Google constantly innovates to make the campaign creation process smoother and easier for more people. One recent development is the integration of Gemini, Google’s family of large language models, into the Google Ads platform. This integration brings a conversational AI experience to help you quickly build better search campaigns through a chat based experience. Google aims to streamline the campaign creation process through Gemini’s integration into the Google Ads platform.
This is a continuation of Google trying to make the Google Ads platform more accessible to small business owners and marketers that lack paid search marketing experience.
TLDR: DO NOT RELY SOLELY ON GEMINI TO BUILD YOUR CAMPAIGNS: Like many AI thi is just a tool to help you – Google are obviously keen to provide this as an all encompassing tool but it is nowhere near fit for purpose….yet.
How Does Gemini Conversational AI Work for Search Campaigns
Click on the ‘New campaign’ and follow the standard process of choosing campaign goals, targeting etc. A new screen will appear where you create ads.
All you need to do is to provide the URL of your website and Gemini will analyse its content to generate keywords, ad copies, extensions, images etc. Below image shows the ads output for a jewellery website. You can review the AI’s suggestions and make any necessary edits to ensure they perfectly capture your brand message. Once satisfied, you can launch your campaign.
Normally you have to fill out all the keywords, ads and extensions information manually but Gemini does the heavy lifting here to provide suggestions with a draft. This is especially useful for someone with no or limited knowledge of Google Ads platform.
Benefits of Using Gemini Conversational AI
- Simplified Creation Process: Building Google Ads search campaigns, can involve various steps like keyword research, ad copywriting, and even selecting images. For new advertisers or those unfamiliar with the platform, this can be daunting. Gemini acts as a helping hand, guiding users through the process with conversation prompts and suggestions. Imagine you’re a bakery with no prior experience in Google Ads. You provide your website URL, and Gemini suggests relevant keywords like “freshly baked bread near me” or “custom cakes for birthdays.” This kickstarts your campaign creation without needing in-depth keyword research knowledge.
- Time Efficiency: The AI automates initial steps like keyword brainstorming and ad copy generation. This frees up advertiser time to focus on strategy, optimisation, and budget allocation. Let’s say you run a yoga studio. Gemini can automate the initial brainstorming phase for ad copy, suggesting headlines like “Find Your Zen: Relaxing Yoga Classes” or descriptions mentioning different yoga styles offered. This frees up your time to focus on campaign strategy and budget allocation.
- Enhanced Creativity: Sometimes, even experienced marketers can get stuck in a rut. Gemini’s AI-generated suggestions can spark new ideas and inspire unique campaign elements. For instance, if you sell sustainable homeware, Gemini might propose a visually appealing ad image (labeled AI-generated) showcasing your eco-friendly products alongside the tagline “Sustainable Living Starts at Home.”
While the latest version of Gemini may not offer significant advantages for most Google Ads agencies and marketers at this early stage, it holds promise for a specific demographic. Gemini appears tailored for the average Google Ads advertiser, such as those with a generalist role or small business owners new to online advertising, rather than specialised professionals.
This platform simplifies campaign creation and initiation, catering to users who lack extensive Google Ads experience but aim to connect with an online audience. By automating various elements like keywords, ads, and URLs, Gemini provides a foundational framework, which novice advertisers can then refine.
For those already familiar with Google Ads, Gemini still offers utility, albeit to a lesser extent. While adjustments and refinements are necessary, the platform’s pre-filled suggestions can expedite the process, effectively transforming users into copy editors rather than copywriters.
Ultimately, Gemini’s integration within the Google Ads interface streamlines the editing process, ensuring compliance with character limits and other specifications. It serves as a valuable tool for both novice and experienced advertisers, providing a starting point for campaign creation and optimisation.
Limitations
A key issue with the process is the input – you are just giving Google one page to scan and interpret so the output depends on how detailed and descriptive the page is.
- Limited Keywords Suggestions: We tested Gemini a few times and every time found that it suggests only a few keywords (maximum 8) without any common theme between them. The keyword suggestion is poor and although the advertisers can work with the draft, it is vital to conduct proper keyword research outside Gemini. The suggested keywords also do not have any forecasting data whereas if you go to the keyword planner and enter the same keywords then can see much more helpful data.
- Weird Output for Ads: We often see weird suggestions for the ads especially for the headlines. For example, for a clothing website, I got headlines like “All Products” and “Get Ready”. Again – only use the tool as a starting point and then adjust and fix.
- Inability to create second ad group: All the suggested keywords and ads automatically go into a single ad group. There is no option of creating a second ad group with Gemini AI which I think Google will address in future releases but as of now it doesn’t seem possible. With Google ads we always develop our client accounts with tightly themed ad groups so that the ads and landing pages all closely align and offer the user a consistent and continuous experience.
- Human Expertise is Crucial: While Gemini is good at automation, human oversight remains vital with keywords and ads. Fortunately, it throws a lot of ideas out with numerous headlines and description lines for the ads, so you can iterate on these options. Also, human expertise is needed for final approval. For example, you’ll want to ensure the AI-generated ad copy is accurate, adheres to professional language and avoids making any misleading claims.
Our Conclusion
Like many AI tools in the market, Gemini AI too is in an early stage but highly capable tool and will only improve in coming years. I believe the campaign creation process will become completely seamless with Gemini AI at some point in years to come as long as it gets fed the necessary information it needs.
At this point, it does help especially if you are new to Google Ads but it still needs a lot of human expertise and I doubt if someone with no or limited knowledge of Google Ads can create a successful campaign only based on Gemini Conversational AI.
