Google will retire the Target Search Page Location and Target Outranking Share automated bidding strategies at the end of next month. Instead, advertisers will be encouraged to use Target Impression Share, which encompasses impression share for certain page position targets.
When is the changing happening? The strategies will no longer be available for new campaigns starting in late June. At some point later this year, any existing campaigns still using them will get migrated to the Target Impression Share strategy, based on previous target positions and historical impression share.
Target search page location and Target outranking share are getting phased out.
What is Target impression share? Google introduced Target Impression Share to its portfolio of automated bidding strategies in November. You can set one of three placement options for this strategy: absolute top of the page (position one), top of the page (above the organic results), or anywhere on the page (above or below the organic results).
Why we should care. This shift is in line with Google’s introduction of new ad position metrics that focus on the top and absolute top impressions and impression share and plan to eliminate average position reporting later this year. Google suggests using the new impression share metrics when aiming to show your ads in particular locations on the page.
It appears you’ll no longer be able to aim to outrank a certain competitor specifically. With Target outranking share, you could identify a competitor’s domain you wanted to aim to show above for a percentage of auctions. (However, it adjusts bids at the keyword level, not just for each auction in which you’re up against your nemesis.)
About The Author
Ginny Marvin is Third Door Media’s Editor-in-Chief, managing day-to-day editorial operations across all of our publications. Ginny writes about paid online marketing topics including paid search, paid social, display and retargeting for Search Engine Land, Marketing Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, she has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.