Feed optimization is a vital part of successful online advertising. Often product data isn’t up to par with advertising channel’s requirements. And if it is, there are always possible improvements to be made to increase performance.
Key Takeaways
- AI is becoming increasingly important in feed management for PPC advertisers, with 50% of professionals wanting AI features from their providers.
- Optimized product feeds are crucial for maintaining a competitive edge in AI-powered campaigns like Google’s Performance Max.
- AI can be used to enhance product images, generate ad copy, discover relevant keywords, and implement dynamic pricing strategies.
- DataFeedWatch by Cart.com offers native AI feed optimization, allowing advertisers to generate better product titles and descriptions, fill in missing attributes, and match products to Google’s categories.
- Using AI in feed management can save time, improve feed quality, and provide better control over optimizations without additional costs.
- Best practices for AI in feed optimization include combining AI with human expertise, continuous testing and adjusting, and staying updated on industry changes.
This is generally a time-consuming task, especially the more data and products that are involved. So it’s only natural that advertisers are on the lookout for ways to automate feed management for PPC campaigns.
In 2024’s PPC Survey, 50% of PPC professionals said that AI was on their wishlist for their feed management provider. However, native AI solutions haven’t been available until recently with feed optimization solutions like DataFeedWatch by Cart.com introducing AI into their platform.
We’ll take a look at 7 ways for PPC advertisers to use AI to manage their product feeds to save time while being more productive and seeing better results.
The importance of feed optimization in the age of AI
As advertising platforms like Google start to introduce more AI-powered campaigns like Performance Max, advertisers have begun to have less control over their campaigns. One of the best ways to maintain a competitive edge is by making sure their product data not only complies with channel requirements, but is also well-optimized.
Fully optimized product feeds have data that’s been strategically transformed. Some common examples include:
- Rearranging product titles to put the important information at the beginning
- Adding extra images
- Creating custom labels to segment products
- Making sure that out of stock products aren’t being advertised
- Keeping prices current (like when sales are happening)
- Removing unprofitable products
These changes to product data can better help advertising platforms know what queries to show your products for, ensure that your data complies with channel requirements, and will make your products look more appealing to shoppers.
4 ways to use AI in feed marketing
Optimizing product feeds is a continual process, often with fair amounts of manual work. Over the last few years, more and more AI tools have become available to advertisers to help make the process more efficient. Advertising platform giants like Google have leaned into providing their users with generative AI features, and NLPs (natural language processors) like ChatGPT have opened new doors to PPC professionals.
Let’s take a look at some ways to use AI for PPC campaigns.
1. Generative AI for mages
Product images are one the most important elements for campaigns like Google Shopping. They give shoppers an immediate idea if your product is the right one for them, or not.
Generative AI tools like Dall-E or Midjourney can be used as a creative starting point for creating product photos, but for now the most practical AI option is using features like Google’s Product Studio to enhance the images you already have. Rather than create completely new images, it uses your existing product photos to create new iterations based on the prompt you give it.
With Product Studio, generative AI is used to:
- Create custom backgrounds for your products. This is helpful if you want to tailor the story your images are telling for specific audiences.
- Remove the background from your images so that your products stand out on their own.
- Increase the resolution of your images without needing to retake photos.
2. Generating and improving ad copy
You can use AI tools like ChatGPT to create a starting point for your ad copy. And like all things AI, the better your prompt, the better the results will be.
Generating copy for a specific product category
For example, ask it something like this: Imagine you are a successful PPC advertiser with a lot of experience creating ad copy. Considering the best practices for ads in the clothing sector, use your expertise to generate eye-catching ad copy that would be the best match for the following headlines…
Then give ChatGPT a list of headlines and tweak the results to best match your needs.
Localizing your ads
Another use is helping with ad copy translations if you’re wanting to advertise in other countries and localize your ads to their native language. You can give ChatGPT your ad copy for it to translate into your desired language.
Get insights into customer pain points
Use ChatGPT as a sounding board for potential pain points that your ideal customers are experiencing. Working these ideas into your ad copy helps shoppers feel seen and identify that your products are the right ones for them.
It’s important to note that you should always double check the keywords, copy, headlines, and information that ChatGPT gives you.
