Julie F Bacchini, hosted this week’s PPCChat session about ad platforms. PPCers discussed about what they wished to changed on these platforms namely, Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Twitter Ads etc.
Here is the screencap of the session:
Q1: What do you wish Google Ads would change about the platform?
1. Absolutely HATING the changes to the navigation for account lists. More clicking, extremely slow to respond. 2. For Smart Bidding, why isn’t the setting and the results connected, so I can see results and make the change. 3. STOP with the freaking recommendations. 4. Stop with the hiding settings that give the advantage to Google (Display opting in for a Search campaign; opting out of mobile apps). – @nikkijumpfly
And lastly – make match types work again. The shit I see matching to exact match is just awful. It would be one thing if they converted. It’s another to be such wasteful spend. Makes me sick to my stomach sometimes. – @nikkijumpfly
A – Not hide opt in stuff B – have a beta opt in list that you can automatically apply for C – placement/Youtube research for display D – Better projection modeling. Most important: We have to have more levers and visibility in Smart campaign. Not letting us see anything for shopping is egregious. Also RSAs… you can’t give us more details other than impressions for combinations? That’s not cool – @360vardi
The trademark algorithm. We keep getting tripped up by “Nationwide Coverage” for a phone carrier and have to appeal or change the wording. – @AllisonMiriani
The BHAG for me is just to burn down GDN and YouTube to move towards something that works for everyone in the ecosystem. Short of that, identifying languages of content would be a nice start. – @ferkungamaboobo
Fire all the overseas account reps whose only job is to trick business owners into BS automated strategies. Stop intentionally making it hard to not waste money on the platform (no longer easy to exclude apps), phrase match is essentially worthless, etc. – @RobIannone
Not going to be around too much for all of this as I have lots to do, but I would LOVE for them to not jamming garbage traffic down our throats by removing options to opt out of things. – @CJSlattery
recommendations being more about improving CTR/CVR not just increase spend Still don’t like the navigations system. I find that sometime when I click the Campaign types option – the screen is still blacked out. so i’m not sure whether it has been selected. – @mindswanppc
My pie in the sky wish would be for match types to be like they once were. Let me exclude, for real, app traffic. Allow more than 10,000 exclusions on GDN. Stop with the recomendations. Provide real, actual support for all advertisers. We are spending money, we deserve decent support. In addition to lack of quality, it takes forever to get answers on seemingly simple stuff. – @NeptuneMoon
Lifetime budgets on search would be cute. video extensions would be cute. a better UI that doesn’t have hidden fields, or two vertical menus. just you know, make it easier. I wouldn’t hate if we had a toggle for app traffic. I use it a lot on certain campaigns, and none at all on others. – @JuliaVyse
App traffic toggle please! If the asset performance in app and local campaigns could be a bit more than just ‘good’ or ‘low’ like what do I do with that? – @JuliaVyse
The automated disapprovals are over the top sometimes. The UI is one of the slowest UIs I have ever had to work with. I am also getting tired of the recommendations that make zero sense. Oh and can you make support actual support instead of “inside sales” – @lchasse
Would love to be able to see all the data (search queries for smart shopping). And an easier way to get rid of junk mobile app traffic – @selley2134
So many good points here. Yes to tighter KW matching. Recommendations are everywhere (even Editor) and it’s a little ridiculous. App traffic needs to be controllable. The interface is difficult to navigate. The lack of reporting on smart/responsive stuff is crazy. – @robert_brady
The list is bottomless. It feels like they keep taking more and more away from me. – @JonKagan
being able to easily review and exclude YouTube placements per category (kids channels, etc) – @leo_pinon09
Q2: What do you wish Facebook & Instagram would change about the platform?
Would love to be able to talk to a person at Facebook. They used to have great support but if you don’t have an agency rep, good luck – @selley2134
FB/IG needs some kind of offline bulk editor. Desperately! – @robert_brady
Is it too much to say have a platform that does not go down so much? Create an MCC type of account. Make getting/granting access way easier. Let you actually save a draft of something. Offline editor. Easy way to monitor ad comments. I could go on. – @NeptuneMoon
Actual support for advertisers. At least via Messenger like they used to? That was decent. It is sad when you get significantly better customer service from your cable company than a platform where you are a paying customer! – @NeptuneMoon
send notifications when their system is sensing ad fatigue and time to change ads B – it’s gotta be easier setting up business managers C – having an MCC business profile that is not attached to personal profiles. Not take 24 hours to review every single thing, have better automated rules, ability to export report automatically to a Google sheet or something like – @360vardi
I will say support for both platforms. Google just needs to go back to what they used to have and FB needs to actually build in support. We spend millions each year as advertisers and deserve actual support channels. – @lchasse
a more intuitive/easier to navigate platform – @JonKagan
everything. – @JuliaVyse
it should be way easier to give or get access to a new client! – @leo_pinon09
Q3: What do you wish Microsoft Ads would change about the platform?
