting to use many Google Ads features, including these latest releases.

Having easier access to data integration will mean that advertisers with limited technical resource or knowledge are able to make better use of their data and optimise their campaigns for better performance.

It is clear that Google is serious about improving the accessibility of many Google Ads features, making it much easier for advertisers to improve lead generation campaigns no matter their technical knowledge. We expect these updates to improve campaign performance for many brands as it allows for a more data-driven approach to lead generation.