I recently came across a fascinating study highlighting how seasonality adjustments can actually backfire for advertisers during Black Friday, driving up costs and reducing efficiency.
A thorough analysis over three years, involving up to 6,000 advertisers, indicates that using Google’s seasonality bid adjustments during Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) often undermines efficiency, despite the platforms recommending them.
The big picture. Smart Bidding models are crafted to foresee predictable retail surges. Optmyzr analyzed tens of billions of impressions between 2022 and 2024, finding that advertisers who avoided seasonality adjustments usually had better efficiency metrics.
Without adjustments, Smart Bidding:
Recognized the BFCM conversion lift independently
Increased bids rationally
Maintained stable or improved ROAS, particularly in 2024
With adjustments: CPCs surged faster than the actual conversion rates, eroding efficiency.
Reality check: Google doesn’t need your “heads up.” Seasonality adjustments prompt Google to expect a conversion rate rise and to bid accordingly. If your prediction is off—and it usually is—Smart Bidding overshoots.
For example:
You predict a +50% CVR lift
The actual lift is +40%
This results in an overbid of about 7.1%
During BFCM’s high sales volumes, even minor mistakes become costly quickly.
The data: 3 years of the same story
1. Smart Bidding already adjusts for the CVR spike
2022: +17.5%
2023: +11.9%
2024: +7.5%
No additional guidance needed.
2. CPC inflation doubles with adjustments
Across all observed years, CPCs increased approximately twice as much when a seasonal adjustment was used.
3. ROAS drops significantly
Advertisers relying on Smart Bidding saw stable or improved ROAS, whereas those who intervened suffered double-digit losses.
The one exception: “Volume at all costs.” If the aim is pure revenue growth, disregarding margins, seasonality adjustments can be beneficial.
Revenue lifts were notably higher with adjustments:
2022: +50.5% vs. +25.0%
2023: +52.8% vs. +30.3%
2024: +39.9% vs. +33.8%
Efficiency may decline, but volume certainly increases.
When seasonality adjustments make sense. They’re useful when Google doesn’t have prior signals, like one-off or niche events.
Good for:
One-time flash sales
Email-only offers
Surprise clearance sales
Niche seasonal spikes
Not recommended for:
Black Friday
Cyber Monday
Christmas
Valentine’s Day
Any event with a predictable historic pattern
Why we care. Google already recognizes the significance of Black Friday. Smart Bidding is trained with years of BFCM data and can detect conversion rate spikes independently. Overriding this can lead to excessive bidding, increased CPCs, and reduced ROAS, so many marketers might be wasting their budget during this crucial week.
By recognizing when Smart Bidding has an adequate signal, advertisers can avoid expensive errors, maintain efficiency, and reserve seasonality adjustments for when they add true value.
Bottom line. Smart Bidding effectively manages major retail holidays. Seasonality adjustments often bring more chaos than benefits during predictable retail peaks. Keep them for unique, brand-specific events that Google can’t predict.
Smart move: Trust the algorithm — use tools like anomaly alerts, pacing monitors, and bid caps for control without conflicting with Smart Bidding’s core models.
During Black Friday, I’ve noticed many retailers, including myself, wasting substantial advertising budgets on Google Shopping ads. The main issue arises when these ads are still running for products that have already sold out, clearly demonstrating a pressing need for real-time stock management.
As we all know, Black Friday marks the peak of the retail season. However, it’s disheartening to find that so many brands, myself included, end up losing money on Google Shopping ads for items no longer available in inventory.
The problem: The ads continue to run even after items are out of stock, incurring cost-per-click charges with no possibility of conversion. Through a comprehensive study by ShoppingIQ involving 500 global retailers, it was revealed that a staggering 97% kept paying for clicks on items no longer in stock, sometimes persisting for 24–48 hours.
Why I care. Out-of-stock ads are not just a financial drain; they also skew campaign performance and disrupt algorithmic learning. When conversion rates plummet for unavailable products, it damages rankings, reduces ROI, and hampers future bidding strategies.
Example: Take Argos, for instance; they reportedly advertised items that were out of stock during Black Friday, leading to frustrated customers and depleted ad budgets.
Stock update refresh rates:
~24 hours: 90% of retailers
6–23 hours: 5%
48 hours: 2%
Other: 3%
Retailers’ response: Some companies, such as Mamas & Papas, have started leveraging ShoppingIQ’s real-time stock technology. This helps them focus ads solely on products that are actually available. Samantha Dabek, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, shares that they have managed to cut unnecessary costs and ensure advertising is targeted toward in-stock products.
