The latest trends in Google Adwords advertising (Google Ads)

Since its launch in 2000, the term Google Adwords has referred to Google’s advertising program. July 24, 2018 marks a strategic name change: the platform adopts a new identity and becomes Google Ads. This distinction goes beyond mere vocabulary. In reality, Google Ads, Google’s advertising network, has established itself as the most profitable acquisition lever for businesses. Distribution is no longer confined to the Google search engine: the ecosystem now extends to YouTube, the Display network, Gmail, Google Maps and apps. The challenge is no longer to buy keywords at the lowest price, but to orchestrate an AI-driven strategy of intent and signals, where every euro invested finds its way to conversion and generates a measurable return on investment.

An in-depth transformation of the Google Ads service

The core of Google’s paid search system is no longer a static bidding mechanism. It’s a continuous optimization environment, powered by machine learning. Campaigns are no longer limited to text placed above a Google search result; they take the form of intelligent combinations where Search, Display, YouTube, Shopping and even Maps collaborate. Google prioritizes relevance and actual purchase intent over pure ad visibility metrics.

Intelligent campaigns, of which Performance Max is the most visible, illustrate this diversity of campaign types now developed by Google. They use AI to interpret signals, distribute budgets and push the most effective creatives according to objectives, audiences and context. It’s this default performance logic that has shifted the center of gravity of modern ATS. Responsive ads illustrate this perfectly: we no longer “freeze” an ad; we provide a range of titles and descriptions, and the algorithm assembles the best-performing combination for each query, each user, each moment. Since 2022, this format has supplanted the old expanded text ads, resulting, for equal strategy, in measured gains in click-through rates and conversions according to official Google communications.

Responsive ads: intelligent adaptation for better ad performance

In concrete terms, a responsive ad is not a single message but a library of variants. Google’s AI tests thousands of combinations, retaining those that engage best, discarding those that underperform, and continually re-evaluating. For the advertiser, the strategic exercise consists in writing headlines and descriptions that are consistent with each other, differentiated enough to enable rich learning, but aligned enough to ensure that each assembly remains true to the promise. This ability to automatically test different variants directly improves the conversion rate. It’s this editorial discipline, coupled with meticulous tracking of search terms and queries actually triggered, that enables RSAs to express their full potential and optimize cost-per-click.

Campaigns evolve towards visual and interactive formats

The other shift is the importance of images and video. Display is no longer simply a backdrop for brand awareness; properly parameterized, especially in remarketing, it becomes a logical extension of the interactions triggered on the search network. YouTube, for its part, has established itself as a narrative and transactional gas pedal: it tells, demonstrates, reassures, then invites action thanks to action-oriented formats. Video is no longer confined to visibility; it now knows how to convert and reachInternet users at the right moment.

Shopping campaigns, on the other hand, erase the friction for e-commerce by displaying visuals, prices and reviews directly in the Google environment, bringing search closer to the act of buying. These developments were confirmed at Google Marketing Live 2024. On this occasion, AI-driven creativity, asset generation and scaling, as well as new immersive advertising experiences, were presented as pillars of performance.

Strategic use of audiences: beyond keywords

Keyword targeting hasn’t disappeared; it’s just become part of a broader logic of intentions and behaviors. Personalized audiences enable us to reach users identified by what they have recently searched for, consulted or viewed on different media in the Google network. Geographical location and proximity to a point of sale can also refine targeting.

Similar audiences extend the profile of your best customers to explore new sources of demand without starting from scratch. Behavioral audiences organize remarketing around observed actions – an in-depth visit to a website, an abandoned shopping cart, a download – so that the message reaches the prospect’s level of maturity. True effectiveness comes from the combination of explicit intention captured by the keyword and implicit probability conveyed by the audience signal. The user’s language is also a factor in the relevance of the broadcast. The campaign is no longer a channel; it’s a dynamic funnel that synchronizes message, moment and person.

