In an effort to prove its commitment to safe and transparent advertising for users and businesses, Google announced the launch of the Ads Transparency Center and the release of the 2022 Ads Safety Report.

What Is The Ads Transparency Center?

The Ads Transparency Center, rolling out to users worldwide over the next few weeks, offers a searchable database of all advertisements on Google Search, YouTube, and Display.

Like ads transparency efforts from its peers in Big Tech, Google aims to ensure that users are well-informed about the ads they see. For instance, if you are interested in a product or service you saw in a Google Search ad, you can use the Ads Transparency Center to learn more about the brand before visiting its website.

The Ads Transparency Center shows key information about ads, including advertiser details, where/when an ad appeared and ran, and its format.

Screenshot from Google, March 2023

Google offers more transparency for political advertising. Additional details for political ads include the amount advertisers spent, the number of times the ad was shown, and the location targeting criteria.

Screenshot from Google, March 2023

Using The Ads Transparency Center As An Advertising Research Tool

Advertisers can use the Ads Transparency Center as a research tool to analyze competitors’ designs and ad copy to create Google Ads campaigns.

Meta offers similar ad information in the Facebook Ad Library, where advertisers and users can browse ads from brands in several fields, including politics, housing, employment, and credit. Ad details include the design and copy for all ad variations, the platforms where the ad is displayed, and when the ad was launched.

Screenshot from Facebook, March 2023

In addition to the Ads Transparency Center, you can visit My Ad Center in your Google Account. Launched in October, it allows you to review ads you’ve seen recently on Google. You can control the ads shown to you by category, brand, and sensitive topics.

Screenshot from Google, March 2023

Insights From The 2022 Ads Safety Report

In related news, Google’s 2022 Ads Safety Report provides detailed insights into its efforts to prevent fraud, offer transparency, and protect younger users.

According to the report, Google added or revised 29 policies for advertisers and publishers last year.

Based on these policies, over 4 billion ads were removed or restricted, and 6.7 million advertiser accounts were suspended.

Google expanded its financial services certification program, requiring advertisers to be authorized by local regulators to prevent fraudulent ads.

Despite challenges from sophisticated scammers – like the malware operators that impersonate real software brands in Google Ads to spread malicious code –  Google blocked and removed 142 million ads for misrepresentation and 198 million ads for financial services violations.

Google tackled misinformation by blocking ads with harmful health claims, false election claims, and climate change denial. Tens of millions of ads that violated this policy, contained inappropriate content, or promoted dangerous products were removed.

Google verified 5,900 new advertiser accounts publishing election ads in the U.S., and over 2.6 million unverified election ads were blocked.

Google prohibited ads dismissing, exploiting, or condoning the war in Ukraine and suspended ad activities in Russia. Over 17 million ads related to the war were blocked, and ads from over 275 state-funded media sites were removed.

Finally, Google expanded child safety protections for users under 18, blocking ad targeting based on age, gender, or interests and prohibiting certain teen ad categories, including dating apps, contests, and weight loss products.

How Advertisers Can Benefit From Ad Transparency

There are benefits to reviewing Ads Transparency Center content.

Those who see ads on Google properties can learn more about the advertisers before purchasing. Advertisers can learn how to create ads better suited for their target audience.

Advertisers should also review the Google Ads Policy Center updates to ensure ad campaigns are not blocked, restricted, or removed. It also offers options for fixing problematic ads, checking the status of your Google Ads account, and reporting Google Ads that violate its policies.

Featured image: rafapress/Shutterstock

Google Ads is introducing a significant change by moving from the previous method of importing the last non-direct click from Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to Google Ads.

Now, Google is adopting a complete cross-channel conversion credit import approach.

This update will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the customer buying journey, leading to better-informed marketing decisions.

I first became aware of Google Ads transitioning to cross-channel conversion credit in a LinkedIn post from Frederik Boysen, CEO & founder of Profitmetrics.io.

After contacting Google, I received confirmation that the information Boysen shared was accurate.