The bigger picture: Google Shopping commands around 75% of US retail search spending. However, the default settings let out-of-stock ads run unchecked. ShoppingIQ strongly advocates for retailers to seek more transparency and control from Google to prevent wasted spending.
Bottom line: For those of us running high-stakes campaigns during Black Friday and other peak times, real-time stock management is essential. Otherwise, each wasted click represents money lost.
I recently discovered a game-changing update from Google that’s bound to catch the attention of many advertisers. Google’s Performance Max now allows me to upload video files directly in the “Edit assets” panel, simplifying the campaign setup process significantly. What’s even better? I don’t need a YouTube channel or Shared Library for this.
Here’s the scoop. This handy feature pops up as an “Upload” tab in the Google Ads UI, making it super easy to add video assets during PMax campaign creation. Just a simple drag-and-drop, and I’m set to move on, especially helpful if I’m new to video advertising.
In the YouTube ad setup, I’ll find a clear, highlighted box prompting me to drop in my video file, smoothing out what used to be a more complicated process.
How does it work? These video files are stored in a Google-managed channel, not on my personal YouTube account. While they’re usable in ads, they don’t function like typical YouTube uploads, which might affect how I manage my content.
Why it matters to me. This update is a boon if I don’t have a YouTube presence or need a quick way to upload video assets. However, I should be mindful of the trade-offs: I’ll have no analytics, no remarketing capabilities, no metadata access, and crucially, I won’t own the assets long-term. It’s a convenient option for quick setups, but I must proceed with caution and ideally upload through a proper brand channel when possible.
Important limitations. Using this method imposes several restrictions:
No YouTube Analytics
No remarketing audiences
No metadata editing
No custom thumbnails
No ability to appeal rejections or restrictions
No brand-channel presence or asset ownership
How I found out. The first mention of this update came from Web Marketing Consultant Dario Zannoni, who shared it on LinkedIn. I appreciated his insights into how this could change my advertising approach.
The takeaway. This feature is a great shortcut if I’m in a hurry or don’t have a robust YouTube setup. Still, maintaining best practices by using my official brand channel ensures I preserve analytics, gather audience data, and retain creative control.
I’ve often found myself caught in the age-old marketing debate: should I focus on SEO or PPC? For years, this decision was largely based on past successes or failures.
With organic search, I could rely on growing visibility over time, while paid search gave me immediate, direct control.
Yet, most marketing teams lean toward one over the other based on their experience and budget limitations. But as we move into the future, this binary choice is no longer enough.
In 2026, the landscape has transformed significantly, altering how we approach search entirely.
Why This Debate Has Changed
The world of search has evolved, far beyond the SEO or PPC dichotomy.
Our search behavior is not the same. Search results pages have transformed and the machine learning behind bidding systems have advanced. And then there’s AI, the latest player on the scene, shaking things up.
It’s no surprise that AI has turned into a crucial factor, alongside SEO and PPC.
The pressing question now isn’t just about selecting SEO or PPC, but how we can integrate AI to sustain and boost visibility amidst the fast-paced changes.
This challenge also highlights another issue: fragmentation. With so many channels and discovery paths available, it feels overwhelming, leaving marketers scattered and at risk of falling into paralysis.
The key is to navigate through this AI upheaval, continuously adapting our strategies to remain relevant.
The Old Debate: SEO vs. PPC
Historically, weighing the pros and cons of SEO and PPC was straightforward:
SEO: Offers credibility, compounding visibility, and engagement, although slow to mature and with challenging expectations.
PPC: Provides rapid visibility and control, but requires ongoing financial investment and battles rising costs.
In my experience, a combined strategy proves most effective.
SEO fuels demand.
PPC captures it.
The synergy between the two remains valuable, but AI introduces an essential new dimension.
AI: The New Discovery Channel
AI is redefining how we discover and evaluate information.
Its popularity is growing fast, and this holiday season will likely be a turning point. Simple, integrated tools mean AI is embedded in our daily tech use.
Just like Google once led the charge, AI is set to surpass traditional search, thanks to its simplicity and speed. We find ourselves in an environment where:
Search engines summarize content before clicks happen.
Chat tools offer answers without redirecting traffic.
Product exploration starts with AI, moving beyond Google Search.
Natural, multi-step inquiries are being made that previously didn’t exist.