Bid and budget optimization: the era of Smart Bidding

Smart bidding has changed daily practice. Rather than manually adjusting CPCs on a guesswork basis, the algorithm is entrusted with optimizing towards a target CPA, target ROAS or target conversions, bid by bid, taking into account hundreds of contextual signals. Automatic bidding is not a black box: it requires clear intent, well-tagged conversions and clean data. When an account is correctly structured, the AI raises the stakes when the probability of conversion is high, lowers them when the context is unfavorable, and reallocates the investment towards the winning combinations that optimize ROI.

Manual bidding is still useful for occasional tests or to diagnose drift, but it can’t compete with the granular optimization offered by automation as soon as the volume and variety of signals increase. This transformation is not theoretical: it is commented on by Google in its official announcements and product recommendations, which push the “AI-driven search network + Performance Max” mix as a high-performance combination across all channels for every type of campaign.

The decisive role of machine learning in creation, distribution, management and measurement

AI doesn’t just bid. It influences the selection of relevant queries, the most effective creative mix and, increasingly, asset generation. In 2024, Google confirmed the deployment of controls and creative generation tools to produce and apply visuals and messages at scale, while respecting the brand. This industrialization of creation does not dispense with strategy, but rather multiplies the capacity for execution based on a clear intention. An article or visual can thus be automatically adapted to the context of distribution. On the measurement side, granularity also progresses: Google introduces views and reports dedicated to its new AI-powered surfaces, improving advertisers’ ability to separate, pilot and attribute the performance of these emerging inventories.

Site and landing page quality: a direct lever on your costs

The best media will never compensate for a mediocre experience. Google evaluates the quality perceived by the user through the level of quality, an indicator that translates very concretely into your costs and distribution. A mobile landing page that loads quickly, clearly explains the value proposition, reduces the number of steps before conversion and provides reassurance through its proof signals, converts better and mechanically lowers the cost per acquisition. Conversely, a page that is slow, confusing or too demanding in terms of information will scare you away. We’re not talking about decoration; we’re talking about a direct economic factor that impacts your cost per click. Healthy collaboration between media and UX – auditing the landing page before you even turn on the tap – avoids paying for clicks that will never become customers. Treating the same subject with a different UX approach can radically change results.

Ad extensions: useful visibility

Callout, price or location extensions are not accessories. They increase the visual space occupied by your ad, reinforce its perceived relevance and streamline the passage to action without unnecessary detours. A clickable mobile number triggers direct calls. A price indication qualifies upstream and avoids false hopes. An address synchronized with Maps anchors your offer in a precise catchment area, bringing you closer to potential customers. In its best practices, Google documents the significant impact of these elements on the click-through rate and probability of conversion, provided they are kept accurate and consistent with the page’s content.

Measurement, testing and iterations: the mechanics of profitability

The difference between a good campaign and one that performs well lies in the regularity with which it is managed. Clean, compliant and comprehensive conversion tracking, based on Google Tag Manager and Consent Mode v2 when targeting EEA users, is the foundation. Google has confirmed that, in order to continue to benefit from ad targeting and reliable measurement in Europe, the transmission of consent via Consent Mode v2 has been the expected standard since 2024. From then on, the routine is simple: face reality, test one variable at a time, keep what wins, discard what loses, and start again. It is this cadence – weekly at the very least – that compresses CPA, stabilizes ROAS and establishes growth. Every optimization possibility must be methodically explored.

2026: what can we expect in concrete terms from Google Ads?

A number of public signals point the way. At Marketing Live 2024, Google made official the acceleration of AI-powered functionalities for both asset creation and multi-channel delivery, emphasizing the complementary nature of AI-driven Search and Performance Max.

At the same time, Google has been testing the presence of ads within its AI-generated search responses in the USA since 2024. This initiative is gradually being extended to other markets. The implications for 2026 are clear: the share of search-like inventory managed by conversational systems and enriched summaries will increase, and advertisers will have more explicit reporting and controls to steer these placements.

We can also anticipate increased consolidation of account structures around a few powerful, goal-driven campaigns, with greater dependence on the quality of proprietary signals.

Google Ads can be a budget-burning machine or a customer-generating machine. To make a difference and achieve concrete results, Google Ads campaigns must perfectly combine strategy, monitoring and analysis for optimization. With Altosor Communication, make Google Ads a high-performance investment, not just another expense.

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