Google will have more details to share in the coming months. In the meantime, here’s a breakdown of what’s changing and why it matters for your Google Ads campaigns.

Before & After Cross-Channel Conversion Credit

Google Ads imports conversions from GA4 using a last non-direct click attribution model.

That means no conversion is imported into Google Ads if the last click was not from a Google advertisement.

The forthcoming update will import full cross-channel conversion credit into Google Ads, even if the last non-direct click wasn’t from Google advertising.

The new cross-channel import should provide more accurate conversion value reporting by incorporating the effects of other channels.

This will make it easier to spot discrepancies in the values tracked by Google Ads versus GA4 cross-channel credit.

While this is an improvement over the current system, GA4 tracking has some limitations compared to Google Ads tracking.

As Boysen highlights in his LinkedIn post, GA4 tracking is limited in the following ways:

• GA4 doesn’t track view-throughs for networks like display or YouTube. Google Ads does.
• GA4 lacks built-in cross-device identification. Google Ads tracking utilizes logged-in user data to identify users across devices.
• GA4 doesn’t offer full server-side tracking without a script firing. In contrast, Google Ads provides comprehensive server-side tracking with offline conversion click import.

Due to the above-listed limitations, Google Ads tracking will likely remain the superior choice for bidding, while GA4 import may become the preferred option for reporting.

In Summary

The introduction of full cross-channel conversion credit import in Google Ads will provide a more accurate understanding of the customer buying journey.

Although GA4 tracking still has some limitations compared to Google Ads tracking, its improved reporting capabilities make it a valuable tool.

Featured Image: rassco/Shutterstock

This post was sponsored by Iconosquare. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.

Does social media management sometimes feel like 15 jobs rolled into one?

We know, the business of social media involves a lot of plate-spinning.

There’s strategy development, content creation, data analysis, copywriting, customer service, community engagement, client communications, trend forecasting, graphic design, influencer management, reporting, and on and on it goes.

What if some of your most repetitive social media tasks could be handled by AI?

Yes, you can give yourself more time to create even more powerful social strategies by allowing AI to perform tasks like scheduling posts, analyzing content, and writing captions.

With AI-powered content creation tools, you can spend more of your time working and thinking like a top social media manager.

So, let’s take a closer look at five ways AI-generated captions will change the game for social media managers.

And don’t worry, AI won’t replace your social media job.

1. Ideate Social Media Post Content Faster (And Easier)

If writer’s block tends to take up a large portion of your campaign execution time, this tip is for you.

And you’re certainly not alone – this is a common problem for tons of social media managers who are juggling multiple projects. Coming up with creative, engaging captions on the fly isn’t always easy.

With the help of AI, a month’s worth of content can be captioned and scheduled in a fraction of the time. Even if a caption isn’t 100% perfect the first time, all it requires is a quick edit instead of hours of creating the perfect message.

Compare this to the lengthy process of ideating, drafting, rewriting, and editing captions, and it’s easy to see how beneficial a social media AI caption generator can be.

2. Get Better Engagement With High-Conversion Algorithms

Many AI caption generators are programmed to create captions specifically for conversion.

They know how to:

This is music to your ears if you’ve been striving to increase engagement for your clients – particularly if they’re stuck in a creative rut or don’t enjoy the writing process.

3. Put Out More Social Media Content

Not only does caption writing get easier and faster with social media AI – it has a positive effect on other content, too.

Time previously spent staring at a blank screen trying to find the right words can now be spent on curating, creating, and editing other forms of content – for example, YouTube videos, TikToks, Reels, podcasts, and carousels.

4. Create Social Media Content In 70+ Languages

From Chinese to Persian, there are more than 70 languages available to choose from in Iconosquare’s AI caption generator.

This enables you to break through language barriers and reach new audiences for your clients without the need to invest in additional resources.

5. Gain More Time For Higher ROI Tasks

Imagine what you could do with the time you’ve saved not writing captions from scratch.

That’s the beauty of AI.

Social media AI handles time-consuming, low-level tasks and frees you up to focus on work that delivers meaningful results – not only for your clients but for your business, too.

