What is AI in search?
The growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in search continues to shape the landscape by leveraging AI-powered algorithms that deliver more relevant and personalised search experiences to users.
By automating tasks and helping to make data-driven decisions, search marketers benefit from better targeting, ad optimization, keyword research, content creation, and overall improved campaign performance – but is it right for your search strategy?
In this guide, we’ll outline how AI driven methodology can play a pivotal role in your search success by adding visibility, control and trust into your campaigns.
Why AI is important in search marketing
Rising CPCs but no idea why? Manually monitoring the SERP to stay on top of competitor moves? It’s no secret, Google’s Auction Insights is limited, leaving search marketers almost blind to campaign performance, competitor movements and market shifts. By leveraging AI within your search strategy, you can expect to gain:
Enhanced data analysis
Analyze key factors such as search trends, user behaviour, and keyword performance to gain valuable intelligence for campaign optimisation.
Advanced targeting and personalization
Segment audiences more effectively by leveraging data on demographics, behaviour, and preferences.
Automation and efficiency
Automate keyword research, ad creation, bid optimization, and performance tracking.
Real-time decision making
Analyze data in real time and make instant decisions based on user behaviour and market trends.
Predictive analytics
Leverage historical data and predictive analytics to forecast future trends, anticipate user behaviour, and make data-driven decisions.
What is AI-driven Search Intelligence and how does it compare to panel data?
We now understand the value that AI can deliver but it’s the data you use to inform your search strategy that will ultimately impact the effectiveness and accuracy. The question for advertisers is this:
“Would you like observed-directional data on your primary channel or a broad set of signals based on a mixture of marketing channels?”
Understanding the difference between panel data and search intelligence will ensure the best choice based on your specific needs and priorities.
Search Intelligence Data:
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- Direct source: Analyzes actual search results directly from search engines like Google. This provides a more real-time picture of what users are searching for and how they interact with those results.
- Focus: Understands user intent behind searches. This helps businesses tailor their offerings and content to better match what users are looking for.
Benefits:
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- Improves website search functionality by showing what users are searching for within the site itself.
- Informs marketing campaigns by revealing user interests and search trends.
- Optimizes SEO strategies by identifying relevant keywords users are actively searching for.
Panel Data:
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- Indirect source: Gathers data from various sources like apps, websites, and browser extensions. This data is then used to estimate user behavior and search patterns.
Potential issues:
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- Accuracy: Estimates can be less accurate than directly analyzing search results.
- Time lag: Data collection and processing can introduce delays, making insights less current.
- Privacy concerns: Data collection from apps and extensions might raise privacy issues for users who may not be fully aware of what data is being collected.
Choosing between them:
- Search intelligence data is ideal for businesses focused on search engine advertising and optimizing their online presence for real-time user behavior.
- Panel data can be useful for broader insights into online traffic patterns across various channels, but may not be the best choice for real-time campaign adjustments.
Moving to AI-powered Search Intelligence
So, you need the efficiencies AI can deliver and you want the granularity that Search Intelligence can provide. Imagine the power you’d have by combining the two.
Adthena is an award-winning search intelligence platform that combines machine learning and AI-driven technology. Unlike alternative platforms such as SEMRush and Similarweb who use panel data, Adthena uses Search Intelligence, providing a much deeper level of coverage on more terms.
Adthena Search Intelligence
Here’s how Adthena Search Intelligence works:
- Massive data collection: We continuously analyze millions of search terms, examining them repeatedly to build a comprehensive picture of the auction landscape.
- AI-driven competitor insights: We leverage this vast data pool, accumulated over years, to estimate key metrics like click-through rate (CTR) and cost-per-click (CPC) for every competitor we encounter.
- Machine learning optimization: Our advanced models, powered by supervised and unsupervised machine learning, refine these estimates for each competitor.
But what makes our predictions truly powerful? We go beyond basic data. Our models analyze real-time search results pages, considering factors like:
- The number of competitors bidding: Knowing how crowded the auction is crucial for strategic decision-making.
- Competitor ad placement: Ad position significantly impacts user behavior. We factor this in.
- Competitor page content: The elements on your competitor’s landing page can influence their CTR. Our AI takes this into account.
- Natural language processing: We use cutting-edge NLP techniques to extract valuable insights from competitor content.
Optimize your campaign with the power of AI and guided analytics
- Monitor market conditions and forecast performance Infringements
- Exploit competitive gaps with unrivalled data clarity
- Uncover valuable new search terms – or ones you’re missing
- Discover new insights with AI-driven segmentation
See your entire competitive landscape
In a highly competitive blind auction, how do you see what you are doing? Adthena’s award winning technology, Whole Market View uses machine learning and AI, to go beyond what Google shows you.
Whole Market View will first take your keywords and competitor keywords and combine this with your search queries and your rivals search queries. This is then filtered for quality to create a unique search map that will automatically gather competitive analysis on your markets, every day, helping you to:
- Analyse your market and rivals
- Uncover risks and opportunities
- Improve ROI in search
How to use AI-driven Search Intelligence
AI-driven Search Intelligence will give you a deeper understanding of your market, help identify hidden opportunities, and ultimately outperform your competition. By analyzing vast amounts of data, AI can uncover competitor strategies, market trends, and brand protection insights you wouldn’t be able to see otherwise – but how do you use it?
