How to Use Google Ads Tools to Advertise in a Privacy-Focused Environment
Introduction
In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on privacy in the digital advertising landscape. This is due to several factors, including the increasing use of third-party cookies, the passage of new privacy regulations, and the growing awareness of consumers about their privacy rights. According to Google, around 80% of consumers are concerned about the state of their online privacy today.
As a result of these changes, advertisers are facing new challenges in reaching their target audiences and measuring the effectiveness of their campaigns. However, Google Ads offers a number of tools that can help advertisers navigate this privacy-focused environment.
1. Build Customer Relationships to Get First-Party Data
One of the most important things that advertisers can do to comply with privacy regulations and protect user privacy is to use first-party data. First-party data is information that is collected directly from users, such as their email addresses, names, and contact information. This data can be used to create targeted audiences for Google Ads campaigns, without the need to rely on third-party cookies.
Building solid customer relationships helps brands better understand how they can meet people’s needs. You can also generate first-party data via direct interactions with your customers. However, as people are concerned about how their personal data is collected and used online, businesses should fortify their foundation of responsibly collected first-party data through clear communication about their data practices.
2. Measure Customer Interactions
Technology platforms are evolving techniques, such as device IDs and third-party cookies, that advertisers have relied on for decades to reach audiences and measure results. Businesses should use web solutions like Google Tag and Google Tag Manager to enable their first-party data to give a more precise view of how customers convert.
Moreover, as people interact with your product or service via multiple touchpoints and channels, tools like Google Analytics 4 and data-driven attribution, give more insights from your first-party data across online and offline touchpoints. You should also consider using machine learning and conversion modelling to make sense of available signals and get accurate measurement insights.
3. Leverage Insights for Growth
By analysing first-party data for insights, businesses can better connect with their audience by delivering more meaningful experiences in a privacy-preserving way. For example, brands can utilise first-party data to engage with their best consumers. When individuals share their contact info, a company can use Customer Match to reach them as they’re moving across different Google properties, such as Gmail, Search, and YouTube.
Google also leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to help advertisers reach qualified users even when there are limited signals. For instance, Google Audiences blends a variety of signals, such as demographics and interests, with the help of AI to reach interested audiences and optimise what ad to show them. Likewise, audience expansion, available in Display & Video 360, uses AI to help marketers experience incremental growth in Video reach or consideration campaigns.
4. Use the Google Ads Privacy Controls
Google Ads offers several privacy controls that can help advertisers comply with privacy regulations and protect user privacy. A digital marketing agency in Hong Kong can help you leverage these controls, which include:
- Opt-in audiences: This control allows advertisers to create targeted audiences for their campaigns only if users have explicitly opted in to receive ads from them.
- Interest-based advertising: This control allows advertisers to target their campaigns to users based on their interests, but only if users have given their consent.
- Conversion tracking: This control allows advertisers to track the effectiveness of their campaigns by measuring the number of conversions that occur as a result of their ads. However, this control can only be used if users have given their consent.
5. Use the Google Ads Privacy Hub
The Google Ads Privacy Hub is a resource that provides advertisers with information about how to comply with privacy regulations and protect user privacy when using Google Ads. The hub includes several resources, such as:
- Privacy best practices: These best practices provide guidance on how to use Google Ads in a privacy-focused way.
- Privacy case studies: These case studies show how other businesses have used Google Ads to reach their target audiences and measure the effectiveness of their campaigns in a privacy-safe way.
- Privacy resources: This section provides links to other resources that can help advertisers learn more about privacy and advertising.
6. Leverage Privacy Sandbox APIs
The Privacy Sandbox APIs are a set of new technologies that aim to safeguard user privacy while still enabling marketers to reach their target audiences. The Topics API supports interest-based ads, while the FLEDGE API supports remarketing.
- Topics API: The Topics API provides a list of topics that a user is interested in based on their recent browsing activity. This list can be used to target ads to users who are likely to be interested in the product or service being advertised.
- FLEDGE API: The FLEDGE API allows advertisers to create custom audiences of users who have visited their website or taken a specific action. These audiences can then be used to target ads to users who are likely to be interested in the product or service being advertised.
Both APIs work on the user’s device, so they don’t track users across the web. Advertisers can continue to use the privacy-safe solutions available today in Google Ads and Display & Video 360 to benefit from the signals generated by the Privacy Sandbox APIs.
Comply with Google Ads Privacy Guidelines with Digital Nomads
By using first-party data, Google Ads privacy controls, and facilitating customer interactions, advertisers can continue to reach their target audiences and measure the effectiveness of their campaigns in a privacy-focused environment. Our online marketing agency in Hong Kong can help you use Google Ads tools to advertise in a privacy-safe way. We can help you to:
- Collect first-party data from users
- Use the Google Ads privacy controls
- Leverage AI-driven insights for growth and optimization
- Measure the effectiveness of your campaigns
As a leading digital marketing agency in Hong Kong, we can also help you stay up-to-date on the latest privacy regulations and best practices. Request a free consultation!
