Google is constantly making new updates to the Google Ads platform. These are the main changes in 2024 and how they will impact 2025:
Increased and improved control over Google search campaign placements
Brand inclusions have been added that help keep branded search campaigns focused on the right brands and only those brands, but only if the campaign is opted into the campaign-level broad match setting. This is OK for brand-focused campaigns but isn’t an optimal setting for non-brand campaigns.
These brand lists can also be leveraged as exclusions for Dynamic Search Ad campaigns, helping to control DSA campaigns from hitting on branded search queries. This is a good development, especially if the brand campaign strategy above is being leveraged.
Google also announced a slight easing to the controls that block advertisers from seeing all of the search terms in their reports, which is good as anything that gets advertisers more insights is more than welcome. Misspellings will now be grouped under their correctly spelled query to unlock a little more insight.
Negative keywords now include misspellings too, so it’s now only necessary to add the correctly spelled version of the negative keyword and Google will also block the misspelt version of those terms.
More transparency for Google Ads Performance Max campaign insights
There are now better insights and controls for PMax campaigns, including which assets are performing best, understanding how the budget is pacing, which audience segments are responding well and determining if impression share is being lost.
Also, the new content suitability center allows advertisers to now see placements of ad services on YouTube and the Search Partner Network, plus account-level placement exclusions can now be added to block ads from showing on certain placements.
Changes to Demand Gen audience size and placement controls
Demand Gen campaigns were created to help businesses reach consumers outside of the text-heavy search engine results page on more visual and entertaining placements like YouTube, Discovery, and Gmail. The minimum audience size for lookalike audiences was lowered from 1,000 to 100 users, which is good for SMBs.
Also, creative preferences were added to Demand Gen which allows advertisers to control which placements their videos will show up in, rather than having all videos show in all placements.
AI enhancements for Google Display Ads
Google Display Ads have expanded their network and will now have inventory on X (formerly known as Twitter). By using AI for creatives on Display advertisers can now animate static images, expand and adjust the aspect ratios of existing images, as well as enhance resolution and sharpness.
More options available for first-party data usage
First-party data has been a hot topic ever since Google vowed to get rid of third-party cookies in January 2020. Google introduced two changes in 2024 to help enhance your first-party data.
First, they simplified Google Ads Data Manager to centralise all data integrations in one location and also control all access to third-party platforms like Salesforce, Marketo, HubSpot, and more.
The second update – confidential matching – enables advertisers to leverage their first-party data with Google’s measurement and audience solutions.
New tools for image and video asset generation across campaigns
Google released new tools for asset and image generation directly within the Google Ads interface. This makes it easier to take existing assets, like images and videos, and edit them to change the image, enhance videos and highlight products in a different way than they’re being shown in your Merchant Center Feed.
They’ve also partnered with third-party design platforms like Canva, Smartly, Pencil, and Typeface to integrate directly with Google Ads and make the upload process that much easier.
You can read more about these latest Ads developments.
In 2025 we expect to see the continuation of plenty of AI and automated solutions being introduced but also with more controls for advertisers, which are beneficial to them.
If you want to know more about how these new solutions for Google Ads can help your business, please get in touch.