3. Discovering relevant keywords
Keyword research is an important part of PPC campaigns because keywords determine when and where your ads appear. Choosing the right keywords, ensures that your products are reaching the right people and your ad spend isn’t being wasted on irrelevant searches.
Here are some AI-powered tools to use for your keyword research:
- Ahrefs
Ahrefs has built-in AI suggestions in its Keyword Explorer tool to help you brainstorm short and long-tailed keywords tailored to your needs.
Semrush updated its keyword research tool with AI to give users additional information with metrics like Personal Keyword Difficulty and your site’s Topical Authority.
- AnswerThePublic
This AI tool helps you “discover what people are asking about”, giving you an idea of the kind of language your potential customers are using to find products and services like yours.
- Keyword.io
Use this tool to generate long-tail keywords based on real-time search data. This can help you discover keywords that might be less obvious to you, but relevant nonetheless.
Negative keywords
With PPC campaigns, there will also be keywords and phrases that you don’t want your products to show up for. Use AI to generate a list of negative keywords based on the ones you do want to show up for, like in the example below.
4. Implement dynamic pricing
Dynamic pricing is a strategy advertisers use to adjust product prices based on data analysis to decide what is the best price at a given time. There are several AI-powered options to use, like WooCommerce’s ‘Dynamic Pricing & Discounts with AI’ tool.
To make the most out of dynamic pricing, you should keep some things in mind:
- Have clear business goals
For example, is your main goal to maximize your revenue or to increase your profit margins instead?
- Decide what your price triggers will be
This comes down to knowing why shoppers decide to buy a product at certain price points.
- Group products and customers
AI’s ability to analyze data helps identify specific segments for products and customers. Then you can use these groups to introduce prices that meet their unique needs.
3 ways to use AI-powered feed management solutions like DataFeedWatch by Cart.com
Until now, if advertisers wanted to use AI within their feed management strategy, they would have to incorporate moving parts to make it happen. For example, using ChatGPT for creating ad copy and then transferring it to a spreadsheet file. All the solutions we explored above are useful. But besides Google’s features, none of them are directly integrated into your ad campaigns.
However, now that DataFeedWatch by Cart.com has been the first to release native AI feed optimization, advertisers can create better data for their ads, all in one place.
DataFeedWatch was created to automate the process of feed optimization, saving advertisers time and helping them grow their businesses. It now uses its 12 years of experience with feed optimization and management, along with industry best practices, to equip PPC professionals with AI-powered feed optimization.
Let’s take a look at how to use it!
1. Generating better product titles and descriptions
Besides images, product titles and descriptions are some of the most important elements of your ads. They give shoppers the full summary of your product in just a few seconds, and tell the advertising platform when to show your ads.
The keywords and information you include all play a significant role in the success of your ads, as well as the order you place those keywords in. For example, the way you would write a title for a book and an article of clothing are different.
Getting titles right requires effort and industry knowledge.
Instead of needing to research the best title structure for each kind of product you sell, you’ll have titles automatically generated for all of your products with the click of a button. And the same goes for descriptions.
Your source data (usually either your product feed or the store you’ve connected) will be used to create new titles and descriptions that are in line with industry best practices.
This will help your products appear for more relevant searches, all while saving you time and effort.
A/B testing
You can even A/B test the AI-generated product titles against the ones you already have in order to determine which gets the best results. Testing is a great performance-boosting hack for your campaigns.
2. Fill in missing size and color attributes
Oftentimes, product feeds are incomplete and the data needed for certain attributes are located in the wrong fields. This can be time consuming to fix, especially the more products there are, and will lead to product errors for certain categories.
Now advertisers can automatically fill in missing size and color data in the product feeds. DataFeedWatch’s AI scours the source feed for this information and puts it in the right place.
By clearing out these errors and filling the missing data in bulk, you will quickly allow more of your products to be shown, which will increase the chance of getting more conversion.
3. Match products to Google’s ‘product category’ attribute
With over 6,000 product categories in Google’s taxonomy, it’s a time-consuming task to match your products to the best option.
But taking the time to complete this feed optimization step can have a big impact on your campaign performance. The better matched your products are, the easier it will be for Google to know what searches to show your products for.
This whole process is now automated with DataFeedWatch, with the chance to go back in to review and change the chosen product category.
