What does Machine Learning mean in Google Paid Advertising?

Machine Learning is a buzzword in almost every industry today. Artificial Intelligence is a computer system that goes through a process of “Machine Learning” where it is given a large quantity of data that is relevant to the project to understand the intent of its use.

Search Engines are similar, only the data is a lot broader.

When you go to Google and type in the search bar, you’ll see several options in the dropdown “suggestions”. These are often terms that are associated with the topic at hand relating to your past searches as well as the overall scope of Google Searches. Some will be unnervingly close to what you are searching for, just with a word or two. Ever wonder why Amazon and Facebook often suggest so many things that are both oddly specific and vastly opposed to what you were just discussing? This is part of the reason.

For SEO and Digital Marketing, Machine Learning starts with Google’s Ads. Their advertising platform, which works through Google Search Engine and Google Partners, is fed data that you specifically are targeting, in the form of Keywords, the Location of your intended customers, and your Budget. You (or your marketing team) will tell Google how much you want to spend, what you want to focus on, and what ads you wish to use to bring prospective clients to your website.

Machine Learning is used by Google’s Smart Bidding Strategies which will show your ads to those who fit the criteria you gave it. The trouble is finding the happy medium between broad topics and fine precision. You want your company and your services to be discoverable, but for what pertains to you and by whom it would be most useful.

To get the most out of Smart Bidding Strategies, having a Google Ads certified manager and a proper budget for your campaign is important. You will dramatically see improvements in your key performance indicators (KPIs) and likely see more conversions at a lower cost per conversion with a better return on ad spend (ROAS) when you have someone that properly understands the ins and outs of Google Ads.