Google Ads news
Canada fee
As of 1 October 2024, Google will begin adding a new ‘Canada DST Fee’ surcharge to your next invoice or statement for ads served in Canada. This means that invoices or statements for Ads served on or after 1 October 2024 will include a surcharge at a rate of 2.5% for ads served in Canada.
New Cross-Channel budgeting GA4
Of course, Brais Calvo Vázquez discovered a new Alpha from GA4!
Cross-channel budgeting in Google Analytics 4 enables you to analyze performance trends in your historical data to help determine where to invest incremental dollars or adjust budgets for in-flight and future media initiatives.
Cross-channel budgeting includes the Budgeting Overview and the Projections Report. Cross-channel budgeting is currently in a closed alpha and only available to those users!
Control budgets mail
Natasha Kaurra got this mail that she can now control how often she will be charged!
Mature cosmetic
On September 3, 2024, the Google Ads “Sexual content policy – Mature cosmetic procedures” will be updated to allow pubic hair grooming ads to serve on the Google ad network (including Display and YouTube) in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Poland, South Korea, United Kingdom, and United States.
Google Ads Flag test
Tyler Bear-van Staden just sent me this picture that shows that Google is now testing with a flag in the shopping Ads!
Shopping outrage
Google Ads had a big shopping reporting outage!
Smart campaigns gone
Vishal Nihalani just sent me this picture where smart campaigns are missing. I could also not find them. Are they gone in this interface?
New dashboard automated leads
Ben Fisher discovered that the new dashboard is live for automated lead disputes!
Charging change
Thomas Eccel found out that Google is now really going to force you to change your billing….
New consent tab
Hana Kobzová discovered that Google Ads gained a new tab dedicated to consent settings! Found by pierre JOURDAN
Tinuiti 2024 Q2
Tinuiti has released their 2024 Q2 report!
– Ad spend up 14%
– Shopping spend up by 16%
– YouTube up by 28%.
For more information visit this link.
Business name below call extension
Lori Gilstrap discovered that Google is now showing the business name below a call extension.
Bug
Benjamin Wenner discovered a bug for people who import their Google feed to Microsoft Ads. Make sure to check if it is working correctly for you.
Value-based bidding for lead gen serie
Next week, Ginny Marvin will be sharing quick tip videos on using value-based bidding for lead gen. You can check the trailer here.
Google Tag Manager’s custom template APIs update
Simo Ahava discovered that you can now write unit tests for complex APIs that return an object (Firestore, LocalStorage…). For more information visit this page.
Ads for consideration
Barry Schwartz wrote that Adam Bradley found this new ads section for your consideration!
BREAKING NEWS
Smart campaigns are goneVishal Nihalani just texted me that smart campaigns are gone and that they will transition in Pmax campaigns!
Bug Demand Gen
Leslie Drechsler discovered this bug where Google Ads mislabels Demand Gen campaigns as Display Network!
Google has a monopoly?
A U.S. federal judge ruled that Google has violated antitrust laws, declaring it a monopoly in the search industry.
This decision could significantly alter how users access information online. The court found that Google maintained its monopoly by spending billions on exclusive contracts with companies like Apple, hindering competitors such as Microsoft’s Bing and DuckDuckGo.
Judge Amit Mehta’s ruling stated that Google violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act by engaging in anticompetitive behavior.
While the court did not find a monopoly in search ads, the case is considered one of the largest antitrust cases since the Microsoft case in the early 2000s.
The ruling may lead to penalties for Google, potentially including a “choice screen” for users to select their preferred search engine and a monetary fine.
Google plans to appeal the decision, asserting that its popularity stems from being the best search engine.
The case against Google marks a significant victory in a series of antitrust lawsuits against Big Tech companies.
The decision might also impact future antitrust cases against other tech giants like Apple and Amazon, signaling the government’s stance against exclusive contracts used by monopolistic firms.
Additionally, the ruling could affect Google’s dominance in artificial intelligence, as control over search data provides a significant advantage in AI development.
