Digital Marketing - Study Notes:
What is Google Ads?
Google Ads is Google advertising platform which allows advertisers to show ads on Google Search, YouTube, Gmail, and Banners on Google Partner sites.
AI has been integrated into Google Ads in different areas:
AI has been a core backend element of Google Ads with the arrival of smart bidding strategies. For the most part these AI elements are geared towards optimizing for objectives like getting as many conversions or ecommerce revenue as possible for a daily budget.
It also features in campaign targeting through AI assisted keyword research and AI-powered audience prospecting for display banners and video ads
And it is used in creative production for text, video, and image ads
Campaign creation and optimization
How has Google integrated AI assistance into campaign creation and optimization?
For many years, keyword research and search campaign creation were tasks that were often performed separately.
Before the integration of the AI assistant in Google search campaign creation, advertisers would do their keyword research using the keyword planner then create their campaigns afterwards. This added time and complexity to campaign creation for novice Google Ads users as they had to use two tools to create their campaigns.
While there are advantages to completing your keyword research and structuring your campaigns in Excel or a spreadsheet tool, it’s very much a process that is best suited to expert PPC or search specialists.
Google Ads AI assistant
The AI assistant built into the Google Ads interface streamlines this process by prompting the advertiser to complete their keyword research based on a series of inputs to a chatbot in the campaign creation process so now you can create your campaign and complete your keyword research without ever leaving the campaign set up process.
Benefits
Google Ads AI Assistant brings several benefits:
It has a simple and easy-to-use interface.
It uses AI to suggest keywords which the advertisers might not have found using the standard keyword research tool.
It helps novice users and people starting out with Google Ads to quickly get up and running. And...
It creates a framework for more powerful AI tools to be integrated into the campaign creation process.
Disadvantages
However, Google AI Assistant also has some disadvantages:
Campaign and keyword structures might not be as effective as using spreadsheets to structure elements based on cost, search intent, and number of monthly searches. And…
Actual campaign performance might be limited as it’s geared towards starter campaigns rather than expert level campaign creation.
Using the AI Assistant
Targeting video and display ads
How can you use AI to target video and display ads to people on Google partner websites?
When it comes to video and display (or banner) campaigns, you can choose from a list of audience characteristics you would like to show your ads to or types of websites you would like to show your ads on.
Alternatively, you can use in-built audience prospecting using Google’s “optimized Targeting” option. Optimized targeting uses information from your landing page and creative assets to help define your audience.
However it is recommended that you select some audience criteria first to guide the AI in how best to prospect your ideal customer.
Back to TopCathal Melinn
Cathal Melinn is a well-known Digital Marketing Director, commercial analyst, and eommerce specialist with over 15 years’ experience.
Cathal is a respected international conference speaker, course lecturer, and digital trainer. He specializes in driving complete understanding from students across a number of digital marketing disciplines including: paid and organic search (PPC and SEO), analytics, strategy and planning, social media, reporting, and optimization. Cathal works with digital professionals in over 80 countries and teaches at all levels of experience from beginner to advanced.
Alongside his training and course work, Cathal runs his own digital marketing agency and is considered an analytics and revenue-generating guru - at enterprise level. He has extensive local and international experience working with top B2B and B2C brands across multiple industries.
Over his career, Cathal has worked client-side too, with digital marketing agencies and media owners, for brands including HSBC, Amazon, Apple, Red Bull, Dell, Vodafone, Compare the Market, Aer Lingus, and Expedia.
He can be reached on LinkedIn here.
Clark Boyd
Clark Boyd is CEO and founder of marketing simulations company Novela. He is also a digital strategy consultant, author, and trainer. Over the last 12 years, he has devised and implemented international marketing strategies for brands including American Express, Adidas, and General Motors.
Today, Clark works with business schools at the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and Columbia University to design and deliver their executive-education courses on data analytics and digital marketing.
Clark is a certified Google trainer and runs Google workshops across Europe and the Middle East. This year, he has delivered keynote speeches at leadership events in Latin America, Europe, and the US. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, and Slideshare. He writes regularly on Medium and you can subscribe to his email newsletter, hi, tech.