Benefits of using DataFeedWatch AI
Time-saving
Whether you’re a busy ecommerce store owner, working at a PPC agency, an in-house PPC specialist, or something in between, it’s probably true that finding extra time is a big bonus. Now, you’ll save hours on feed optimization and make room for other important tasks.
Better feed quality
With just a few clicks, your entire product feed will be in much better shape than it was before, which will reduce errors and increase the visibility of your products.
Total control
It’s always up to you to decide when to use AI and when to use your own optimizations.
No extra cost
AI-powered feed optimization is included in every pricing plan at no extra cost. Plus, you can get a 15-day free trial of DataFeedWatch and try it out for yourself.
Best practices for using AI for feed optimization
Here are a few key takeaways to keep in mind when incorporating AI into your feed management strategy.
Use your experience to make the most out of AI
While AI is a game changer for productivity, it’s important to pair it with your PPC expertise. Ultimately, you’re the one who knows what’s best for your campaigns.
Test, adjust, and repeat
Running PPC campaigns is to always be testing, learning, and trying new things to find what gets you the best results. That’s why we always recommend A/B testing so that you can have a clear idea of what’s best for your campaigns.
Stay up to date
Things are constantly changing in the PPC world, especially when it comes to AI.
For example, did you know that if you use AI-generated product titles for Google Ads that you should use the [structured_title] attribute rather than just the [title] attribute? Keeping up with changes like these will help you implement AI more effectively into your strategy.
Conclusion
Over the last few years, AI for PPC optimization has taken big strides. Feed management solutions were created with automation in mind, so incorporating more and more AI into them is the logical next step. Whereas art and other uses of AI can be a gray area, PPC campaigns involve large quantities of data, making it a great match for AI.
As AI continues to evolve, its ability to analyze data, predict trends, and automate tasks will mostly likely only grow stronger. For businesses and marketers looking to scale their PPC efforts efficiently, using AI-powered tools is not just an option, but it’s also becoming a necessity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AI in feed management for PPC advertisers?
AI in feed management for PPC advertisers refers to the use of artificial intelligence technologies to optimize product feeds, automate tasks, and improve the overall performance of pay-per-click advertising campaigns.
How can AI help with product image optimization?
AI can enhance product images by creating custom backgrounds, removing existing backgrounds, and increasing image resolution without the need for retaking photos. Tools like Google’s Product Studio use AI to improve product visuals for advertising.
Can AI generate ad copy for PPC campaigns?
Yes, AI tools like ChatGPT can generate ad copy for PPC campaigns. These tools can create starting points for headlines, descriptions, and even help with translations for localized ads. However, it’s important to review and refine AI-generated content.
How does AI assist in keyword research for PPC campaigns?
AI-powered tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, and AnswerThePublic can help discover relevant keywords, including long-tail variations. These tools analyze search data and user behavior to suggest keywords that may be valuable for your PPC campaigns.
What is dynamic pricing, and how does AI factor into it?
Dynamic pricing is a strategy that adjusts product prices based on data analysis. AI-powered tools can analyze market conditions, competitor prices, and customer behavior to suggest optimal pricing strategies for PPC advertisers.
How does DataFeedWatch by Cart.com use AI for feed optimization?
DataFeedWatch uses AI to generate better product titles and descriptions, fill in missing size and color attributes, and match products to Google’s product categories. This native AI solution helps advertisers optimize their product feeds more efficiently.
What are the benefits of using AI-powered feed management solutions?
AI-powered feed management solutions can save time, improve feed quality, provide better control over optimizations, and often come at no additional cost. They can also help reduce errors and increase product visibility in PPC campaigns.
Is AI replacing human expertise in PPC advertising?
No, AI is not replacing human expertise. Instead, it’s a tool that complements human knowledge and experience. PPC professionals should use their expertise to guide AI implementations and interpret results for the best outcomes.
How often should I test AI-generated optimizations in my PPC campaigns?
It’s recommended to continuously test AI-generated optimizations against your existing strategies. A/B testing is a great way to determine which approach yields better results for your specific campaigns and products.
Are there any best practices for using AI in feed optimization?
Yes, some best practices include combining AI with human expertise, continuously testing and adjusting strategies, staying updated on industry changes, and using AI-generated content in compliance with advertising platform guidelines.
