Plans For Improving Google Search

During its Marketing Live summit, Google announced that it is testing various applications of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in its campaign creation tools. The company aims to solidify its dominant position in search advertising amidst growing competition from platforms like TikTok and Microsoft's Bing. Google sees AI as a solution to challenges such as the slowdown in search growth and privacy changes like the deprecation of third-party cookies in its Chrome browser. The company believes that AI-powered solutions can make digital advertisers more adaptable in the face of these changes.

The latest updates unveiled at Marketing Live showcase Google's integration of AI to streamline the workflow of digital marketers and enhance the relevance of paid search ads. For instance, Google is introducing a conversational experience in Google Ads that simplifies the launch of paid search campaigns. Marketers can submit their website link, which is then scraped and summarized by Google AI. The resulting takeaways can be edited by humans, with Google providing suggested keywords and generating text headlines and images based on the brand's value proposition. The system also includes an ad strength meter to help assess potential effectiveness. This feature is entering closed beta in the U.S.

Furthermore, Google is leveraging generative AI to improve the relevance of paid search ads to user queries. The previously introduced automatically created assets (ACA) are enhanced with generative AI capabilities to adapt to specific searches. The models generating the assets have become more sophisticated, while the interface remains largely unchanged for advertisers. The revamped ACA allows for more tailored headlines in sponsored responses, ensuring marketers maintain performance and adapt to changing consumer demands.

Google's fully automated ad product, Performance Max, also incorporates generative AI to enhance efficiency. Additionally, the company is rolling out Product Studio, offering e-commerce merchants three features: customizable background scenes, removal of undesired background images, and improved resolution for product imagery. Product Studio is initially targeted at smaller businesses with limited resources, aiming to help them create engaging assets.

Google's focus on generative AI aligns with the broader trend in the tech industry, where major players like Meta Platforms and Microsoft are rapidly introducing AI-powered features to stay competitive. Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE) and its experiments with AI-driven ad creation tools are part of this trend. While Google Marketing Live showcased these advancements, it's important for marketers to ensure their output remains distinctive and representative of their brand, as the AI tools are built on the assets, website, and content provided by advertisers.