With the rise of video content, immersive formats and mobile consumption, Google Demand Gen is an essential lever for generating demand long before your prospects are actively looking for your product.
A direct successor to Discovery campaigns, Google Demand Gen leverages AI, premium inventories (YouTube, Discover, Gmail) and powerful creative formats to capture the attention of still-cold audiences.
Here are the best practices for maximizing performance and building a true demand generation strategy.
1. Clearly segment your audiences: prospecting vs. remarketing
A common mistake is to mix cold and warm audiences in the same campaign.
To fully exploit the logic of Google Demand Gen :
- Create a campaign dedicated to prospecting
Use your 1st-party data (customer lists, site visitors, CRM data) to build similar audiences (lookalikes). - Create a separate campaign for remarketing
Target users who have already interacted with your content, viewed products or engaged with your videos.
The result: cleaner learning, more precise targeting and greater control over the budget.
2. Rely on a variety of assets: video + images + carousel
Google Demand Gen performs all the better because it offers a wide range of creative ways to test, learn and optimize.
What needs to be integrated :
- Short vertical videos for YouTube Shorts
- Long or horizontal videos for classic YouTube
- Carousels to enhance discovery and exploration
- Multiple image ratios: 1:1, 4:5, 1.91:1, 9:16
- Product feeds (if e-commerce) to boost ads
The more assets you provide, the more the algorithm identifies the best combinations according to audience and placement.
3. Leave enough time and budget for learning
Google Demand Gen acts mainly at the top of the funnel.
This requires :
- A 4- to 6-week learning phase
- Sufficient budget to make conversion signals reliable
On average, Google recommends :
- 15× your target CPA
or - 20× average conversion value for ROAS target
Piloting requires patience and consistency. Results take several weeks to solidify.
4. Prioritize value-based objectives: target CPA, ROAS, conversions
Even if Demand Gen intervenes early in the user journey, it’s essential to connect your campaigns to a clear business objective.
The most suitable lenses :
- Target CPA to generate leads or qualified traffic
- Target ROAS for e-commerce sites
- Conversions to maximize important actions (registrations, product page views, cart additions)
The key is to avoid overly basic metrics (clicks, impressions).
Machine learning performs best when it optimizes for a high-value action.
5. Measure performance with high-funnel KPIs
Google Demand Gen is not a direct conversion lever. To properly assess its effectiveness, focus on the right indicators:
Recommended KPIs :
- Video engagement (views, completion rates)
- CTR on Display and Discover formats
- Commitments on carousel
- Brand search lift
- Volume of qualified traffic
- Assisted / multi-touch conversions
These signals show that demand is emerging. This will improve the performance of your Search, Shopping or Performance Max campaigns.
6. Use your 1st-party data to create powerful lookalikes
Proprietary data is a major asset in Google Demand Gen :
- CRM lists
- website visitors
- repeat buyers/customers
- qualified leads
- YouTube subscribers
This data enables Google to generate highly relevant lookalike audiences, increasing the likelihood of reaching prospects that are truly similar to your current customers.
7. Test different value propositions and key messages
Demand generation relies on the ability to capture attention.
To do this, test several angles:
- customer benefits
- social proof (notices, figures, certifications)
- product differentiators
- special offers
- storytelling about your brand
- demonstration videos
Google Demand Gen rewards content that creates an emotional connection.
8. Combine Google Demand Gen with Performance Max and Search
Demand Gen works particularly well as part of a multi-levier strategy:
- Demand Gen: captures latent demand
- Performance Max: boosts conversion of warmed-up users
- Search: captures explicit demand when users start searching for your brand
It’s a powerful trio for maximizing visibility and conversions.
Conclusion: Google Demand Gen, a strategic lever to be integrated now
Google Demand Gen is becoming an essential tool for brands wishing to :
- increase their visibility,
- reach new audiences,
- strengthen their presence on YouTube and Discover,
- and build a solid funnel top.
By applying these best practices, your Demand Gen campaigns gain in effectiveness, consistency and impact.
To take things further, Knewledge ‘s teams can support you in :
- building your audiences,
- creation of optimized assets,
- structuring your campaigns,
- and top-of-funnel performance analysis.
But above all, success depends on a structured strategy, patient management and a genuine testing culture.
