But what about online advertising? How big of an impact will GDPR have on Google Ads users?
So, if you’re using Google Ads to advertise inside of the EEA (or outside), you need to be aware of GDPR, and its implications.
In this post and video, we’ll look at how GDPR affects search advertising on Google Ads. We’ll also discuss which Google Ads features could cause GDPR related problems. And we’ll review some strategies to help you use Google Ads within the parameters of GDPR.
GDPR is here – What does this mean for Ads?
How does the GDPR impact your Google Ads campaigns?
Let’s break down the advertising process, so we understand how to use Ads in compliance with GDPR.
It’s always a good practice to geo-target your Ads campaigns. Precise geographic targeting will often yield better data about your ad campaign performance.
What if you’re not targeting EU users with any of your Ads campaigns?
The main point I want to stress is that geo-targeting on Google Ads is critical post GDPR. If you don’t gain any business from EU customers, exclude those countries from your advertising. And be explicit in your targeting so that you don’t risk accidental GDPR violations.
What type of Ads activity in the EU is affected by GDPR?
Let’s start with the good news. Basic search advertising should remain unaffected by GDPR. Standard search advertising targets keywords, not users. Search ads display for users based on their anonymous search engine queries. So, in its purest form, Ads search advertising doesn’t rely on any personal data.
GDPR impacts many advanced features like conversion tracking. Of course, I’m referring to some essential functions of Google Ads as being advanced. But if you’ve taken my PPC Course, you will know that conversion tracking is a minimum requirement for being successful with advertising. Many essential tracking and targeting strategies rely on these features.
Conversion tracking sets cookies in your visitor’s browser. And your tracking connects your user’s personal data to their keywords searches. That means even basic Google Ads conversion tracking has the potential to collect protected data.
RLSA is typically one of the most effective Google Ads strategies. But the data used to generate your RLSA information may also be subject to GDPR compliance.
These features require you to upload customer data into Google Ads. If you enter EU user data without permission, you are likely to violate GDPR.
We just identified some of the most necessary and efficient Google Ads features as being risky under GDPR.
Here’s a final consideration when it comes to consent, tracking and remarketing. You need to let your users opt-out of tracking and advertising. Under GDPR you need to make it just as easy for users to delete themselves from your database, as it was to opt-in. I am going to do an upcoming tutorial on user deletion tools. But for now, be aware that if you retain user data from Google Ads, you’ll need to have a plan to remove that data on request.
Do a risk/reward assessment for your more advanced targeting tactics.
Are you struggling to figure out GDPR compliance?
GDPR represents a significant shift in how we use many of the tracking strategies we’ve relied on for years. Leave a comment below If you’re struggling to figure out how to use Google Ads under GDPR. I’ll respond to as many questions as I possibly can.