TPE #88: The State of PPC 2024 Report (Top 8 Outtakes)
Apr 08, 2024Read time: 4 minutes
Happy Monday — Miles here!
PPCsurvey.com finally released the 2024 edition of the “State of PPC” Global Report.
It’s full of epic insights from our industry.
So in today’s issue of The PPC Edge, I’m gonna share my most important outtakes, and what you can learn from them.
Let’s dive right in!
What is “The State of PPC” Global Report?
This report is based on a survey of 1,135 PPC specialists and how they feel about their work, ad platforms, priorities, campaign types, budget expectations, generative AI, tooling, and much more.
It’s 60+ pages of incredibly valuable (and fun) insights about our fast-changing PPC industry.
I highly recommend you to read/skim through the report.
But in case you can’t be bothered, here are my top 8 outtakes:
- PPCers struggle with AI & Automation.
- Success is about managing client expectations.
- Nearly 50% of PPCers think managing campaigns got harder.
- Trust in platforms is at an all-time low.
- Multi-channel advertising seems challenging.
- Agency pricing models still vary a lot.
- Exact match is still wildly popular.
- Full-on Performance Max is more popular than I thought.
Bonus: Our communities are among the most popular!
1: PPCers struggle with AI & Automation.
Not surprisingly, lots of PPC Specialists struggle with the adoption of AI & Automation, and have listed it as their top priority for 2024.
This word cloud from the report is just fantastic:
Our beloved PPC industry is changing faster than ever so it’s no surprise to see “AI & Automation” on this list.
Lots of people wonder what the impact is on our work field, how our role will change, and if we will have a job in the future.
I’m here to tell you we will — but it may not be in the way you expect.
That’s why we’re hosting a live, free workshop next Thursday (April 11th, 14:30 - 16:00 CEST) titled “How to Future-Proof Yourself as a Google Ads Specialist and stay relevant in the Age of AI”.
So far 1600+ PPCers already registered, will you join us too? :)
This training is jam-packed with value, you don’t want to miss it:
- The simple 3-step framework that ensures you future-proof yourself, stay relevant and thrive in the Age of AI*(that has nothing to do with AI or the latest product updates)*.
- The roadmap for deeply mastering Google Ads (so you can confidently drive results).
- Why most Google Ads Specialists will become commodities (and what you need to do to prevent that).
- Why you must master the fundamentals (instead of chasing fancy-sounding advanced strategies).
- How to reposition yourself as a true business partner for your clients (instead of just a 'Google Ads button pusher').
- How to gain a competitive edge when everyone uses the same tech (and why this has nothing to do with how you use AI).
- Why the need for specialists is higher than ever (but not in the way you might expect).
- How we can help you dominate your competition for years to come.**
You can register here for free: https://www.ppcmastery.com/future
2: Success is about managing client expectations.
The survey asked PPCers about how they define success. While some answers revolved around the results (higher efficiency, more profit, and revenue growth), the most important definition is “meeting client expectations”.
I like this definition, because every client is different and has different expectations.
It all comes down to communication: NEVER launch a campaign without aligning on your clients’ goals, KPIs and expectations.
Your work becomes a lot easier and more fulfilling when you’re clear on those (and harder and more stressful when you’re not).
3: Nearly 50% of PPCers think managing campaigns got harder.
49% of PPC Specialists thinks managing campaigns got harder than two years ago (and only 16% thinks it got easier):
Here are the main reasons people listed:
Lots of people struggle with decreased control and insights (which are mostly caused by Performance Max).
Surprisingly though, AI, automation, pMax, and automated bidding are also among the reasons why 16% think it’s easier to manage campaigns now:
That’s an interesting statistic… The thing that makes Google Ads harder, is also the thing that makes it easier… A paradox, but I think most of us can relate.
That’s why we are here for you to help you navigate the black boxes of Google Ads, get more insights, and ultimately give you the tools you need to succeed in our fast-changing PPC industry!
4: Trust in platforms is at an all-time low.
This may not come as a complete shock: trust in ad platforms (especially Google Ads) is at an all-time low (54% have less faith in support from Google Ads, while only 16% have more trust).
31% have “about the same” level of trust — and I suppose for most of them trust was already low.
I know lots of Google Reps will be reading this email — do something about it guys.
5: Multi-channel advertising seems challenging.
Lots of PPCers are struggling with multi-channel advertising, mostly because of attribution, reporting, first-party data, syncing efforts, budget allocation, and time management.
Pro-tip: if you have a multi-channel advertising approach, you NEED a third-party (unbiased) attribution tool like Northbeam, TripleWhale, Rockerbox or Hyros.
It’s gonna significantly improve your life — especially on the attribution and reporting side of things!
6: Agency pricing models still vary a lot.
This is a topic I love to geek out on: agency pricing models. Based on the survey, it seems there are still a LOT of different pricing models — of which a flat fee based on spend and billable hours are the most popular.
There is no right or wrong pricing model — and you should use whatever works best for you, your agency, and your clients. But I’m surprised to see flat fee + percentage of spend is only used by 15% of respondents.
That’s my favorite pricing model because it gives you security (the flat fee), and a variable to grow alongside your client (percentage of spend).
Again: there are no right or wrongs here. Do whatever works best for you, your agency, and your clients!
7: Exact match is still wildly popular.
The survey also asked about specific Google Ads feature adoption. Turns out that Exact match keywords are still very popular (always used: 42%, often used: 33%, rarely/never used: only 8%).
Surprisingly Broad match keywords are rarely/never used by 30% of the respondents (that’s crazy).
Exact match keywords are the closest we can get to feeling in control, so I understand why they’re still so popular. But in recent years, Google has made big changes to how Exact match keywords match to search terms, effectively making them closer to Phrase match…
Are you still using a lot of Exact match keywords? That’s cool. I’m not here to say you shouldn’t. But please check your search term reports frequently and check if the matched search terms still make sense. You’ll be surprised how broad these can go sometimes…
Bonus: Our communities are among the most popular!
Our Discord community is ranked as the 2nd most popular PPC community in the world 🤯.
(And we're only a few % away from r/PPC on Reddit which has been around for yeaaars).
ABSOLUTELY INSANE.
It’s also cool to see The PPC Hub among the most popular communities in the world, even though it was only 6 months old when the data for the survey was collected.
When I launched "Miles' PPC Hub" on Discord in June 2022, I never thought this is where it would end up.
It feels like we've only just begun...
But this shows we're on the right path.
We're almost at 10.000 members!
We have something big planned for our Discord community in June: a (free) multi-day event that’s gonna 10X the value we’ve already provided.
But more on that later. :)
Our goal is to build world's greatest community for Google Ads Specialists…
And I feel like we’ve done a good job so far. But we couldn’t have done it without YOU!
So thank you for always supporting us and being on this epic journey with us 💜.
That’s it — don’t forget to read the report!
If you want, you can grab the entire report at ppcsurvey.com.
Use it find find out where you stand compared to your industry peers.
Kudos to the team at PPC Survey for delivering such a great and valuable database of insights.
That’s all for today — thanks for reading and catch you next week!
Cheers,
Miles (& Bob)
p.s. Don’t forget: we have an EPIC free workshop coming up this Thursday about how to future-proof yourself as a Google Ads Specialist in the Age of AI (by becoming a T-Shaped Google Ads Specialist).
You can register here for free: https://www.ppcmastery.com/future
