The digital marketing landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, with AI taking center stage in shaping strategies, optimizing performance, and driving business outcomes. As we are full-on with 2025, AI is no longer a luxury but a necessity for marketers seeking efficiency, scalability, and improved ROI. Google’s Search Ads 360 (SA360) has embraced this transformation by embedding AI into its platform, enabling advertisers to leverage automation, predictive analytics, and real-time optimization. Here’s how SA360’s AI-powered features align with the broader market trends in 2025.
1. Smarter targeting with AI-driven broad match
Market Trend: AI-Enhanced Search Intent Understanding
Consumers increasingly use conversational queries and voice search, requiring more intuitive search strategies. Traditional keyword-based targeting is becoming obsolete, making AI-powered intent recognition essential.
SA360’s Embedded AI Feature: Broad Match + Smart Bidding
Using the broad match keyword setting, powered by SA360’s AI Smart, refines keyword targeting by understanding user intent beyond exact keywords. When paired with AI-driven Smart Bidding in a SA360 portfolio strategy, advertisers can reach the most relevant users dynamically, leading to a reported 35 percent increase in conversions for those switching from exact to broad match.
2. AI-Powered Smart Bidding for Cost Efficiency
Market Trend: Automated Decision-Making in Advertising
Manual bid adjustments are no longer viable in a fast-paced, data-driven environment; it wasn’t in 2020, and so it certainly isn’t in 2025. With more and more user signals being hidden, relying on model and consented data has become the only viable solution. AI-driven automation enables real-time bid adjustments based on user signals and model and consented data sets and campaign performance.
SA360’s Embedded AI Feature: Smart Bidding & Value-Based Bidding (VBB)
VBB Smart Bidding isn’t new, but it uses real-time auction data to optimize conversions at the lowest cost. However, many advertisers get stuck with the fact that they aren’t an e-commerce site and don’t register any conversion value, so what to do next? Value-Based Bidding (VBB) ensures that ad spend is directed towards high-value conversions, aligning with the growing industry shift towards profitability-focused strategies. With SA360, it is easy to connect with other Google products like BigQuery and automate the data collection and modeling to produce target values to be used for with AI-powered bidding strategies in SA360.
3. Performance Max (PMax) for Omnichannel Campaign Execution
Market Trend: AI-Driven Omnichannel Optimization
Consumers interact across multiple platforms, requiring an integrated approach to advertising. AI is crucial in ensuring ads are optimized across search, display, video, and shopping.
SA360’s Embedded AI Feature: Performance Max (PMax)
PMax is now available in SA360, and campaigns leverage AI to dynamically allocate budget and creative assets across all Google channels. Advertisers who adopt PMax see an average 18 percent increase in conversions, showcasing its effectiveness in omnichannel marketing. The benefit of using PMax in SA360 allows advertisers to maximize performance and simplify campaign management by:
- Delivering dynamic ads across multiple inventory channels (beyond Search).
- Customizing Floodlight values to optimize toward the advertiser’s sales and lead goals.
- Assigning budgets and automating optimal bidding based on the likelihood of Floodlight conversions.
- Achieving multiple campaign objectives by setting up more than one Google Ads Performance Max campaign (for example, use a Google Merchant Center feed to inform conversions in one campaign and use offline conversion tracking in another).
4. Advanced Measurement and Optimization
Market Trend: AI-Powered Analytics for Smarter Decision-Making
Marketers demand deeper insights to optimize performance. AI-driven analytics help decode complex consumer behaviors and campaign performance.
SA360’s Embedded AI Feature: Ad Strength & Top Signals Report
The Ad Strength tool provides real-time feedback on ad relevance and performance potential, ensuring optimal setup. Additionally, the Top Signals Report enhances transparency by showing which AI-driven signals contribute most to campaign success.
Final Thoughts: The AI-First Future of Marketing
As AI continues to dominate the marketing landscape in 2025, SA360’s embedded AI features place advertisers at the forefront of innovation. From smart bidding and broad match to omnichannel execution and real-time personalization, AI is redefining how brands connect with consumers. The key to success lies in embracing these intelligent solutions to drive efficiency, scale, and ultimately, better business outcomes.
Marketers who adapt to AI-powered strategies will not only stay competitive but also unlock new levels of growth in the ever-evolving digital space. Are you ready to harness the power of AI in your marketing strategy? If you are, reach out to us at InfoTrust and we will help you power your AI in SA360.
