There’s a game-changing opportunity on the horizon in Google Ads with the introduction of new search themes in PMax bidding. The recent update is an innovative approach to bidding within this new style of automated campaign and the feature allows advertisers to explore new avenues, optimise performance and maximise ad spend efficiently.
The main criticism of Google’s Performance Max campaigns has been the lack of transparency or targeted controls provided to the advertiser. With the addition of the new search themes option, Google AI is told that you want to reach relevant traffic in the Performance Max campaign across all Google Ads inventory including Search, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, Maps, and Display. Search themes also help you find audiences across channels based on users’ search behavior.
One of the standout features of the new search themes is the enhanced flexibility it offers. Advertisers can now align their campaigns with specific themes, tailoring their messaging to resonate with the audience’s intent. This refined targeting ensures that ads are not just reaching users but connecting with them on a deeper level.
To do this, it’s important to understand user behavior and intent. With the new search themes, advertisers gain valuable insights into the nuances of user queries, allowing for a more strategic approach to keyword targeting. This level of precision ensures that ads are displayed to the most relevant audience, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversions.
This update brings a new dimension to bid strategy. Advertisers can now set bids at the theme level, providing granular control over budget allocation to optimise bidding strategy based on the performance of individual themes, maximising the impact of the ad spend.
The ability to align campaigns with specific user intents and adjust bids accordingly adds a layer of sophistication to Google Ads’ capabilities and raises the potential for increased ROI.
These are a few examples where search themes can be especially helpful if you have knowledge about your business or customers that AI can’t easily or quickly learn:
- The landing page doesn’t have complete details or the latest updates about the products and services you offer.
- You’ve just expanded into a new market or launched a new product or service where the campaigns don’t have extensive performance history.
- A new promotion or sale is being launched for the holiday season when there isn’t extensive performance history.
- You want to expand the reach within Performance Max including on Search inventory in Performance Max and ensure there is comprehensive coverage on important business themes.
- You want to provide important information to help the PMax campaign ramp up and optimise performance faster.
The introduction of new search themes in PMax provides enhanced flexibility, strategic targeting, and refined bid strategies. Advertisers keen on staying ahead of the curve should make the most of the opportunity to explore and leverage the full potential of these innovative search themes.
You can read more about how to unlock new relevant traffic on Performance Max with search themes.
If you want to know more about how understanding these themes and user behavior and intent can help your business, please get in touch.