Beyond the form fill: Mastering lead quality in the AI era

From tracking fragmented online-to-offline user journeys to navigating conversion windows that can stretch for months, lead gen marketers face a set of challenges that are uniquely complex. In this episode of Ads Decoded, we’re looking past the simple form fill to discuss how practitioners can master lead quality in an era of signal loss and AI-driven consumer behavior. Join Ads Product Liaison Ginny Marvin, Mimi Forsythe (Global Head of Lead Gen Solutions) and Lydia Azaret (Lead Gen Measurement PM) as they break down the steps needed - from lead scoring to data hygiene - to enable your campaigns to deliver high quality lead volume. 00:00 - Better intent = higher lead quality 02:50 - What Search behavior shifts mean for lead gen advertisers 04:59 - Seeing YouTube as a lead gen performance channel 06:15 - Why Google tells lead gen advertisers to map out their full customer journey 08:15 - How Data Strength drives performance and value for lead gen advertisers 13:15 - Why better understanding of intent across the customer journey results in high-quality leads 15:08 - How do I figure out the right conversion action to bid to? 17:40 - How do I build Data Strength? 20:04 - How do I get the most from my first party data? 21:49 - What is Enhanced Conversions for Leads? 24:14 - What are my must-dos as a lead gen advertiser? 25:49 - Should I be using lead gen conversion actions? 27:45 - What do I need to know when choosing a Smart Bidding strategy with lead gen goals? 30:13 - What if I don't have qualified, converted, offline purchase events to pass back to Google Ads? 32:10 - What is Journey Aware Bidding? 33:55 - Lead gen best practices for creative and asset generation 36:35 - How should lead gen advertisers be thinking about Creator ads? 37:21 - Can lead gen advertisers trust generative assets? 38:33 - Tips for using lead form assets 40:26 - The key action items for lead gen advertisers from this episode Find Ginny on LinkedIn at https://goo.gle/4aFEw4I and on X as h