Google Makes 'Biggest' Update To Smart Bidding

Google released its “biggest” update to bidding in more than a decade on Wednesday at Marketing Live 2025.

Smart Bidding Exploration, a feature that uses AI within Google Ads, will now offer what Google calls “flexible” return on ad spend (ROAS) targets for advertisers. It has the capability to bid on queries that might not meet the standard ROAS targets, but have the potential to convert in the future.

The same business bidding for ad space can now also bid on less obvious but potentially highly valuable queries more often -- for example, a query on "how to buy a home.”

This allows Google AI to find new, qualified leads that the business would not have captured otherwise.

Smart Bidding Exploration was first seen in Google Ads in late September 2024, and the company then published an official help page about the beta in October 2024, according to AI Mode.

This new tool builds on existing features such as AI Max for Search campaigns, which ensures that advertisers are eligible for relevant, intent-driven searches.

When Google touts “smarter” automation, marketers should read the fine print. This so-called “biggest update” to Smart Bidding is just another step in consolidating power away from advertisers and into the hands of opaque algorithms. By tightening control over ad strategy, Google continues to erode transparency and reduce the influence of individual campaign managers—many of whom represent small businesses and grassroots political movements. Conservatives should be wary of this centralization. True digital liberty means maintaining choice and oversight, not surrendering strategy to a black box that ultimately serves Google's bottom line. Innovation in marketing thrives in open systems, not in algorithmic echo chambers controlled by tech giants with unchecked influence over information and access. ~Political Media

Google Makes 'Biggest' Update To Smart Bidding

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