Google unveils Smart Bidding Exploration

Google is rolling out Smart Bidding Exploration, as announced today at Google Marketing Live 2025. This major update is designed to give advertisers more flexibility – and more conversions – by tapping into previously overlooked search queries.

What’s new:

• Flexible ROAS targets. Advertisers (e.g., mortgage lenders) can now broaden their reach beyond narrow, high-intent searches (e.g., “mortgage rates”) to more exploratory ones (e.g., “how to buy a home”).
• Smarter AI. Built on existing AI-powered tools like AI Max, Smart Bidding Exploration helps campaigns capture high-performing searches from new, unique categories.

Why we care. Digital marketers have long relied on ROAS (return on ad spend) targets to guide automated bidding. But rigid targets sometimes miss high-potential but less obvious searches. Google’s new tool aims to fix that.

About Smart Bidding Exploration. The goal is to give you access to high-potential search queries you may have previously overlooked, like more general or early-stage customer intent. With flexible ROAS targets and expanded AI-driven discovery, campaigns can tap into new demand, driving more conversions without overhauling your strategy, according to Google.

By the numbers. Smart Bidding Exploration, according to internal data from Google (March 11 – April 11), resulted in:

• 18% increase in unique converting search query categories.
• 19% increase in total conversions.

The big picture. This move continues Google’s shift toward AI-driven campaign management, empowering advertisers to go beyond traditional keyword strategies and let machine learning do more of the discovery work.

What’s next. As automation becomes central to ad buying, expect platforms to invest further in tools that blend advertiser goals with open-ended, AI-guided exploration.

Dig deeper. More Google Marketing Live 2025 news from today:

• Google expands ads in AI Overviews, AI Mode to desktop
• New Google AI tools transform Creative Ads, Video Campaigns, Brand Listings
• Google unveils new tools for testing, measurement, data
• Google is putting agentic tools in Ads and Analytics
• Google Marketing Advisor, an AI sidekick for advertisers, coming soon to Chrome

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