Google Marketing Live 2025: 3 Major Updates Your Business Shouldn’t Ignore

If you’re advertising on Google but struggling to increase your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), you should check out Smart Bidding Exploration: a new Google Ads tool that lets you bid on relevant search queries your business might’ve overlooked in the past.

For Smart Bidding Exploration, Google has implemented machine learning to identify suitable search queries likely to result in conversions for your business. The feature also allows you to adjust your target ROAS, which tells Google the minimum return you’d want on every dollar you spend.

How to access this update: You can access this feature from your Google Ads account. Head to the “Campaigns” tab and then look underneath “Settings” to get started.

After integrating ads into AI overviews, Google has now started testing ads in AI Mode. But how will this work? When a user enters a search query into AI Mode, ads may appear during the conversation when they’re contextually relevant. For instance, if a user wants to narrow down their options and make a final purchase decision.

Though this feature is currently in testing, it’s not an update that your business should take lightly. When it does go live, I recommend trying out the feature yourself and seeing if you can identify any patterns in the ads that are shown. That way, you can try and optimize your ads for AI Mode to potentially increase your chances of being seen in the SERPs.

How to access this update: Because this feature is in testing, you won’t yet see these ads in AI Mode. Instead, you’ll need to wait until Google announces a full rollout that could happen later this year – I’ll keep you updated.

To help you better track your marketing metrics, Google also revealed that it had upgraded its AI-driven measurement tools. Now, it’s easier to track your business’ key analytics through features like: 

• Cross-channel measurement – If you’ve added Google Analytics to your business website, you can now track the entire customer journey and gauge your return on investment (ROI) across different marketing channels. For example, you can analyze your current ad performance and adjust your ad spend if needed.
• Lowered incrementality test thresholds – Previously, you had to reach a $100,000 spend threshold on incrementality testing for Google Ads. Google has now lowered the threshold to $5,000. Even better, it has improved its testing methodology, so you can more easily pinpoint the value of your ad campaigns and if they need tweaking.
• Additional data manager tools – By collecting first-party data from different sources – such as Shopify, HubSpot, and Salesforce – Google can store this data in one place and help you make wiser marketing decisions.

How to access this update: You’ll find these improved measurement tools across the different Google properties your business may be using. Currently, incrementality testing and data manager tools are on Google Ads, while cross-channel measurement is accessible from Google Analytics.

Though the three updates above barely touch the sheer number of changes revealed at Google Marketing Live 2025, your business still needs to know about them. In the coming months, these changes could help boost your ad campaigns and acquire more customers online.

But when looking at the latest updates as a collective, one key message is clear: AI-powered marketing solutions are here to stay. Since Google is using AI and machine learning to improve its tools for businesses, you need to stay abreast of these industry innovations. The more informed you are, the easier it’ll be to find suitable tools for your business that can help you achieve your wider goals.