A Step-By-Step Guide To Creating AI-Generated Social Media Captions

For this example, we’ll use social media AI for an imaginary interior renovation brand.

Step 1: Enter Your Social Post Topic Or Subject

Start by typing in the subject of your social media post.

In this case, we’ll use “kitchen renovation,” though we could go even more specific with this, e.g. “Kitchen renovation completed in 3 weeks.”

Step 2: Add Your Brand Name For Maximum Exposure

The next step is to introduce your brand to the machine learning tool.

In this example, we’ll use the fake brand name “Kitchenstar.”

However, if you want captions that are less branded and more focused on the content of the image, all you have to do is leave “Brand” blank.

Step 3: Select Your Industry For Accurate Keyword Inclusion

For this example, we’ll enter “interiors” as our industry.

However, if you want captions that are less industry-specific and more focused on the content of the image, all you have to do is leave “Industry” blank.

Step 4: Get High-Conversion Social Media Captions From AI

The three captions Iconosquare’s AI caption generator creates are upbeat and engaging.

Each generated post caption has a good hook:

1. Renovating your kitchen has never been easier!
2. A fresh start for your kitchen!
3. Our newly renovated kitchen using #kitchenstar products is something to write home
   about!

And each one gets to the point without unnecessary fluff.

Image created by Iconosquare, March 2023

Step 5: Automatically Get Generated High-Conversion Hashtags

The first caption has a great hook and high-conversion hashtag suggestions.

Instead of broad, overused hashtags like #interiors or #kitchen, the AI caption generator has proposed more specific hashtags like #makingroomformemories.

Step 6: Make Any Manual Edits Necessary

The second caption is great and requires very little editing. I could add some more specific detail about what the renovation process entailed, otherwise this caption is good to go.

Image created by Iconosquare, March 2023

Image created by Iconosquare, March 2023

The third caption has that specificity – “quartz countertops, sleek countertops, and energy-efficient appliances.”

Even if these aren’t exactly right, you now have a template to use to write your caption without having to think about it.

If you’re not totally happy with the first three options, you can generate three more.

Image created by Iconosquare, March 2023

As for specific calls-to-action (CTAs) like “comment below” or “tag a friend,” you can easily add these to the finished AI-generated captions by selecting one of your “Saved captions.”

Why AI-Generated Content Won’t Make Your Job Redundant

If you’re worried about being replaced by AI, don’t worry.

Despite what you may read online, AI isn’t about to make your job obsolete.

Instead, AI is a great collaborator.

It automates repetitive tasks and sifts through millions of data points to produce actionable recommendations.

This frees up your time and empowers you and your team to create better content and campaigns that deliver their client results.

AI-powered social media tools unlock your potential.

Rather than wasting time and expertise on repetitive tasks like manually posting Reels, you can focus on areas you’re passionate about and uniquely qualified to handle.

Even applications that aid creativity – like Iconosquare’s AI Captions – aren’t cause for concern about the future of your job.

Features like these only enhance and accelerate your creativity.

Again, AI social media tools are perfect for marketers who are juggling multiple clients and complex campaigns.

AI tools can’t replace the empathy, perspective, and storytelling that a human brings to marketing. And this is what it takes to truly connect with customers.

So, don’t worry about AI taking over the world – instead see these applications for what they are: an opportunity to make you an even better social media manager.

Want to try out Iconosquare’s AI caption generator for yourself? You can here!

Say Goodbye To Writer’s Block & Hello To AI-Generated Captions

If you’re ready to harness the power of AI-human collaboration, you have to try Iconosquare’s new AI caption generator.

It’s the perfect tool for generating engaging captions (for LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram) that are relevant to whichever brand you’re working on, whether you’re short of time or in need of a creative boost.

Just write out the subject of your post, brand name, and industry, and Iconosquare will generate a list of potential captions. You then pick your favorite and add it to your post in one click.

Image Credits

Featured Image: Image by Iconosquare. Used with permission.