PPC trends for 2020

Have a read of the key trends to look out for in the world of PPC this year, driven by technological advancements.

  1. Advertisers will take control of PPC automation

2020 is the year that advertisers will take back control of automation and decide which software features they want to use and when, or whether they would prefer to create their own automated workflows. Newly-introduced automated features from Google Ads include smart campaigns, Dynamic Search and automated bidding strategies.

  1. Better audience targeting and messaging

Last year, one of the focuses was on audience targeting, and 2020 will be the year that smart marketers really communicate with those audiences in the right way and at the right time. It’s out with the direct sale and in with the benefits of customer offerings. The Microsoft Audience Network (MSAN) is becoming increasingly popular.

  1. Artificial intelligence (AI)

Trending for 2020 in PPC campaigns is the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable advertisers to build their own algorithms to automate specific tasks on their own terms.

  1. More PPC platforms to choose from

There are many PPC platforms for advertisers to pick from this year, aimed at different types and sizes of businesses – and brands need to go where their customers are. Amazon Ads is a great alternative to Google Shopping campaigns for retailers, whilst Waze Local targets drivers who are travelling through a location – making it ideal for smaller, local businesses. Youngsters, meanwhile, are going crazy for TikTok, which has announced it will be launching a new advertising venture in 2020, set to rival Facebook and Instagram.

  1. Rising CPCs in Google Ads

Okay, this trend isn’t as popular as the others, but it’s definitely worth knowing. Due to the SERPs becoming more competitive and organic results falling further down the page, brands with large budgets will increase ad spend, which in turn will increase the cost for all advertisers.

What can you do to get around it? If you don’t have the extra cash to increase your ad spend then you could aim to create more relevant messages within your ads by using AI or third-party data to make predictive analytics models. You can also analyse all campaign data to find lost leads.

We also foresee many consumer brands changing platforms when Facebook reduces its number of News Feed ads. Do you have any other PPC trends for 2020 to share?


We are based on Wirral, near Chester and Liverpool. With clients throughout the UK.