Anticipating the trends in PPC for 2025 is exciting, though translating these predictions into actionable steps can be challenging. To simplify the process, I’ve compiled four often overlooked yet effective tactics to enhance your campaigns in the coming year.

1. Leverage DSAs for Competitive Research

Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs) have long been a favorite in PPC campaigns, yet many advertisers primarily view them as just another campaign type.

For those unfamiliar, DSA campaigns use your website and/or feed to determine the most relevant landing page and headlines for a specific search query. Advertisers provide descriptions, assets, and rules to guide what Google should include or exclude.

Interestingly, you don’t need to actually run ads to access the dynamic targets section, which means you can gather free insights about your own or your competitor’s website, such as:

• Estimated monthly global search volumes.
• Keyword categories Google associates with the site.
• Sample ad copy that Google generates based on its understanding of the page.

The key is to include only one URL per campaign. With that in mind, you can use DSAs to understand how Google perceives your competitors’ websites, helping you identify areas to refine your content strategy. This could mean filling gaps they’ve overlooked or determining if they have fully captured the market.

Remember, you must set up a campaign before activating DSAs, and if you’re creating a Google Ads account solely for competitive research, be aware that a payment method is required to prevent account deactivation.

2. Optimize Placements by Analyzing CLS

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), a component of Google’s Core Web Vitals, was traditionally an SEO-focused metric. It measures how much content shifts on your site after it’s 75% loaded. Google uses 5 seconds to calculate the score, though 8 seconds is typically safer.

A CLS score of 0.2 or higher is considered poor, and a score of 0.1 or below is ideal. A primary cause of poor CLS is excessive ads or pop-ups, which is common on sites designed with ads in mind. Many ad placements, including Performance Max, search partners, and standard display ads, often end up on “junk” sites.

Rather than manually reviewing each site, conducting a site speed test can help you filter out spammy placements. Although there’s no automated way to perform this (as the API can be costly), auditing placements for CLS is still valuable.

It’s also worth noting that CLS affects your Quality Score, which influences your bids. Therefore, ensuring your landing page meets CLS standards is essential for effective bidding. Many landing page tools help maintain proper CLS, but it’s still advisable to audit regularly.

3. Create Exclusion Lists Using Microsoft

Microsoft offers a range of innovative tools, including the widely accessible web publisher report, which allows you to apply URL exclusions across all levels of your account (MCC, Account, Campaign, and Ad Group). This resource doesn’t have to be limited to Microsoft Ads.

By identifying low-quality placements in Microsoft’s Audience Network and Syndicated Partners, you can exclude them from Google Ads using account-level exclusions. This allows you to filter out poor placements more cost-effectively.

While many advertisers were frustrated by the automatic inclusion of the Audience Network in search campaigns, the ability to gather placements for exclusion lists offers real value. Additionally, it opens up opportunities to test the Audience Network as a standalone campaign type, especially with the addition of impression-based remarketing.

To exclude URLs on Google, you simply download the list from Microsoft and manually apply it to your Google Ads account.

4. Enhance Results with Micro-Conversions

For those in low-volume industries, testing micro-conversions can be a game-changer. When Optmyzr (disclosure: I’m the company’s brand evangelist) analyzed bidding strategies, we found that meeting conversion thresholds was often more important than budget.

If you’re not hitting 50+ conversions within 30 days using your main conversion goals, incorporating micro-conversions might provide a helpful boost. Micro-conversions track smaller milestones on the path to a full conversion, and they should be assigned different values to help ad platforms understand their relative importance.

Some example micro-conversions and their corresponding values might include:

• Starting a form: 10-15% of the value of a completed form conversion.
• Watching a video: 5% of the value of a completed form or phone conversion.
• Phone calls: 10% of the conversion value for a phone call of a certain length.

It’s crucial to note that you should not report ROAS, CPA, or other conversion metrics as final conversions to clients or stakeholders. These tools are meant to assist ad platforms in managing low-volume accounts. You may also need to exclude certain data while adjusting to the right balance of conversion actions.

Final Thoughts

These strategies offer valuable opportunities to test and refine your PPC approach in 2025. However, it’s essential to base your decisions on your core business metrics and objectives.

For businesses that prefer minimal risk, starting with techniques like using DSAs for insights and auditing placements for CLS is a safe bet. If you’re more open to experimentation, exploring Microsoft’s exclusion tools and integrating micro-conversions could unlock additional potential for your campaigns.

If you’re a business in New York looking for expert PPC management and digital marketing solutions, SEO Guru NYC can help you implement these strategies effectively. As a local PPC company, we specialize in tailoring PPC campaigns that drive results while keeping your goals at the forefront. Contact SEO Guru NYC to take your PPC campaigns to the next level in 2025.