Google has unveiled the latest set of changes to its marketing service, which will put ads at the core of the user experience.
Announced at this year’s Google Marketing Live event in San Francisco, the updates will help advertisers improve the way they get their content onto the screens of target audiences.
Google Ads & Commerce senior vice president Prabhakar Raghavan said: “In a world where we have less time and more options, it’s crucial for brands to anticipate what consumers need in order to stand out.
“But just because the customer journey is complex doesn’t mean delivering useful experiences has to be.”
Amongst the suite of new products is ‘Discovery ads’, aimed at finding customers “in the moments when they’re open to discovering your products and services,” said Raghavan.
Discovery ads will ultimately increase the reach of online ads, accessing people across YouTube, Gmail and the Google Discovery feed.
The ads will be targeted by audiences, as opposed to keyword-based search intent, increasing the possibility of an “unexpected discovery” while browsing – something which Google believes customers enjoy.
Also announced was ‘Gallery ads’, which will bring more content into search results.
“By combining search intent with a more interactive visual format, gallery ads make it easier for you to communicate what your brand has to offer,” Raghavan said.
According to Google’s research, ad groups that include one or more gallery have up to 25 per cent more interactions.
Gallery ads will launch later this year.
New ways to shop
Similar to Instagram introducing its in-app purchasing feature last year, Google is looking to create a more immersive online shopping experience.
‘Showcase Shopping ads’ allow consumers to buy products from Google Images and (soon) YouTube without leaving these sites.
It also allows for a comparison between similar products by price or brand.
Google Product Management, Shopping vice president Surojit Chattarjee described the new product as: “a highly visual ad format that incorporates rich lifestyle imagery”.
The latest changes are widely believed to be an attempt to minimise Amazon’s dominance in the ecommerce space.
