The worldwide gathering of death-defying humans, commonly known as the Winter Olympics, is almost over. And while the world watches the games in PyeongChang, Google is rolling out updates faster than a triple axel. Google’s 2018 games, it seems, have only begun.
Here are 3 recent Google developments that promise to make an impact in home improvement. Keep an eye on them now and you’ll have solid footing when the competition heats up.
What’s Out: Review Extensions
Google recently axed review extensions, an AdWords feature that would show a brief customer review within the ad itself. They phased out the feature due to low performance.
While this sounds like a loss, it’s not. This move is an equalizer – generally only the largest home improvement retail operations has this extension. This means less clicks for them and more for you. Now, you can leverage Google’s other ad extensions (callouts, structured snippets, etc.) to outperform them and bring in more leads.
What’s In: Google Lens
Google Lens is a free app that allows you to identify things around you with your smartphone camera. To use it, you point your camera at something (a landmark, a business card, etc.) and tap on the screen. Google then brings up information about what you’ve tapped on. Sort of like a real-time encyclopedia.
As the technology progresses, home improvement companies could use this as a canvassing tool. Gathering information about a home’s age, exterior materials and dimensions would be simple. Using the latest technology, you can approach these homeowners about their need for home improvement.
What’s Getting Better: Image Ads
For years, advertisers have wanted to include images in their AdWords copy. As it stands now, you can upload images in your display network ads (the ads that appear on websites you frequent). However, it seems Google is also testing images in search ads (ads on the search results page).
This is a huge opportunity for home improvement companies to learn more about their audiences. You can test different images and see which ones generate profitable leads. This is still testing, but worth watching.
Who Will Take Home the Gold?
Making the most out of Google requires practice and patience. While the winter athletes are aware of the treacherousness of snow and ice, they know that it can propel them to victory. Sometimes literally.
Google makes changes, it’s time to compete. You can adapt to the conditions and go for the gold. Let the games begin.