The ruling emphasizes the broader implications for business contracts and the economy, possibly influencing other tech antitrust cases and highlighting the risks of exclusive agreements.
Critics argue that this decision benefits Microsoft more than consumers, as it might lead to Bing becoming the default search engine in some cases. The outcome could change the landscape of internet use and competition in the tech industry.
Recommended
Thomas Eccel discovered that Google is now pushing the networks with a new recommended name behind the search partners network and the display network!
Slideshow shopping
Looks like Google is again testing with slideshows in shopping! Found by Felix Mayo.
Python 3.8
In October 2024, Python 3.8 will reach end-of-life and will no longer be supported by the Python Software Foundation.
Once Python 3.8 officially reaches end-of-life status, it will also no longer be supported by the Google Ads client library for Python.
– Python 3.7 users will lose access to the API when v15 is sunset on September 25, 2024
– Python 3.8 users will lose access to the API when v18 is sunset in Q3 or Q4 2025.Any library users currently relying on Python 3.7 or 3.8 should upgrade their systems to Python 3.9 or higher as soon as possible.
Half-screen video ads
Anthony Higman discovered a new YouTube format featuring half-screen video ads.
Pantheon
Christoph Scherf posted that Google has launched open-source solutions that enhances server-side GTM.
This tool enables businesses to gather, transform, and share first-party data.
This empowers improved reporting, bidding, audience management, and data pipelines. For more information go to this website.
New box test
Vijay Chauhan 📈 & Barry Schwartz discovered that Google is testing with featured options box in Ads!
LSA profile photos
Starting today Google will begin selecting photos from your LSA profile to show in your ads.
New sitelink design
Anthony Higman discovered this new sitelink design!
Forced payment change
Thomas Eccel discovered this new account switch tool for accounts that need to change to monthly credit card invoicing!
Google announced the release of v17_1 of the Google Ads API
Key Updates:
– ShareablePreviewService.GenerateShareablePreviews() generates the URLs for shareable ad previews for enabled and paused asset groups. The URLs are available for a limited amount of time and the expiration date is returned in the response.
– AdGroupAdService.RemoveAutomaticallyCreatedAssets() allows you to remove specified automatically created assets linked to Responsive Search Ads.
– Support for returning ASSET_GROUP as a new Change Status resource type.New report for retrieving offline conversion diagnostics, offline_conversion_upload_conversion_action_summary. This supports returning information about the overall health of your conversion upload and adjustment processes at the conversion action level.
– Added metrics to the offline diagnostics reports to convey the number of uploaded conversions that are still being processed. See Monitor offline data diagnostics for updated information.
– Added segments.sk_ad_network_version which represents the version of the SKAdNetwork API, such as 3.0, 4.0.
– Support for segmenting per_store_view based on segments.date.
– Support for retrieving information related to standard bidding strategies for video campaigns (Fixed CPM (cost per thousand impression) and Target CPV (cost per view)) using reports.
– Added segments.ad_format_type to segment some compatible reports (such as ad_group and campaign based on the video ad format type.
LSA Bug
Tom Waddington discovered this bug in LSA!
New formatting options for the bin calculated field type in Looker Studio:
New formatting options for the Bin calculated field type let you customize the appearance of ad hoc numeric tiers. These options include:
Interval “[x,y)” — This format displays the range including x, and up to but not including y.
Integer “x to y” — This format must be used with discrete integer values (such as age).
Relational “>= x and < y” — This format is best used with continuous numbers (such as dollars).
GMC Bug
Marko Rajkovic discovered that the classic merchant center has an error when you go to the price competitiveness report!
New Google Ads recommendation!
Hana Kobzová posted that Casey Gill found this new recommendation!
Promotion SDF
Google has announced the promotion of the Structured Data Files (SDF) QA format to general availability!
Google Bug Fixed
Hana Kobzová discovered that the Google Ads Outage is now fixed.
The issue has been going on since August 1st, Google Ads was experiencing a data breach showing competitor data and you could now see product results.
