As a Google Premier Partner, putting us in the top 3% of Google partners, we’re always keeping up to date with the latest innovations in the ads space – and recently we sat in on Google Marketing Live to do just that.
Well, is it any surprise that AI was dominating the headlines? In the session, Google unveiled a range of AI-driven innovations aimed at transforming advertising across Search, YouTube and ecommerce platforms.
Let’s dive into some of the key changes, how they’re shifting the digital marketing landscape and what they mean for you – these updates could mean big improvements in your ads if you know how to harness them.
One to flip the current campaign structure in accounts
AI Max for Search / Search Max campaigns
Given the success of Performance Max campaigns, Google is expanding their semi-automated campaigns by offering users new Search Max campaigns. Search Max is an adaptation of Performance Max (pMax), but uses AI to optimise ad creatives and match search terms more effectively based on consumer behaviour.
In the past, there’s been a lot more manual work in a search ad – making sure your ads are keyword-rich, having the option to set a manual cost per click (CPC) against keywords, and analysing the best-performing ad copy to help improve CTRs. But with Google’s AI taking the lead, much of the manual work is taken care of.
So, what’s the catch? Well, if Google has more control using AI to optimise the ad creative and match the search terms, it may mean more work is needed to analyse the data and act reactively, rather than making sure everything is spot on from the offset.
One to shake up the space
AI Mode
Beyond AI Overviews, Google is testing ads within its new AI Mode, which enables fully conversational search experiences. The extended query length often means users are providing more context about their needs, potentially making ad targeting more precise.
The idea of a customer speaking in more depth with Google about what they want to purchase means the purchasing funnel becomes much shorter, as they can have a conversation with Google to find recommended products.
What’s still unknown is how Google will suggest particular products and what needs to be done to make sure your ad appears. A heavier emphasis may be placed on the landing page, where content-rich pages are likely to be favoured.
While this is definitely one to watch to see how it improves conversion rates, with scepticism over how trustworthy AI can be compared to traditional advertising, it’s unclear what the results will be.
What our clients are looking forward to the most
AI Editing Tools
Google has been progressively rolling out asset editing tools over the years, but over the coming months we’ll see advanced image and video editing software in Google Ads and the Merchant Center, allowing users to create high-quality and relevant product and service content.
A lot of clients have a limited budget, resources and time to create videos – especially at the rate video is becoming increasingly popular in online marketing, with 78% of Gen Zers saying they’re more likely to discover new products or brands through video.
Google announced we’ll be able to create product videos from a simple image of a product. Not only that, but the image can be taken on a phone – saving time and avoiding the costs associated with pricey photo shoots.
What we’re looking forward to the most
Enhanced Performance Max Reporting
Advertisers will gain access to channel-level performance data within Performance Max campaigns, providing greater transparency in how different channels contribute to conversion goals.
For search marketers, the more data we have access to, the better – this means we can make more strategic changes in campaigns and drive better results for our clients. With pMax being the campaign Google is putting more emphasis on, and with data limited when the campaign type was first launched, it’s exciting to see the amount of data increasing.
Harness the power of AI in your Google Ads
AI is here to make your ads even better – but if you don’t know how to harness its power, you risk being left behind.
