Google has urged Nigerian businesses to rethink their search advertising strategies ahead of Black Friday and the festive shopping season, as consumers increasingly use longer queries, voice commands, and images to find products and services.
The Director, East and West Africa, Google, Mr Olumide Balogun, gave the advice in a statement in Lagos.
Balogun said businesses should begin preparations early, noting that Black Friday, scheduled for Nov. 27, and the December festive season were critical sales periods, making September and October key months for preparation.
He said that changing consumer behavior meant businesses could no longer rely solely on predicting the limited set of keywords customers might use when searching online.
According to him, Google data show that searches conducted in AI Mode are three times longer than traditional searches, and that one in six searches involves voice or images.
He said Nigerian consumers were increasingly asking detailed questions, using voice commands, uploading pictures and combining English with Pidgin when searching for products.
Balogun advised businesses to focus their advertising on consumer intent rather than anticipating every possible search phrase.
He said Google’s AI Max for Search could help advertisers match their adverts with relevant consumer queries beyond the keywords they had specifically selected.
According to him, about 500,000 advertisers adopted the tool in its first year, with users recording 27 percent more conversions at roughly the same cost.
Balogun also urged businesses to update their Google Business Profiles, particularly their opening hours, telephone numbers, product photographs and responses to customer reviews.
He said consumers could discover products on social media before turning to Google to verify businesses, compare information or locate physical stores.
“An outdated telephone number or incorrect opening hours could cost a business a customer who was already prepared to buy,” he said.
The Google director advised businesses to measure actual sales and inquiries alongside advertising clicks, stressing that clicks alone did not necessarily translate into revenue.
He urged businesses to identify key customer actions, including completed purchases, WhatsApp messages, telephone calls and submitted forms, and track them as conversions.
Balogun also encouraged small businesses to explore AI-assisted tools to produce advertising videos, images, and copy without significantly increasing production costs.
He said businesses could create multiple versions of adverts from existing product materials and test their performance to determine what resonated most with customers.
He further advised retailers to improve product descriptions as more shoppers use cameras and voice commands to search for goods.
According to him, descriptions should include practical details such as product size, color, material and other information customers commonly seek before making purchases.
Balogun said Google had also announced a report that would show advertisers what customers searched for, the adverts displayed and the webpages they visited afterward.
He said the feature, announced at the DMEXCO global marketing event in Cologne, would be introduced later in the year at no additional cost.
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According to him, the report would help businesses understand customers’ questions and assess how their advertising expenditure contributes to sales and inquiries.
Balogun urged Nigerian businesses to start preparing early by updating their online business information before intensifying their Black Friday campaigns.
“The businesses that do best usually get ready in September and October,” he said.
