It was only a month ago we first heard rumours that Google was introducing generative AI into its ad platform.
This week, at Google Marketing Live, some of the new AI-powered features that will soon be available in Google Ads were unveiled. And for better or worse, it has the potential to change the way in which advertisers manage campaigns significantly.
A short video summarising what’s coming soon was released post-event:
Let’s take a look at how these new AI features will impact PPC managers.
Removing the complexity of campaign set-up with AI chat
Google is touting its conversational AI within Google Ads as a way to chat through campaign ideas, just like you would with a colleague.
This will be available for Search and Performance Max campaigns.
To start the conversation, all you need to do is add a landing page and AI will scan the page to create keywords, headlines, descriptions, images, and other assets for the campaign. You also provide information on the product or service.
From there, Google’s AI will work its magic to come up with suggestions that align with search queries it thinks will perform well. It will be possible to edit these suggestions before deploying them.
An example provided by Google to show this feature in action shows the headline ‘Sooth Your Dry, Sensitive Skin’ when a user searches for ‘skin care for dry sensitive skin’.
For this to work effectively, it will be crucial to have a highly relevant landing page with great content and creatives.
This will be an optional feature, so if you want to retain complete control over ads, there’s no need to use it. Additionally, Search Engine Land issued a warning to advertisers in regulated industries who could end up in hot water if they allow Google’s AI to do all the heavy lifting.
But it could be a great tool to save time, especially when it comes to drafting 15 headlines and 4 descriptions. I’m interested to see what it can do.
Custom asset creation for Performance Max campaigns
Performance Max campaigns already use elements of AI to create ad headlines and uses machine learning to optimise bids and placements across Search, Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Google Display Network, and Discover.
Now, Google plans to introduce a generative image tool into Performance Max campaigns.
Google AI will create entirely new image assets based on what it knows about your business. All you need to do is provide the final URL and a description of the product or service, and it will then provide you with different AI-generated images which you can use in your campaign.
This is a pretty insane feature, but there are known issues with AI-generated images. Not only do they do things like giving humans extra teeth and fingers, but there is also evidence that the images created by AI models are biased.
Again, it’s hard to judge just how good it will be without seeing it in action, but it could be a lifesaver for smaller brands that have limited budgets for design and creative.
Ads within the new Search Generative Experience
Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is bringing new AI features to Search. And as it’s set to take up some serious page real estate, Google can’t afford not to integrate ads into the results.
It will be interesting to see how ads are displayed in SGE, and for what search queries. Find out more about that here.