Monitor competitor and market trends
Adthena’s Market Trends report uses AI-driven search Intelligence to reveal hidden threats and opportunities in your paid search landscape. Here’s how:
- Unmask competitor strategy: Market Trends reveals more than just who your competitors are. It exposes their activity, spending habits, and key metrics that define their market position. This goes beyond what basic tools like Auction Insights offer.
- Gain insights into seasonal trends and fluctuations: This allows you to adapt your strategy in advance, capitalizing on peak periods and avoiding potential downturns.
- Optimize for peak performance: See how your market share, impressions, spend, and ad position compare directly to competitors. This uncovers hidden opportunities to refine your campaigns and maximize their effectiveness.
- Contextualize performance metrics: Market Trends goes beyond just numbers. It shows you what’s driving competitor market share across different areas like paid text ads, organic search results, and product listing ads (PLAs) on both mobile and desktop devices. This comprehensive view allows you to understand the “why” behind the data.
See Market Trends in action. Take an interactive platform tour.
Monitor competitor’s PPC market share
With Adthena’s Market Share report, you can understand your PPC Market Share and see who’s winning in your market
- Uncover your competitors moves: See their activity, spending, and key metrics beyond what Google offers.
- Gain unprecedented visibility: Track competitor share of clicks, impressions, and spend across paid search, organic results, and PLAs (mobile & desktop).
- Optimize for dominance: Identify hidden opportunities, benchmark your performance, and make data-driven decisions to rule your market.
See Market Share in action. Take an interactive platform tour.
Automate and save on brand bidding
When your brand is #1 for a term in both paid and organic rankings, with no other bidder, why should you pay for those clicks? We call these “Lone Rangers”.
With around-the-clock monitoring, Brand Activator will index your targeted brand terms to identify Lone Rangers. These are then automatically deactivated and added to your negative keyword list and automatically reactivated when a competitor re-enters the auction.
You can even whitelist other domains you own or your affiliates, so you’re not competing against other brands that are on the same team.
Catch trademark infringements
Trademark infringement in paid search happens when a competitor uses your protected trademark in their ad without your permission, potentially misleading customers about the source of the product. This can divert clicks and hurt your brand.
Adthena’s Infringement Tracker lets you continually map and monitor all competitive and partner activity around your brand terms. Around the clock, we provide a complete AI-powered map of all brand bids and infringements in your competitive search universe.
With Adthena’s Infringement Tracker, you can:
- Make informed budget decisions on your brand terms.
- Proactively monitor your entire digital brand landscape.
- Prevent partners and affiliates from cannibalizing clicks.
- Spot infringements and protect your brand value.
See Market Share in action. Take an interactive platform tour.
Detect affiliate Ad Hijacking
Affiliate ad hijacking is the process of affiliates creating fake ads, using your brand name and targeting your keywords. They steal clicks through disguised links, earning commissions that aren’t rightfully theirs.
With Adthena’s Ad Hijacking Detection solution, you can monitor and report thousands of instances of affiliate ad hijacks across hundreds of affiliate networks. Automatically detect when an affiliate impersonates your ad and get evidence of fraud including ad screenshot and affiliate ID.
React to competitive movements
Google won’t alert you when competitors ramp up spending, leaving you at risk of losing valuable ad space or overpaying for clicks.
Smart Monitor leverages AI to monitor your search term groups, alerting you to competitor movements so you can continue to hit your volume targets and drive sales at an efficient cost.
Get insights on competitor movements across different groups, see where they’re gaining traction, and discover the campaigns, keywords, and ad formats they’re using to win market share.
Meet your AI-powered data analyst for instant insights
Imagine having a dedicated data analyst by your side, ready to answer any questions you have about your market landscape!
Ask Arlo, the new dedicated data analyst, leverages real-time GenAI to answer questions about your own search data and receive instant, tailored responses and reports directly within the Adthena platform:
- Uncover hidden insights: Ask about market share, performance, and trends.
- Provide instant clarity: Get answers in seconds, not hours.
- Visualize your data: Get clear trends and insights to share with stakeholders.
Conclusion: See into the black box with AI-powered Search Intelligence
Rising CPCs, limited data, and a lack of trust in Google Ads are leaving search marketers in the dark. But there’s a solution: AI-driven search intelligence.
Adthena utilizes AI to unlock unparalleled visibility into your competitive landscape. Unlike panel data tools, Adthena analyzes real search results, providing a more accurate and real-time picture of user behavior and competitor strategies.
This empowers you to:
- Uncover hidden opportunities: Identify gaps in your strategy and capitalize on competitor weaknesses.
- Optimize for peak performance: Make data-driven decisions to maximize campaign effectiveness and ROI.
- Gain a complete view of the market: Understand competitor activity, market trends, and your overall market share.
Don’t be left in the dark. Embrace AI-powered search intelligence and dominate your paid search landscape. Book your Adthena demo.