1. Match types; 2. Stop with the sideways scrolling on the new UI (let me adjust column sizes); 3. More volume (that’s actually good volume, not poor syndicated partners). – @nikkijumpfly
Do literally one thing differently than Google. Do something that can’t be imported. Do something to justify me splitting off that 10% or 20% of budget, vs just “well 10-20% of searches are there.” Gimme something cool with audience ads? – @ferkungamaboobo
Shopping. Their shopping platform is terrible and their only advice for why we cant get up to 10% IS is, “put $10 bids on everything but it shouldnt spend that much”. Let me target Linkedin Audiences on search. Actually target, not just increase bids – @selley2134
small dreams: I wish it has a Bing-only, not a yahoo/msn/tumblr/scrawlsonbathroommirrors default. – @JuliaVyse
QUIT DOING EVERYTHING GOOGLE DOES! – @JonKagan
is it vain to say – update the colours? It has such a boring layout, it hurts my eyes navigating through it. And navigation of the menu is a pain as well. – @mindswanppc
Stop following Google and be your own platform? If that is a legitimate answer. Microsoft does support so much better than Google and my guess is they could make a better ads platform than Google if they just tried. – @lchasse
Integrate all of that sweet, sweet LinkedIn data already. – @NeptuneMoon
Be your own platform. Create your own value instead of being the imported shadow of Google. Also update your interface. – @jord_stark
So much this. Integrating LinkedIn fully with Bing gives you the holy grail of search intent PLUS audience characteristics. Google created Google+ to get this type of synergy and failed miserably. Microsoft has all the ingredients already. – @robert_brady
A- Shopping needs to be better B – their “close variance” needs to be fixed C – Improve visibility into RSAs performance D – you need to let us see queries for DSA without the need to download a report E – ability to segment data in channel more than 1 level – @360vardi
I’d like to see more graphs to visualize things faster (age, ad schedule, geography, etc). I feel like I’m looking at too many different tables on MS Ads vs. Google – @leo_pinon09
Q4: What do you wish LinkedIn Ads would change about the platform?
Have a true ad duplication function – not this nonsense where it is connected to the original ad. I spend so much time creating each ad so I can have the tagging I need. CHANGE HISTORY. Seriously, how does it not have this?????? – @NeptuneMoon
Absolutely EVERYTHING. dislike the platform so much. They need to move to @MSFTAdvertising ASAP – @360vardi
have an MCC! some kind of agency manager. and make it a bit harder for rando’s to run ads using any old brand page. it’s very lax – @JuliaVyse
Better access Better interface in general. I feel like creating campaigns in LinkedIn is just painful in general and I can’t put my finger on the reason why. – @jord_stark
Just move linkedin advertising to Microsoft Advertising, so we can have our MCC and the tools we need. – @lchasse
have an outward network, off LinkedIn – @JonKagan
I want to remove page associations. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I want to run an in-stream ad without a page, like you can with the wasteful standard ads – @nateknox
Q5: What do you wish Twitter Ads would change about the platform?
let me target by followers-of. just lemme!!!! – @JuliaVyse
The targeting is SO rudimentary. Also, stop reverting to “Last 7 Days” every time I switch screens. – @NeptuneMoon
They should build their own mobile app conversion tracking solution similar to Firebase or Facebook SDK so advertisers don’t have to pay third-parties – @leo_pinon09
omg. Burn it down and start over. It’s godawful from top to bottom. – @Mel66
find a way to monetize all feeds (ie political ones, where DAU’s spend all their time) – @JonKagan
Q6: What do you wish Pinterest, Quora or Snapchat Ads would change about their platforms?
These are newer, smaller interfaces, so my dream is the same for them all: make it simpler for an agency to get a business account set up. Pinterest is fully bizarre with the biz/personal profile, then shared with…just make it work. Snap makes it so hard I can’t get clients to test it because it’s such a chore – easier to test something else. offer support or make it easier. – @JuliaVyse
Quora, lots of talk on the good vs silly questions on the site. Can you make a filter please so it doesn’t look like we’re just pitching reddit2.0? – @JuliaVyse
Here’s really what I wish: 1 place to manage all these platforms and see performance whenever I want. – @360vardi
Does Pinterest still have to do stuff for you or can you just do everything? That was frustrating and weird. – @NeptuneMoon
Fan of pinterest, but it has a stunted demo and it isnt an evergreen platform. I need a way to not lose users for 6-12 months between life events. – @JonKagan
In particular for smaller sites like Quora, justify your existence. Why would I run ads on that? Who’s actually using that site? How do I truthfully answer the “wtf is this” question from clients? – @ferkungamaboobo
Q7: Any other platforms you are using that you have a wish list for? Or something you forgot for the ones we have already discussed?
I wish tiktok would stop calling me and my clients. you’re messy right now. I know the kids like you. they don’t have any money, and your existence is precarious. get settled and wait for me to call you! Spotify could get much better on frequency control. like a LOT better. – @JuliaVyse
heavy user of GA and SA360. I with there was a purer integration for both, into all platforms and not just Google (because I am selfish) – @JonKagan
I’m late to the party #ppcchat but I’ll underline what folks said on LinkedIn/MSFT. They have all the ingredients; they’re tantalizingly close to having a killer ad platform. Think many of us want to see them pull it off. – @heyglenns
For Capterra listings, they really need to report on impressions and CTR, it is such a black box right now – @leo_pinon09
Direct placements: I know there’s not much “there” there, but gimme more than just “yup we spent your money, here’s how many impressions it was!” Hulu: Honestly, you’re big enough, gimme a dashboard to work in Sponsorship networks: please, stop looking like a scam – @ferkungamaboobo
PPCChat Participants:
- Julie F Bacchini – @NeptuneMoon
- Jon Kagan – @JonKagan
- Nikki Kuhlman – @nikkijumpfly
- Doug R Thomas, Esq. – @ferkungamaboobo
- Shaun Elley – @selley2134
- Julia Vyse – @JuliaVyse
- Allison Miriani – @AllisonMiriani
- Melissa Mackey – @Mel66
- Daniel Vardi – @360vardi
- Jordan Stark – @jord_stark
- Anu of Mindswan – @mindswanppc
- Robert Brady – – @robert_brady
- lchasse – @lchasse
- Leo Pinnon – @leo_pinon09
- Collin Slattery – @CJSlattery
- Glenn Schmelzle – @heyglenns
- Rob Iannone – @RobIannone
- Nate Knox – @nateknox
Related Links:
Stop the wasted ad spend. Get more conversions from the same ad budget.
Our customers save over $16 Million per year on Google and Amazon Ads.