The crew at Google was very busy in 2024. Virtually no facet of the Google Advertisements platform went untouched when it got here to updates over the course of the yr.
Whether or not you just like the adjustments or dislike them, there’s no getting round the truth that it may be onerous to maintain up with every part being adjusted behind the scenes.
So let’s take a while to go over the largest adjustments (learn: not all adjustments) that occurred with Google Advertisements in 2024 and focus on what they imply for 2025.
Contents
- Increased and improved control over Google search campaign placements
- More transparency for Google Ads Performance Max campaign insights
- Changes to Demand Gen audience size and placement controls
- AI enhancements for Google Display Ads
- More options available for first-party data usage
- New tools for image and video asset generation across campaigns
The most important Google Advertisements information from this yr and what it means for 2025
Listed here are the highest information updates from Google Advertisements this yr.
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1. Elevated and improved management over Google search marketing campaign placements
There have been a number of Google search updates to the person expertise and placements, like conducting a Google Shopping search with Google Lens and displaying adverts within the Google AI Overview.
However for us die-hard entrepreneurs, there have been a number of updates that really feel a bit extra technical and like greater wins for marketing campaign administration.
First, now we have model inclusions that assist preserve your branded search campaigns targeted on the best manufacturers and solely these manufacturers. The catch? Your marketing campaign needs to be opted into the campaign-level broad match setting. Personally, I’m not a giant fan of this for non-brand campaigns, however if you happen to’re utilizing model inclusions to focus and you continue to have entry to damaging key phrases (which you do), then this can be a good choice for branded search campaigns.
Those self same brand lists may also be leveraged as exclusions for Dynamic Search Advert campaigns, serving to you management your DSA campaigns from hitting on branded search queries, which is nice, particularly if you happen to’re leveraging the model marketing campaign technique above.
Talking of search queries, Google introduced a slight easing to the controls that block advertisers from seeing all the search phrases of their reviews. Misspellings will now be grouped under their correctly spelled query to unlock a bit extra perception. Google expects this may enhance the proportion of search phrases which can be seen by about 9% within the common account. It may not be an enormous quantity, however something that will get us extra insights is greater than welcome.
Lastly, Google didn’t cease with the misspelling adjustments in search phrases. Negative keywords now include misspellings. Once more, this information is greater than welcome from a marketer who has been including tens and a whole lot of damaging key phrases just because they had been spelled incorrectly in a different way than any earlier question. With the brand new logic, we now will solely want so as to add the appropriately spelled model of the damaging key phrase we would like and Google can even block the misspelled model of these phrases.
2. Extra transparency for Google Advertisements Efficiency Max marketing campaign insights
Google Advertisements has rolled out Performance Max campaign updates regularly over the past yr, however for me, the largest impacts had been all primarily based on higher insights and controls for PMAX campaigns.
First, there are a bunch of latest insights about completely different elements of your PMAX campaigns that can assist you perceive what’s working and what’s not. Whether or not you must know which assets are performing best, understand how your budget is pacing, look into which audience segments are responding properly, or determine if you’re losing impression share on search and procuring to rivals, there’s a brand new insights part for every of these.
Moreover, we now have higher insights into the black field that was once (and nonetheless type of is to a point) Efficiency Max advert service.
With the content material suitability heart, advertisers can now see placements of advert providers on YouTube and the Search Accomplice Community. What’s extra, we are able to now use account-level placement exclusions to dam our adverts from displaying on sure placements as properly.
3. Modifications to Demand Gen viewers measurement and placement controls
There have been a handful of updates to Demand Gen campaigns, however listed below are the 2 that stood out to me.
First, the minimal viewers measurement for lookalike audiences was lowered from 1,000 to 100 customers. I’m typically pissed off with how Google’s controls make it more durable for smaller companies to promote on the platform and this was a really direct step in the best route. Now the barrier to entry is decrease for SMBs, which is a win in my guide, even when Demand Gen isn’t the marketing campaign sort I’d begin with.
The second replace for Demand Gen was one other tick within the advertiser management column on the scoreboard. With creative preferences, advertisers can management which placements their movies will present up in fairly than having all movies present in all placements. That signifies that when you’ve got property that don’t look fairly proper in a single placement, you may forestall them from displaying there and prioritize different property as a substitute.
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4. AI enhancements for Google Show Advertisements
Show obtained an excellent quantity of AI inserted for creatives. With the brand new options, advertisers will be capable of animate static pictures, increase and regulate the facet ratios of present pictures, in addition to improve decision and sharpness. Total, these are some fairly nice choices in a world the place onerous inventive is tough to come back by.
Additionally, Google Display Ads have expanded their community and can now have stock on X (previously referred to as Twitter), so in case your viewers is there and also you need to attain them with out utilizing the precise X Advertisements interface, you are able to do so by way of GDN.
5. Extra choices obtainable for first-party information utilization
First-party information has been a scorching matter ever since Google vowed to eliminate third-party cookies in January 2020. Since then many deadlines have been pushed and pushed, finally leading to Google reversing course in 2024 and stating that third-party cookies are right here to remain (in the interim).
However even with that reversal, entrepreneurs (and Google) have picked up on how invaluable this information is and the way it can enrich your advertising and marketing.
With that, Google had two adjustments this yr to assist improve your first-party information. First, they simplified Google Ads Data Manager to centralize all information integrations in a single location and likewise management all entry to third-party platforms like Salesforce, Marketo, HubSpot, and extra.
For anybody attempting to complement their information with first-party insights, this can be a a lot easier interface to work with that helps reduce the steps from one a part of the platform to a different.
The second replace is a little more technical. Confidential matching allows advertisers to leverage their first-party information with Google’s measurement and viewers options. The small print may be discovered here, however primarily, your first-party info will stay safe regardless of additionally being leveraged in your Google Advertisements account. A win-win.
6. New instruments for picture and video asset technology throughout campaigns
The final set of updates additionally isn’t for a particular sort of marketing campaign however does impression fairly a number of marketing campaign sorts that you’ve across the Google Advertisements system.
Producing new creatives to your campaigns simply obtained so much simpler with new instruments for asset and picture technology immediately inside the Google Advertisements interface.
It’s additionally now simpler to take present property like pictures and movies and edit them to alter the picture, improve your movies, and spotlight merchandise differently than they’re being proven in your Service provider Heart Feed.
Lastly, you don’t need to rely solely on Google Advertisements for asset creation and collaboration. They’ve partnered with third-party design platforms like Canva, Well, Pencil, and Typeface to combine immediately with Google Advertisements and make the add course of that a lot simpler.
What this Google Advertisements information means for your enterprise subsequent yr
Google is consistently making new updates to the Google Advertisements platform. Whereas we nonetheless see a number of AI and automatic options coming down the pipe, I’m inspired to see extra controls for advertisers as properly. As I discussed earlier, this isn’t all the updates from 2024, however hopefully, this record of updates will get you taking note of the brand new choices now we have and excited to check out among the new options from the Google Advertisements platform. For assist profiting from all the most recent Google Advertisements options subsequent yr, see how our solutions can maximize your search marketing campaign technique in 2025.