Value-based bidding
Google released a few new videos on value-based bidding!Check them here.
New enhanced conversion features
Thomas Eccel discovered that Google Ads upgraded its enhanced conversion Diagnostics Tab with coverage over time and impact! Big update 🔥
Pausing keywords
Google should have begun pausing keywords that had no activity over the last 13 months. Note that this should not be the case for paused campaigns. Thanks for posting Barry Schwartz.
Sunset commission(per Stay) & per Conversions
Rudolph Dekker discovered that Google is extending the sunset timeline for existing campaigns to February 20, 2025.
Google recommends shifting your campaigns’ bid strategies ahead of this date, in order for your campaigns to continue running. Reconciliation for Commissions per Stay will be offered for 9 months post deprecation, until November 30, 2025.
Delayed product data specifications
The following product data specifications are delayed until May 2025. Pickup method [pickup_method] will be optional for Local Inventory Ads.
Removing energy_efficiency_class attributes.Removing the use of the price [price] attribute for down payments when used in combination with the installment [installment] attribute.
For more information visit this link.
Google Ads API update
Georgi Zayakov posted that Google announced that offline conversions & conversion adjustments can be uploaded immediately after the original conversion. No more waiting time of 24 hours!
Extra Pmax videos
Google has launched a few extra videos for Pmax! Watch them here.
U.S. May Force Google to Sell Chrome, Android, or Ads Amid Antitrust Concerns
The U.S. Justice Department is reportedly considering forcing Alphabet, Google’s parent company, to sell off one of its units, such as Chrome, Android, or Google Ads, due to antitrust violations.
While a breakup seems unlikely, the possibility is being explored.
Alternatives include restricting Google’s search agreements or requiring data sharing with competitors. Notably, YouTube was not mentioned in these considerations, despite its significant ad revenue.
The impact on SEO and ad strategies remains uncertain, but the situation is being closely watched.
YouTube fewer and longer Ad Breaks
YouTube has found that 79% of viewers prefer grouped video ads rather than those spread throughout a video.
To address viewer preferences, YouTube has implemented fewer and longer ad breaks for users watching long videos on connected TVs.
This change has increased viewer engagement, allowing for 50% longer viewing sessions before the next ad. Users still have the option to skip ads after five seconds, and if they click “next,” they move forward to the next ad, reducing the timer.
Advertisers don’t need to take any action, as these changes aim to enhance the viewing experience and maximize engagement while maintaining opportunities for advertisers to reach their audience.
Update Limited Ad Serving policy
In September 2024, Google will update its Limited Ad Serving policy to include ads on YouTube.
Unqualified advertisers will have impression limits on their YouTube Ads while they build trust with Google and our users to become a qualified advertiser.
Implementation will begin gradually, and all advertisements on YouTube will be subject to limited ad serving by 2026.
New Pmax insight
Anna Simpson discovered that Google Ads has introduced new conversion and conversion value columns for assets!
More shopping Ads
Barry Schwartz posted that Google has confirmed it is testing more than 10 ads (some 18) in the Google Shopping ad box!
Google Ads API V15
Google Ads API v15 will sunset on September 25, 2024. After this date, all v15 API requests will begin to fail. Migrate to a newer version prior to September 25, 2024 to ensure your API access is unaffected.
Dispute Leads
Anthony Higman discovered a way how you still can dispute lead for LSA, go check it out.
New LSA Policy
Google has sent out a mail to advertisers about the new policy in which they are adding pictures automatically to LSA.
Demand Gen campaigns
Thomas Eccel found out that he can now finally exclude placements in bulk for his Demand Gen Campaigns!
Generic shipping names
Hana Kobzová discovered that Google automatically assigns generic names to shipping methods without offering an option to rename them in Merchant Center Next! Below you see an example.
xwf.google.com
Natasha Kaurra got an email from an xwf.google.com address. Note that this address is from external Google partners!
Political content update
Zeeshan Ali just texted me that in August 2024, Google will update the regional restrictions under the political content policy to include additional restrictions in Canada.
