Advertisers are continually seeking new ways to increase conversion opportunities. In order to meet this demand, Google Ads continues to introduce new AI-powered tools to help them do just that. With the flip of a switch, you can now expand your search reach, optimize your bids, and utilize landing pages to match relevant queries.
While turning these features on is easy, having the strategic knowledge to know which of these tools makes sense to use and when is most important. Three of Google Ads’ growth levers are Broad Match, AI Max, and Smart Bidding Exploration. Each expands search performance in different ways. We’ll cover what each is, the pros and cons of each, and when they make sense to use.
How Do These Features Help Expand Search Performance?
Broad match expands search query coverage from phrase and exact match keywords by identifying searches that are relevant to your keywords and the user’s intent. By casting a wider net, you’re able to capture traffic that you may not have reached otherwise.
The example that I like to use when explaining how Broad Match works is the keyword “pies for sale.” Broad Match will map you to queries like “apple pies” or “peach pies” even though these specific terms aren’t current keywords. One drawback with broader matching is that you have the potential to be matched to queries that aren’t relevant to your business. For example, you could match to “chocolate cake” since they are all types of desserts. To prevent wasting ad spend, you will need to make sure that you are able to consistently monitor for irrelevant queries and stay on top of adding negative keywords.
AI Max for Search not only expands your relevant queries based on your keywords, but it will also utilize your ad assets and your landing pages to expand your reach. This feature requires advertisers to have reliable conversion tracking and strong website content to work to its full potential.
AI Max goes beyond expanding your query reach with the additional features of asset optimization and final URL expansion. Asset optimization updates your copy to match the intent of the users’ search. For example, if your original headline is “Fresh Baked Pies for Sale” but the search query that triggered the ad was “where to buy the best apple pies,” the headline shown could potentially be “Shop the Best Apple Pies”.
Final URL Expansion works by landing the user on the landing page that closely matches the search query. Expanding on the example above, your current ad uses a landing page that describes all of the various pies you carry (fruit pies, custard pies, etc.). Because the expanded query you matched to references apple pies, Google will instead land the user on a page that showcases all of the various apple pies you offer.
The caveat is that more guardrails are required with this feature. With Final URL Expansion turned on, you run the risk of sending users to pages that may not offer the best user experience (FAQ page or an outdated blog page, for example).
Smart Bidding Exploration is available for search campaigns that are using a target ROAS bid strategy. This feature doesn’t expand your query coverage. Instead, it allows the algorithm to use a more flexible ROAS target to pursue additional conversion opportunities your campaign is already targeting. The benefit is gaining conversions you wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to show for, but it can be at the expense of efficiency. This feature makes sense for campaigns that have history and strong conversion volume.
To summarize:
- Broad Match – expands which searches you match to based on your keywords
- AI Max – expands matching, ad messaging, and landing-page selection
- Smart Bidding Exploration – gives smart bidding more flexibility to pursue conversions that you previously wouldn’t have due to target restrictions
Which of These Features Should You Test First?
Before turning on any of these features, making sure that your conversion tracking is set up properly and your website is optimized is key. Conversion data is the fuel these tools need to find users most likely to convert. If you track low-value actions or overly broad actions (think page views), this leads to an increase in volume but does not necessarily result in an increase in valuable conversions. You’ll also want to make sure your website isn’t filled with outdated text and that landing pages are specific to the products or services you want to promote.
Which feature to test shouldn’t be determined by which feature is the newest or the most automated, but by which will solve your current problem. If keyword coverage is the issue, test Broad Match. To test ad messaging and landing page relevance, test AI Max. If you are potentially too conservative in your bidding strategy and targets, test Smart Bidding Exploration. It is also important to test one variable at a time to accurately read what is driving performance.
The Most Valuable Tool Is Still Strategy
As Google Ads continues to introduce more AI solutions, successful search strategies will be driven by the individuals or agencies that don’t depend on simply turning these on. The key to well-performing campaigns will be knowing how these tools work, which one will best solve the problem, and which guardrails are necessary.