Thus, visibility hinges on AI presence. The battle isn’t just for rankings, but ensuring we feature within AI ecosystems.
Lacking AI visibility means being edged out. While this may not fully manifest today, it will soon dominate the scene.
Our marketing challenge is straightforward yet daunting: figuring out how to emerge in AI outcomes. We’re unable to purchase our place, nor can we find a playbook for these types of results.
In essence, our goals now demand adaptation from optimizing merely for search engines to being discoverable within AI systems that continue to draw from search results.
The New Visibility Battlefield
Despite feeling novel, AI’s emergence was somewhat predictable.
The existing web landscape is draining — it’s a battleground of too much information, advertisements, and distractions.
Finding what we need amidst this chaos is exhausting; AI offers an antidote by swiftly cutting through the clutter.
It’s undoubtedly refreshing. Yet, we must ponder the potential downsides.
Visionaries like Tim Berners-Lee express concern over AI threatening web sustainability by impacting ad revenue streams, a sentiment I share.
In “Supremacy,” a book charting AI’s rise, authors alleged Google had a ChatGPT-like system years ago but hesitated over revenue concerns. Their claim seems plausible to me.
AI’s efficiency is undeniable. It’s cleaner, faster — and hence will dominate. It stands as a true advancement.
The world of digital marketing has devolved into a war of endurance. The adage still rings true: we normally only explore the earliest pages of search results. We need no longer hide on these pages, as AI scours deep and wide.
Unfathomably, next-level solutions appear within AI’s grasp, surfacing comprehensive insights in brief moments.
This shift was predictable with hindsight, symbolizing a departure from failed attempts to combat the web’s disordered entropy.
AI signifies a fresh paradigm, rising from the modern web’s tumult.
Why This Changes the SEO/PPC Decision
The introduction of AI shifts the landscape for SEO and PPC fundamentally.
1. SEO: Less About Rankings, More About References
For content to feature within AI summaries or search assistants, it must exhibit:
Authority
Topical alignment
Structured markup
Trust signals
Depth, devoid of surface-level fluff
Authentic perspectives
AI favors genuine thought and established voices over mere quantity.
2. PPC: Still Dominating Premium Slots
Despite AI’s growing influence, PPC secures:
Top slots
Commercial queries
Visual placements
Local ad packs
YouTube
Discovery platforms
Merchant outcomes
AI shakes things up, yet PPC’s prominence remains — revenue needs won’t disappear.
3. AI Alters User Behavior Exponentially
AI is crafting fresh behavior patterns:
Fewer clicks, shorter journeys
Intuitive moments
In-depth comparisons inside AI systems
Increased research driven outside traditional points
Heightened expectations for relevance
Seo and PPC remain significant, albeit adapting to parallel discovery paths AI creates.
Is SEO vs. PPC vs. AI Even the Right Question?
Marketers often see SEO, PPC, and AI as competitors. Truthfully, they’re three intertwined visibility layers.
SEO fosters presence, providing foundational visibility.
PPC amplifies position, stimulating awareness.
AI frames discovery, offering context and relevance.
Each component complements the others:
SEO supplies content AI distills.
PPC fosters initial visibility, attracting early engagement.
AI delves into extensive analysis, shaping your market presence.
I embarked on this article seeking an answer to the age-old question: which reigns supreme — SEO, PPC, or AI?
Mid-journey, clarity emerged: this outdated question will no longer suffice by 2026.
General counsel proves challenging, given unique circumstances.
For example, a local plumbing business may have started with PPC while growing through local SEO and referrals.
Eventually, reducing PPC reliance might have been tested unless leads dwindled.
Contrarily, a college with complex site structures, coupled with strong authority, could transition from ads — assuming proper planning and site optimization.
Now, a third ingredient has emerged: AI, with SEO, PPC, and AI forming a unified strategy.
Separating AI from SEO is no longer feasible. The disciplines of AEO, GEO, and related labels are increasingly married.
Understanding AI and SEO’s connections in retrieval-focused generation contexts becomes crucial.
While PPC’s link to AI isn’t as prominent, early integration is already in motion, evidenced by Google incorporating ads into AI summaries.
Optimizing AI echoes optimizing SEO’s practices.
While early, the need to optimize for AI is evident, demanding attention from SEOs and GEOs in the near term.
Inaction is costly; we lack a complete guide, yet actionable insights remain available.
