Google Ads has changed - a lot.For years, search engine marketing (SEM) success was all about finding the right keywords, bidding strategically, and optimising ad copy. But in 2025, the game is shifting towards understanding the customer journey, audience intent, leveraging AI, and making the most of first-party data.The biggest takeaway? Paid search is looking a lot like organic search; Google is targeting similar behavioural and user-based signals to deliver results, on both sides of the SERP.Last week, we covered how SEO is moving away from keyword-heavy strategies and focusing on content, credibility, and visibility beyond Google. On the paid side of search, a similar evolution is happening:✔ Keywords are taking a backseat to audience signals and user intent (think location, interests and search activity across more than just Google).✔ AI is making campaign management and strategy smarter (but less manual).✔ First-party data is a must for targeting.✔ Google Shopping is an even bigger opportunity than before.📢 So, what should ecommerce brands focus on to stay competitive? Paid search isn’t just about bidding on keywords anymore - it’s about understanding your audience, the customer journey, feeding the right data into Google’s machine learning, and showing up where customers are actually searching.🚀 Let’s break it all down.TL;DR: Key Takeaways for Retail Brands in 2025Google Ads is targeting user behaviour, intent signals, and engagement patterns. Keywords still matter, but knowing who your customers are, how they browse, and what drives conversions is way more important.Google’s Performance Max (PMax) campaigns are now fully AI-driven, optimising placements across Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail, and Maps. This means less manual control but better results - if you feed Google the right data.With privacy changes limiting traditional tracking, owning your customer data is crucial. Tools like Enhanced Conversions help brands collec...