Mastering Search Ads 360: The Ultimate Guide

In the ever-evolving world of online marketing, having the right tools is key to success. But, with so many options available, it can be daunting to choose the best fit for your company. Choosing the wrong tool can lead to inefficiencies and missed opportunities.

That’s why this article will provide an in-depth analysis of Search Ads 360 (SA360), a highly sought-after tool within the Google Marketing Platform. In this guide, we’ll explain what SA360 is, how it differs from Google Ads, and most importantly, how it can benefit your business. 

So, what is Search Ads 360?

Search Ads 360, originally known as DoubleClick Search, is a powerful platform for managing search campaigns. It is designed to save advertisers time, simplify tasks, enhance transparency and facilitate informed decisions. The platform acts as a centralized interface to manage campaigns across leading search engines such as Google and Bing, as well as across social media channels.

With one simple login, advertisers can efficiently manage their campaigns on multiple platforms. As a result, Search Ads 360 is a popular choice for companies with complex account setups or those with diverse channel strategies.

For businesses who typically reply on outsourcing their digital marketing, it’s recommended to liaise with your Google Ads agency to determine if they can assist with running campaigns through Search Ads 360. 

SA360 vs. Google Ads: Understanding the Key Differences

Wondering about the differences between SA360 and Google Ads? It ultimately comes down to the engines and channels you can access. While Google Ads only covers the Google Search Network and its partners, SA360 allows for campaigns across multiple search engines. Additionally, SA360’s central interface enables effective management and reporting across multiple channels, making it a more robust tool overall.

The Benefits of Search Ads 360 (SA360)

1. Simplified reports

With Search Ads 360, generating impactful reports has never been easier for advertisers. The platform’s Executive Reports merge data from Google Ads, Analytics, and Floodlight, presenting it in effortless charts and tables.

These reports eliminate the need to individually track revenue and cost data from Bing/Microsoft Advertising and Google, enabling advertisers to calculate overall ROAS with ease. Plus, you can even schedule your reports to be delivered to your inbox on a regular basis, streamlining your reporting process.

2. Bidding strategies

Search Ads 360 offers an advanced bidding algorithm that can be utilized across different accounts and engines. With this feature, you can:

• Create customized Floodlight tags based on historical performance
• Conduct A/B testing of bid strategies to maximize potential
• Adjust bids for specific targets such as conversions, revenue, position, or clicks
• Access recommendations for bid adjustments based on location, device, or remarketing
• Optimize performance by using Google Ads traffic for Microsoft Ads

Overall, Search Ads 360’s bidding capabilities streamline the manual workload and offers tailored steering options to help advertisers meet their specific performance objectives.

3. Streamlined campaign and advert creation

Automated ad builders simplify the creation and management of large search campaigns, eliminating the need for complex spreadsheets. This feature is easily accessible via the interface, making it a powerful tool for ad copy creation in bulk using business data and feeds as input. 

Combining with “Inventory Management” and smec’s Search Ad Automation, advertisers can scale campaign creation while maintaining ad quality. Advertisers can display current information on prices or availability in ads and bid only on keywords that are in stock.

4. Customize reports with columns and filters

Elevate your data analysis game with custom columns. Advertisers can easily set up formulas to manipulate data and meet their unique needs. Summing up conversions and weighing them or incorporating margins while calculating revenue is just the beginning. Take advantage of a comprehensive list of functions that help you build reports that truly reflect your business insights.

Filters and views are additional tools to help you focus your reports and tap into specific key performance indicators. Sharing these insights across departments ensures optimization efforts that are tailored to all levels of your organization, from entry-level to top-level management. Personalize your reports and elevate your organization’s decision-making today.

Parting thoughts

While Google Ads is a popular advertising tool for businesses, Search Ads 360 could potentially yield greater results for certain advertisers. This platform is ideal for larger companies targeting multiple search engines and ad channels.

It allows for more customization in campaigns and reports, while still utilizing advanced bidding technology. Ultimately, the choice of which platform to use is up to the individual business.