How to Build Visibility Across SEO, PPC, and AI
By 2026, success isn’t mere “ranking,” but “being referenced.”
Staying afloat requires optimizing for machine-led content evaluation.
1. Adopt GEO
Format your content for AI retrieval.
Two to three short, concise sentences followed by layered context appeals to LLMs.
Utilize bullet points, clear logic, and data tables for AI to parse easily.
2. Feed the Knowledge Graph with Entity SEO
AI confirms facts using entities like people, brands, and ideas.
Your About page, schema markup, and author bios must be impeccable.
Without Google’s understanding of your identity, authority citations become unlikely.
3. Target Citation Gaps
AI systems link to trusted sources, favoring niche gurus and major outlets.
Redirect digital PR efforts toward “mentions” on sites AI deems authoritative.
4. Invest in Freshness and Data
LLMs lean towards recent data. Regularly update facts, timestamps, and comparisons.
Static content may falter against continually refreshed material.
5. Embrace Redundancy: The Hybrid Approach
No channel stands alone. Execute PPC for instant visibility, nurture SEO for long-term authority, and set AI-ready data structures simultaneously.
6. Build a Content Engine
Leverage “They Ask, You Answer” frameworks to tailor content that addresses audience needs.
In the ever-evolving world of AI-driven advertising, I’ve noticed that Performance Max campaigns have become absolutely crucial. Both Google and Microsoft offer these innovative opportunities, allowing advertisers to bring together creative assets, audience signals, and automation into a single seamless campaign type.
While Google and Microsoft share this foundational concept, they execute it uniquely. I am excited to offer an in-depth comparison of Google PMax and Microsoft PMax as they stood toward the end of 2025, hoping to shed light on the intricacies that could shape your 2026 advertising strategies.
What I found universally true across both platforms is the replacement of ad groups with asset groups. These groups encompass a blend of creatives, such as images and headlines, along with audience signals, but also carry an absence of any prioritization.
Significantly, PMax is built for automation. Both platforms request the use of Maximize Conversions or Maximize Conversion Value strategies, underlining the need for conversion tracking that can keep pace with no less than 30 conversions in a month.
Goal alignment is another crucial aspect. I realized that accurate reflection of business goals in your campaigns is imperative, for an artificially low ROAS target will likely backfire by yielding unexpectedly lower returns.
Search term visibility is an area where Google offers broader negative keyword support, unlike Microsoft who is still piloting this feature. However, Microsoft’s PMax creatives have been involved in AI placements longer, demonstrating proven results and thus indicating a stronger track record in this area.
Google’s PMax has evolved impressively, offering tools such as channel-level reporting and video asset support, which are particularly beneficial for visual marketing endeavors.
On the flip side, Microsoft’s edge, especially for B2B advertising, includes higher campaign limits, impression-based remarketing, and the integration of LinkedIn targeting signals, appealing for advertisers looking at high-quality lead generation.
Reflecting on both platforms, I believe PMax should be seen as a tool for incrementality rather than a replacement for proven search campaigns. The optimal approach involves leveraging both platforms’ strengths, whether it’s Google’s affinity for creative automation or Microsoft’s prowess in B2B targeting and remarketing.
I’m here to update you that Microsoft will be saying farewell to its Advertising mobile app in January 2026. This shift will affect how advertisers manage their campaigns on the go.
As someone who relies on the Microsoft Advertising app for quick interventions or checks, I understand the importance of staying informed. Now, I’ll need to adapt by using the web interface, which will become the sole channel for managing campaigns.
So, what’s the change? The app is no longer available in the Apple App Store or Google Play, and from January 2026, it will be completely retired. Microsoft’s web UI, rich with features, will be our go-to tool.
I first learned about this through marketing specialist Ive Predovan, who shared Microsoft’s email notice via PPC News Feed.
To wrap it up, if you’ve been managing Microsoft Ads from your phone, it’s time to prepare for change. The transition to the web interface is imminent, leaving us with no choice but to adapt.
Have you ever wondered how amplifying content from creators can actually save money and build trust with your audience? Well, I’ve seen firsthand how paid amplification not only cuts down media costs but also brings in new potential partners.
Brands, including mine, often invest in influencer and affiliate promotions. Yet, many of us stop short of giving the content the reach it deserves, believing the creator’s audience alone is sufficient. But there’s so much more we can do.
By using paid marketing, integrating it into my site, and sharing it across different channels, I’m not just promoting their work. I’m leveraging their brand recognition and strengthening my relationship with them.
