AI is Going to Change Google Search. Ads? Not so much.
AI is Going to Change Google Search. Ads? Not so much.
The hype around AI is still at an all time high and the folks at Google are scrambling to keep up with the changing landscape. We recently attended their Marketing Live event to learn more about how Google plans to roll out Generative AI to Search and Google Ads. While many of these changes are only being tested in the US, it gives us a glimpse into the future of the Google Search experience.
Gemini is Coming to Search Near You
According to Google, 15% of searches on their platform are net new. In order to keep up with this volume, Google is integrating their Gemini AI model to tailor results to every user’s search. What does this look like? Enter Google AI Overview.
AI Overview will appear at the top of search results and show the user answers to their specific queries. This will include text snippets as well as additional links and images. It can also recommend ideas for things like “rainy day activities”, “things to do around town”, etc. This will greatly improve user experience, resulting in more clicks and on page engagement.
How is this going to impact Search Ads? As of now, Ads appear above and below AI Overview. It seems like Google will keep the same keyword match types to serve ads when folks have relevant queries. Google also hinted at bringing ads into the AI Overview fold. What placements and targeting are going to look like still remains a mystery.
Google Lens will Revolutionize Image Search
The other major piece that Google focused on was around image search. According to Google, 25% of searches using Google Lens have commercial intent. While this feature is already rolled out, Google will be making major improvements to image search. Users can highlight parts of an image by taking a screenshot or picture on their phone to get results for related images and products. If a user takes a picture of their friend’s jacket, they’ll see ads for that exact jacket and others that look like it.
Generative AI for Ad Creatives
A lot of limitations around Display advertising is due to the time and effort required to produce new creatives. Google is rolling out Brand Guidelines, where advertisers can import color schemes and Brand Fonts. New Generative AI capabilities will allow advertisers to create images and videos in just a few clicks while matching formats for different devices and placements. Generative AI will also be able to turn still images into videos and 3D animations.
Google is also rolling out a Photoshop like experience where advertisers can take a product image and use generative AI to remove the background and place the product in different settings. Additionally, If you have an image that performs well, Google can automatically create multiple variations of that image.
Improvements coming to Performance Max and Lead Gen Campaigns
A lot of the image and video enhancements will roll out to P-Max and Lead Gen Campaigns, specifically for YouTube placements. According to Google, YouTube Shorts garner over 70 billion views per day. Because of this, Google will focus on vertical assets, animated images, and videos to increase interaction by 40%. Additional functionality inside Shorts will include clickable Stickers, in app (YouTube) landing pages, and url paths to long form videos. Google will also roll out partnership videos, allowing advertisers to include product related content from influencers in their ad campaigns.
Additionally, Google will make improvements to broad match targeting, content exclusions, and smart bidding for product placements. This should help increase overall conversions across Google Ad accounts.
Optimizations for Measuring Results
Google hinted at how they are training their Gemeni model for constant optimization to drive results. They will use AI to create creatives tailored to users and constantly make changes to campaigns to drive conversions. Advertisers will also be able to run simulations to predict how their campaigns will perform. It felt like Google rushed over this part of the presentation, so we’re not sure when we’ll get this feature, or how it will look.
What this All Means for Your Business
If you’re consumer focused, it means that you’ll have more flexibility over creatives. If you’re B2B, not much is changing. A lot of the improvements for P-Max and Lead Gen campaigns were expected. A few months ago, we suggested to our clients to hold off on P-Max and Lead Gen. Now might be a good time to start testing them (even if you’re B2B). It feels like these types of campaigns are a way for Google to move away from pure display. Having the knowledge of setting up and optimizing P-Max and Lead Gen campaigns will help you when Google ultimately turns off pure display advertising.
