Google has announced some new tools to help advertisers maximize their ad campaigns, including updated recommendations based on evolving search trends, new tools for managing your campaigns on the go, and improved transparency into its automated ‘Smart Bidding’ process.

First off, with search behaviors changing significantly amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Google has highlighted the rising value of its Recommendations page, which is available within your Google campaigns and in the Google ads app.

As per Google:

“For example, “Keywords & Targeting” recommendations make it easy for you to find new trends that are relevant to your business. More than 16 million keyword recommendations in Google Ads are based on market trends, with new recommendations added every day.”

Google says that one brand, Artnaturals, was recently able to increase its site traffic by 700% by using the Recommendations listing to detect the rise in search interest in ‘organic hand sanitizer’ and soaps.

Some of these trends will likely be obvious, but it is interesting to note the potential nuance within Google’s full search log, which could help you identify new opportunities for your campaigns.

The functionality itself here is not new, but Google is looking to make Recommendations available on more surfaces, including Google Ads Editor.

“We’ve also added support for recommendations and campaign level optimization score to the Google Ads API, and account-level optimization score will be coming soon. This will make it even easier for you to review, manage and act on your recommendations at scale.”

That could be a worthy consideration for your campaigns.

In addition to this, Google’s making its Performance Planner tool, which estimates campaign clicks and conversions based on variable spend levels, available for Display and App campaigns, in addition to Search and Shopping promotions.

Again, with so many new trends emerging and evolving during the pandemic, using Performance Planner can help to identify significant shifts, and tap into consumer behaviors.

Google’s also adding more transparency into its Smart Bidding process, which automates your ad bids based on performance.

“In the coming weeks, you’ll be able to create, monitor and manage your portfolio bid strategies across accounts at the manager account level. By combining campaigns from different accounts into a single portfolio, it’ll be easier to drive more performance across those accounts. As part of this update to portfolio bidding, bid strategy reports will be available for your new cross-account bid strategies.”

This, in addition to more explanations as to how Smart Bidding works, will make it easier to advertisers to get a better view of their ad performance.

And lastly, Google’s also launched manager accounts within the Google Ads app, which will enable marketers to view and manage their Google Ads accounts on the go.

As you can see here, the option will provide you with a range of ways to view Google’s recommendations, and update your campaigns from within the app.

The updates will provide more ways to optimize your Google campaigns, with a specific focus on aligning with market shifts during the COVID-19 changes. And as Google notes, those shifts, both regionally and on a broader scale, can have a significant impact on consumer interest.

Tapping into them at the right time could have major benefits.

You can read more about Google’s latest updates here.