It’s true, I may pay influencers an upfront fee, commission, or give them a product for their promotion. But that’s not where our relationship ends.
Amplification truly becomes an advantage here, unlocking more value from the creator relationships I’ve already established.
Why amplifying creator content pays off
Let’s dive into why amplifying creator content can be so beneficial.
Trusted validation
When someone trustworthy backs up my product, store, or company, I gain credibility, especially in competitive fields where trust isn’t always assured, like jewelry or insurance.
For example, picking a hotel near Disney or on a Caribbean island can be daunting with so many choices and mixed opinions. But if someone trusted chooses my brand, that might just sway the decision.
I can utilize this content in ads to reach new audiences or test it with email or SMS list subscribers who haven’t converted yet. The same strategy works for remarketing efforts too.
A third-party endorsement can make a significant difference, even when I sing my own praises.
Lower media costs
Certain influencers might be out of budget, but promising them that their ads will reach new, similar audiences might bring their costs down.
By allowing them to use their affiliate links in this amplified content, they can earn commissions, which shares the risk on both ends by reducing fees and incorporating commission-based rewards.
If the influencer earns more through commissions, they might drop their fees altogether and join as a regular affiliate, freeing up my budget for experimentation with new partners.
Alternatively, we could split the costs, covering part of their media fee while they earn the rest via commissions—opening new avenues to explore and test partners.
There’s magic in content that’s naturally shareable—be it for its humor, virality, or relevance. More people sharing amplified content can lead to wider discovery and referencing, with additional pathways directing traffic back to my site.
Public accounts mean search engines and tools like ChatGPT can index these links, boosting my visibility and traffic.
Affiliate recruitment
When reputable accounts start promoting a vendor, it’s an indicator of earning potential. By amplifying this content, I open up opportunities for others who resonate with those influencers to join as affiliates.
Some might reach out for collaborations, while others might dive into the affiliate world themselves.
Big names endorsing my brand builds trust, making newer partners feel assured that my program is credible.
We encourage our clients to pursue this approach as it effectively streamlines affiliate recruitment and activation, two of the most challenging aspects of the affiliate marketing sphere.
Starting ambassadors and influencers as affiliates ensures fairness. If collaborations prove lucrative, we can transition to hybrid models, minimizing risk while granting them entry.
Not all clients are keen on this model, but those who adopt it see significant benefits, expanding their partner network while sharing risks.
When I heard about Google Ads’ latest update, I was excited to see how it could make life easier for advertisers like me. Google Ads now offers the ability to set a default, account-level declaration for political content. This change simplifies compliance, especially as new transparency regulations are coming into play.
I remember when they first introduced the campaign-level setting back in August 2025. Quietly, without much fanfare, Google extended this feature to the account level, which means I no longer have to update each campaign individually. This enhancement allows me to define my political-advertising stance once and apply it across all my future campaigns.
Why this matters to us. Having a more streamlined approach is crucial for advertisers who want to stay on top of political-ad regulations. With the EU’s TTPA rules taking effect in October 2025, these new features provide a much-needed consistency.
Now, I can choose within my campaign settings:
“I don’t intend to use this account to run political ads in the EU”
Or declare that my campaigns will include political content.
This new toggle becomes the default setting for all my future campaigns, which reduces the chances of making mistakes and leaves fewer gaps in compliance.
Recently, I came across a Spanish-language version of the user interface through Victor Sellés Guillemat, a Google Ads Specialist. He shared his find in a LinkedIn post, showcasing this update in action.
The broader perspective. With election cycles worldwide and evolving regional rules, it’s clear that platforms like Google are under increasing pressure to maintain transparency in political advertising. This update from Google is designed to help compliant advertisers by reducing the complexities involved and providing clearer, more consistent disclosures to regulators.
Bottom line. While it’s a minor update in the user interface, it carries significant operational benefits. For those of us managing multiple campaigns, it means fewer compliance issues, and for Google, it ensures that political content declarations are as accurate and reliable as possible across accounts.
I understand that today’s consumers are constantly bombarded online.
I mean, I too find myself scrolling YouTube Shorts, tracking TikTok influencers, navigating Gmail promotions, and doubting if that viral Facebook video is real or AI-driven—all before I even have lunch!
The path from intent to conversion used to be straightforward, but now, in this attention-driven economy, making purchase decisions has become a complex affair.
