Liam Walsh
Liam is a Co-Director at Intelligency and heads up the agency's Digital Intelligence & Paid Social activity. Over the last decade, he has worked with brands from the world of sports such as Premier League clubs to entertainment such as Channel 4 and Disney.
At Google Marketing Live 2025, Google unveiled Smart Bidding Exploration, an AI-driven enhancement to its automated bidding platform. This new feature aims to help advertisers capture more conversions by expanding the range of search queries their campaigns can target. By introducing greater flexibility in return-on-ad-spend (ROAS) goals, it empowers marketers to reach potential customers earlier in their journey without sacrificing performance.
Broader Targeting for Early-Stage Customer Intent
Traditionally, Smart Bidding strategies focus on highly specific, high-intent searches such as “mortgage rates” or “best running shoes.” While effective, this approach can overlook broader, exploratory queries like “how to buy a home” or “top sneakers for beginners.” Smart Bidding Exploration addresses this gap by allowing more flexible ROAS targets that enable campaigns to tap into these earlier-stage search intents. This helps marketers attract a wider audience and uncover new demand without needing to overhaul their existing strategies.
Enhanced AI-Driven Discovery
Built on Google’s advanced AI technology, including AI Max, Smart Bidding Exploration actively identifies valuable but previously underutilised search queries. This enables campaigns to expand reach while maintaining efficiency dynamically. Early internal data from Google shows promising results, with an 18% increase in unique converting search categories and a 19% lift in total conversions during the test period.
Implications for Advertisers
This update reflects Google’s ongoing commitment to AI-powered automation in digital advertising. Advertisers can optimise performance by leveraging machine learning to explore new opportunities while reducing manual targeting efforts. For digital marketers, Smart Bidding Exploration represents a significant step toward smarter, more adaptive campaign management that balances growth and efficiency.
Stay Ahead by Monitoring Google Updates
As Google continues to evolve its advertising tools, marketers must stay informed and monitor these changes closely. Regularly reviewing campaign performance and adapting strategies accordingly will ensure you’re maximising the benefits of new features like Smart Bidding Exploration and maintaining the best possible results.
