Implications of the most recent Search upgrades for marketers
Vidhya Srinivasan, the Vice President and General Manager of Search Ads and Google Experiences provides insight into key lessons marketers can learn from the annual Google Search On 2022 event, which unveils Google's most recent updates and innovations in Search. She also explores how to optimally utilise these advancements today.
Humans utilise multiple senses and inputs to assimilate information. Traditionally, computers have struggled to interpret the world in a similar fashion. However, recent strides in computer science have bridged this gap.
Google initially embarked on its journey with text search. As time has passed, they’ve integrated more natural methodologies for investigating data, such as visual search with a smartphone camera, verbal questioning, or even humming to identify an elusive song title.
Our latest Search On event showcased our continued expansion beyond the conventional search box to engineer search experiences that assist users in understanding the world in more instinctive and natural ways. Here's a snapshot of the highlights and their implications for marketers.
Aiding individuals in interpreting the world in instinctive, natural manners
It's in our nature to use a mix of inputs when exploring data. That's why Google recently launched multi-search, a novel way to search using images and text simultaneously, similar to pointing at an object and asking a friend about it. Multisearch is globally available in English, and they're eager to extend it to over 70 new languages in the upcoming months.
Part of enhancing the naturalness of search involves making it more visually oriented. Google Maps is broadening its 3D and immersive capabilities, allowing people to virtually explore a location before visiting it. Moreover, advanced computer vision is making picture translations with Lens effortlessly seamless.
A more visual Search is particularly beneficial for shopping. they're striving to simplify online shopping, whether users have a specific item in mind or are searching for inspiration on Google. Now, typing the word "shop" followed by the desired item will generate a shoppable display of products from retailers and brands, emulating online window shopping.
To transition shopping from 2D to 3D, we're assisting merchants in utilising our advanced 3D shopping capabilities. 3D images generate almost 50% more clicks than static ones. However, creating these assets can be difficult for merchants, often necessitating numerous product photos and expensive technology. Soon, they'll facilitate the process for merchants to display their products in 3D, by automating 360-degree scans of objects using just a handful of photos.
The Search On event revealed our commitment to evolving search beyond the traditional search box and making it more instinctive and natural.
Implications for the Future of Advertising
Likewise, for marketers, the evolution of Search paves the way for fresh opportunities to connect with customers in more natural, instinctive ways.
For instance, shoppers seeking products can now peruse visual results featuring more browsable product images across free listings and, in the near future, ads. they're persistently making products more discoverable by introducing novel methods to surface product images, lifestyle shots, and useful information via Shopping ads.
Marketers can capitalise on visual Search with captivating image assets that enliven ads. The recent introduction of landscape images to the mobile results page grants businesses additional flexibility regarding image placement, making it easier for brands to stand out and yield results.
In line with our effort to assist people in expressing themselves in new ways, novel ad experiences will also help consumers connect more effectively with businesses. With Business Messages, customers can directly message brands through Search ads, facilitating prompt information exchange and engagement. If a search necessitates a text-based conversation, it can easily transition. Plus, with a 30-day re-engagement window, marketers can foster relationships with customers, pre and post-sale.
Every announcement from Search On stems from our deep-rooted investment in machine learning and artificial intelligence, which also underpin ads automation. Our state-of-the-art language models have improved human language understanding by 50%, and they're leveraging such advancements to help marketers keep pace with real-time evolution of consumer needs. Broad Match has become even more adept at aligning keywords with user intent, helping brands identify emerging opportunities.
Consider the case of Rothy’s, a footwear and accessory retailer. They fully embraced automation with Performance Max campaigns to amplify results and display their creative assets to customers at a large scale.
Since adopting Performance Max, Rothy’s saw a 60% increase in conversions and a 90% surge in revenue. Kate Barrows, Rothy’s VP of growth, explained their initial hesitations with automation, but the outstanding results spoke volumes. Automation outperforms manual monitoring in staying abreast of customer trends and behaviour.
Automation is a business accelerator. It enables brands to market faster and achieve real-time, reliable ROI.
AI and machine learning are instrumental in identifying new, pertinent information and enhancing performance.
Events like Search On underscore the evolution of Search and the potential for future progress. With these advancements, we're crafting new search and ad experiences that mirror human methods of information processing.
Google’s committed to working with you to stay ahead of the curve and drive performance, even in times of uncertainty. My Search On recap highlights three proactive steps businesses can take today to prepare for the future. Hopefully, you're as thrilled as we are about stepping outside the conventional search box, and it’s exciting to collaboratively shape the future of search marketing with you.