Yet, many advertisers haven’t adapted to this reality. They still focus solely on search-based intent, missing out on entire audiences who don’t make it to the search bar.
Google’s Demand Gen campaigns are my secret weapon here, allowing me to escape this trap by fostering discovery and condensing the sales funnel.
Success isn’t complicated, but it requires mastering three elements: engaging creative content, strategic audience outreach, and rigorous testing methods.
The Demand Gen Opportunity
I see Demand Gen as the perfect blend of Google’s visual placements like YouTube, Gmail, and Discover matched with refined audience targeting and creative optimization.
Think of it as social advertising uniquely adapted for Google’s ecosystem. These campaigns tap into users’ browsing habits rather than their search activities, making them ideal for raising brand awareness.
Consumer behavior has undeniably shifted towards visual discovery, demanding more consumer touchpoints before sealing the deal.
YouTube, after all, is a largely visual platform and is now the second-most-used social media platform with a whopping 2.6 billion users worldwide.
In this new landscape, the purchase funnel is not only noisier but also more complex.
Unfortunately, many marketers still treat Demand Gen like search, expecting instant conversions—a mindset that misses the point.
To me, Demand Gen is about breaking consumption patterns, igniting interest, and nurturing intent over time.
Marketers who can shift their mindset will see their performance compound, growing stronger with each impression.
This is my go-to guide for nailing Demand Gen campaigns right from the start.
Element 1: Creative That Commands Attention
Thanks to modern tools, creating high-quality assets no longer requires expensive agencies.
And this matters—a lot. Visual content is a major conversion driver.
YouTube viewers are twice as likely to purchase something they’ve seen in a video and four times more likely to seek new products on the platform.
If advertisers don’t master visual storytelling, they’ll miss speaking the language of today’s consumers.
The Four-Part Framework for Demand Gen Creative
Crafting successful creative assets doesn’t have to be a guessing game. The best assets adhere to a four-part framework:
Grab attention immediately: Capture interest within the first three seconds to stop that scroll.
Build brand recognition: Maintain a consistent visual identity across all placements to fortify brand recall.
Create emotional resonance: Make the viewer feel something meaningful.
Provide clear direction: Guide viewers on what to do after watching.
Testing Creative Approaches
I believe testing is pivotal in refining creative content. Experiment with various types like educational, product-focused, and testimonial formats.
Educational content is great for awareness at the funnel’s top, while testimonials enhance consideration mid-funnel and product-focused creatives encourage conversion at its base.
Finding what resonates with your audience is key, and optimizing for each unique platform—what works on YouTube may not on Gmail—is crucial.
Element 2: An Audience Strategy That Matches Intent
I always think of audience strategy as an extension of creative development. Every audience is unique and should be addressed differently at various funnel stages.
Before spending a dime, I make sure to identify who my audience is and the actions I want them to take.
To do this, I start with the classic reporter’s questions:
Who is your target audience?
What are you trying to convey?
Where do they find their information?
Why would they care about your message?
Once audiences are defined, I align messages to their respective stages, aiming to guide them smoothly through the journey.
My goal is to nudge them to the next step without rushing them into a conversion.
Having set up my Demand Gen ads, it’s time to delve into testing and optimization.
Variables abound in these campaigns; hence, I meticulously test one element at a time for clarity and precision.
This endeavor isn’t about pinpointing one solution but focuses on persistent optimization. Trends change, and what works today may need tweaking in a few months.
Establishing Testing Parameters
I typically classify my testing into three main categories:
Creative: Discover which creative elements resonate more. This could include content types, hooks, or video styles.
Placement: Determine which approaches work where by testing on Gmail, Discover, and YouTube.
Audience: Compare performances across differing audiences, such as custom vs. lookalike or remarketing vs. prospecting.
As I continue testing, performance trends inform future creative, messaging, and placement choices.
Consistently successful approaches allow scaling through budget increases for particular placements or audiences.
Set Realistic Time Horizons
Initial Demand Gen outcomes don’t reflect longer-term impact. Brand awareness takes time to build.
I advise allowing a 60 to 90-day period for campaigns to stabilize and gain traction.
Why Demand Gen Campaigns Fail
Failures in Demand Gen execution are rare. More often, it’s mismeasured and prematurely abandoned campaigns that falter.
This leads many away from Demand Gen entirely.
Here’s how I steer clear of prevalent missteps:
Unrealistic Expectations
Many start Demand Gen campaigns expecting similar returns to those of direct search campaigns.