Looker Studio updates:
New Looker and Looker Studio shared terms and concepts glossary:
A new Looker and Looker Studio shared terms and concepts glossary is available.
This resource compares and contrasts terms and concepts that are used in common between Looker and Looker Studio, including some that have similar-seeming naming conventions but different functionality.
Sort list controls by any metric:
List controls now support sorting the options on any metric, rather than just the reference metric.
Google removed audience recommendations?
Melissa Mackey discovered that Google Ads has removed audience recommendations from the insights tab.
Dynamic promotions
Hana Kobzová discovered that dynamic promotions in GMC Next are gradually being rolled out.
Outdated Ads
Even Google is running outdated ads! Found by Arpan Banerjee
Crazy Bug
Felix Mayo texted me that Google for one day showed a small amount of ads traffic from other Merchant Centers in his account! Crazy bug.
Real-time bidding depreciate
Georgi Zayakov just send me that The Google Real-time Bidding protocol is deprecated and will sunset on February 15th, 2025. As previously announced, Google plans to no longer send bid requests to endpoints configured to use that protocol after it is sunset!
Further rollout of WhatsApp assets for Google Ads
Aleksejus Podpruginas discovered that Google is further rolling out WhatsApp assets to However, this exciting extension is only available in:
🇦🇷 Argentina
🇨🇴 Colombia
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🇮🇩 Indonesia
🇲🇾 Malaysia
🇲🇽 Mexico
🇵🇪 Peru
🇸🇬 Singapore
🇹🇭 Thailand
A few months ago it was only available in Brazil and India!
Are your YouTube videos optimized for success?
Catherina Tindal posted that Google launched a new open-source solution called the ABCDs Detector. This tool shows you how well your videos align with best practices for effective YouTube campaigns (“ABCD principles”) in an automated way.
Pmax Modification form
Hana Kobzová discovered that Google made some changes to the Pmax modification request form! In March they already changes excel file, that change was found by Natasha Kaurra.
Holiday 2024 best practices
Craig Graham posted that Google will hold the Holiday 2024 best practices on September 10. You can join here.
Video Lineups
Emirhan Bayutmuş discovered that you can now select “Video Lineups” also in “Video view” campaign! Before you could choose only it in Youtube Select campaigns.
Smart matching bug
Ginny Marvin stated that this smart matching bug happened after a small traffic experiment between 8/13/2024 and 8/14/2024 that incorrectly attributed traffic under this previously turned down “Smart Matching” designation. Advertisers will not be charged for these clicks, and Google has reverted the change!
New Pmax Design change
Zeeshan Ali discovered that the Google ads have a new design for Pmax! The final URL is now above the asset generation.
GCD Parameter change
Simo Ahava discovered that the “gcd” parameter in Google tag requests, which encodes the flags and settings for Consent Mode, seems to have been updated recently with a new flag “9l”.
New installation method GA4
Himanshu Sharma discovered that Google now recommends the manual installement function.
v202408 Google Ad Manager API
Google announced that v202408 of the Google Ad Manager API is available starting today, August 21, 2024.
This release brings support for setting contextual targeting with ContentLabelTargeting and VerticalTargeting.
It also adds AdsTxtService for reading MCM supply chain diagnostics.In reporting, the VIDEO_PLACEMENT_NAME dimension has been replaced by the VIDEO_PLCMT_NAME dimension which reflects the updated IAB definition.
For the full list check this page.
Shopping Feed Learning Series
Google Shopping Feed Learning Series is being held on 27 of August at 11:30.
This session aims to guide brands on leveraging Google Merchant Center Feeds for business growth.
Google Video Partners
Thomas Eccel discovered a new Demand Gen feature called 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬.
This new feature allows Demand Gen campaigns to appear not just on Google-owned properties like YouTube but also on various publisher websites.
This expansion potentially increases ad reach by allowing campaigns to participate in auctions outside of YouTube, which may be lower-rated.
