Google unveils AI tools for Nigerian businesses

Google has introduced new AI-powered advertising features to assist Nigerian businesses in tracking the performance of their online ads and managing campaigns more effectively. The features, under Google's AI Max for Search platform, provide clearer information on customer interactions with Search ads. These updates include a new Google Ads reporting feature and an expanded AI Brief tool, a Gemini-powered assistant that allows advertisers to guide campaigns using plain language.

The new reporting feature consolidates data on customers' search queries, the ads they view, and the webpages they subsequently visit into a single view, making it easier for business owners to decide where their advertising budget is most effective. Balogun, Google's Director for East and West Africa, expressed excitement about providing Nigerian businesses with a clearer view of their advertising's impact.

He noted that the new reporting feature would be rolled out globally, including Nigeria, later in the year. Additionally, AI Brief will enable businesses to specify in everyday language what their advertisements should or should not communicate, offering options to avoid mentioning prices, prioritize certain searches, or highlight specific offers to particular customer categories.

Businesses are advised to start planning their peak-season campaigns early, as Black Friday is on November 27, followed by the festive shopping season. Google's Vice-President of Global Ads, Dan Taylor, highlighted that consumers are increasingly using longer, more detailed questions, voice commands, and images when searching online, with searches conducted through Google's AI Mode being three times longer than traditional searches.