Once those high expectations aren’t met, campaigns get abandoned.
The remedy is setting realistic expectations from the start.
Demand Gen builds brands and fills sales funnels, providing compound results if given the room to operate.
Measurement Myopia
This often accompanies unrealistic expectations. Relying solely on last-click attribution undervalues Demand Gen’s impact.
I suggest considering these alternatives:
Use platform comparables: A Google Ads metric similar to social ads’ view-through method.
Observation mode: Incorporate Demand Gen audiences into search campaigns to track if brand searches rise.
Holistic brand metrics: Evaluate if brand growth is happening across channels, indicative of brand awareness.
If only last-click returns are considered, you undervalue your efforts.
Unrealistic Timelines
Don’t halt campaigns within 30 days if results disappoint, and avoid hasty changes.
I stay committed to a 60 to 90-day evaluation period while managing stakeholder expectations regarding timing.
Master Discovery to Win the Future
Attention is at its peak, and the progression of paid media leans towards visuals and discovery.
Brands sticking to search will face growth challenges.
Success in this terrain relies on three pillars:
Engaging creative.
Thoughtful audience targeting.
Consistent testing.
Together, they foster performance and grow brand awareness.
The competitive edge will favor those mastering discovery today.
Large budgets aren’t essential for starting. Commitment to principles and patience with results suffice.
Demand Gen campaigns can embed your brand in your audience’s daily online life.
I have been diving into Google’s AI Max for Search as it becomes more accessible in beta, and I’m exploring its impact on ad campaigns. AI Max is aimed at helping advertisers discover new conversion opportunities beyond their existing keywords, with a promise of clearer controls and measurable benefits.
The buzz around AI Max has led many advertisers, like myself, to evaluate its performance and its compatibility with our current keyword strategies. Ginny Marvin, Google’s Ads Liaison, has been clarifying precisely what AI Max is and is not.
Understanding the Purpose of AI Max
AI Max isn’t here to replace or overshadow your existing keyword structures. Its main objective is to unlock incremental conversions or additional conversion value.
It extends your reach using broad match logic and keywordless matching, similar to DSA-style crawling of landing pages.
Dynamic creative optimization is part of the package, including text customization and Final URL expansion to better align with user intent.
The Essentials
If a search query matches your existing keywords, those keywords will be prioritized. AI Max is designed to capture new searches that you might not currently be targeting.
Is AI Max Just a Rebranding? It’s a bit more than that, with improvements. AI Max combines broad match, DSA, generated text assets, and Final URL expansion into a streamlined system, offering enhancements like:
Controls at the ad-group level, including locations and brands
Enhanced search-term reporting, highlighting which creative assets and landing pages are used
Upcoming features like text guidelines for better customization
Marvin believes that these components work more effectively together in AI Max than they do separately.
What to Anticipate Based on Your Current Setup
Mostly Phrase/Exact users: Expect significant growth as AI Max leverages broader and keywordless capabilities.
Heavy Broad Match users: Anticipate marginal expansion, since you already cover a broad area.
DSA users: Experience less keywordless reach but gain improved performance with asset-driven signals absent in standard DSA.
PMax-heavy advertisers: AI Max introduces PMax-style matching to Search, and many users still observe incremental growth.
Why CPA/ROAS May Differ. AI Max focuses on incrementality, leading to potentially higher costs for incremental conversions compared to core conversions from curated keywords.
Google advises not to view match types in isolation but to assess whether the overall campaign provides more conversions or value at your desired CPA/ROAS.
Why This Matters
For advertisers like myself, Google clarifies that AI Max is intended to discover incremental demand not attainable through traditional keyword settings, potentially leading to more conversions or revenue without needing a campaign overhaul. It merges broad match, DSA, and dynamic creative into one system with advanced controls and reporting, providing transparency and measurability.
The inclusion of A/B testing enables advertisers to confirm the validity of perceived gains.
Measuring Incremental Lift
Google now offers genuine A/B testing within AI Max experiments to compare control and treatment groups.
Brand and location controls are not yet available in AI Max experiments.
You can use Custom Experiments for those tests.
Disregard the learning period when analyzing results.
The Overall View
AI Max is developed to engage new, pertinent demands that your keywords may miss. Evaluate its effectiveness by focusing on campaign-level incremental lift — achieving more conversions or conversion value at your target efficiency.
Google continues to enhance features and encourages advertisers to actively test and provide feedback.
