A new Google Ads report puts the full customer journey on one screen, and AI Brief expands to give advertisers more say in how their ads behave, just as businesses gear up for Black Friday.
Google has announced two new features for AI Max for Search, giving Nigerian businesses a clearer view of what their Search ads deliver and more control over how those ads behave. Unveiled at DMEXCO in Cologne, Germany, one of the world's largest digital marketing events, the updates are a new reporting feature in Google Ads and an expansion of AI Brief, a tool built with Gemini that lets advertisers guide their ads in plain words.
The new reporting feature shows, in a single view, what a customer searched for, which ad they saw and which page of the business's website they landed on. Advertisers currently piece this together from different parts of their Google Ads account. Bringing it into one place means a business can quickly see which searches its ads are reaching and whether customers are landing on the right pages. The feature will roll out to advertisers around the world, including in Nigeria, later this year.
AI Brief lets advertisers tell AI Max, in their own words, how their ads should work. A business can set what its ads should and should not say, such as "never mention prices"; which searches to focus on, such as "prioritise searches for school uniforms"; and how to speak to different customers, such as "for first-time buyers, highlight free delivery in Lagos." Before a campaign goes live, AI Brief shows previews of sample ads and searches so advertisers can fine-tune them. The tool is expanding as a closed beta around the world, with seven new languages added.
"We're excited to give Nigerian businesses a clearer view of what their advertising delivers," said Olumide Balogun, Director, East & West Africa, Google. "Every naira matters, especially in the weeks before Black Friday. With the new report, business owners will see on one screen the question a customer asked, the ad she saw and the page she landed on, which makes it far easier to decide where their budget works best."
Dan Taylor, Google's Vice President of Global Ads, unveiled the updates in his DMEXCO keynote, where he set out how search is changing. People now ask longer, more detailed questions, and many search by voice or with their phone camera. Searches in AI Mode are three times longer than traditional searches, and one in six is made by voice or image. AI Max, launched last year and adopted by half a million advertisers in its first year, is Google's fastest-growing Search ads product and is built for this shift. It focuses on what a customer means, beyond the exact words typed, and advertisers using it are seeing 27% more conversions, such as sales or enquiries, at a similar cost.
Nigerian businesses can also reach these customers in a new place on the page. Ads now appear above and below AI Overviews, the short AI answers at the top of some Google searches, in more than 200 countries, including Nigeria, reaching two billion people.
For Nigerian businesses, the change is easy to picture. The customer who once typed "generator" now asks which small generator can power a freezer and two fans without using too much fuel. AI Max helps a business reach that customer, and the new report will show exactly which of those questions its ads answered.
"With Black Friday on 27 November and the festive season close behind, now is the time for businesses to set up their peak season campaigns," Balogun added. "Most of these tools already sit inside the Google Ads accounts Nigerian businesses use today, and we want to help them make the most of them."