However, this increased reach could come with a trade-off in terms of traffic quality…
Netflix Inventory
Google announced that Netflix inventory is now LIVE in Display & Video 360 (DV360). You can now gain direct access to Netflix inventory through private marketplaces in DV360, and you’ll soon be able to leverage the power of Netflix ads through programmatic guaranteed. Read more here.
New GA4 Audience
Felix Mayo discovered this new audience in GA4 called Arts & entertainment!
Open beta Microsoft automated bidding
Google announced a new open beta for Microsoft automated bidding. Now all advertisers will have access to the feature in Search Ads 360!
Crypto change policy Switzerland
In September 2024, Google will update the Cryptocurrencies and related products policy to clarify the scope and requirements for the advertisement of cryptocurrency related business and services.
Looker Studio update
Conditional formatting for collapsed pivot table charts
You can now apply single-color conditional formatting to collapsed pivot table charts.
Partner Connector launch update
The following partner connectors have been added to the Looker Studio Connector Gallery:
Adobe Commerce (Magento) By Supermetrics
CTM: Call Log By CallTrackingMetrics LLC
Piano Analytics By Catchr
ClickUp By Bay Leaf Digital
TikTok By Gladior B.V.
WooCommerce By Data Bloo
Semactic SEO Data By Semactic
Piwik PRO Analytics By Piwik PRO
Metrihub By Metrihub
Klaviyo By Power My Analytics
Similarweb website analysis By Similarweb
Start pausing low-activity keywords
Found by Scott Carruthers, Google has started pausing low activity keywords in accounts…!
GA4 Update
Google now processes the session_start event more completely when your property is linked to Google Ad Manager and you use the send_page_view=false configuration. The change will help you more accurately measure user sessions.
Merchant Center Rollout
Google has announced that by September 2024, all retailers will be upgraded to the new Merchant Center Next platform, which will replace the classic Merchant Center.
This updated platform offers several enhancements, including: Product Studio: An AI-powered tool to help retailers create marketing content more efficiently.
Enhanced Insights: A new analytics tab that provides comprehensive data and reports, including pricing insights, competitive visibility, and retail-specific search trends.
Improved Usability: The platform is designed to be more user-friendly, with easier navigation, streamlined website verification, and pre-populated product information to save time. Advanced users can also customize the platform with additional features.
These updates aim to make it easier for businesses to manage their product presence across Google and gain valuable insights into their market performance.
Display & Video 360 Update
- Sunset of Oracle Audiences: As of September 30, 2024, all third-party audiences from Oracle (including BlueKai, Datalogix, and AddThis) will be removed from Display & Video 360. This includes their removal from any targeting within campaigns, and any line items relying solely on these audiences will be paused. Advertisers will also lose the ability to share first-party CRM audiences onboarded by BlueKai.
- Transition from Bidswitch: Display & Video 360 will transition from using Bidswitch for select sub-exchanges to direct integrations with certain premium exchanges. These include Kargo, Media.net, Sharethrough, Nexxen, and Yieldmo. Current targeting through Bidswitch will automatically migrate to these direct integrations.
- New Insertion Order Objectives: A new feature for insertion orders will allow the selection of specific objectives, which will determine the default KPIs, line item types, and bid strategies. This will streamline the setup process and enable AI-driven optimizations aligned with the selected KPI. Existing orders will default to “insertion order without objective,” but users can choose to set a specific objective later.
These updates aim to improve campaign management and targeting efficiency in Display & Video 360.
New design test
Thomas Eccel discovered two new design tests this week:
– Carousel Image Assets in Local Search Ads (Pmax)
– URL greyed
Search Ads
Ankit Saxena discovered that Google is testing a new search ad format that resembles Google Maps sponsored ads with added features see business information.
YouTube has announced an upgrade to its partnership with Shopify.
Eligible Shopify Plus and Advanced merchants in the U.S. can join the YouTube Shopping affiliate program.
With this update more merchants can make their products available for creators to tag in their shopping content
Remarketing Audience for YouTube viewers
Georgi Zayakov discovered that when creating a remarketing audience for YouTube Viewers you have the option to “Select a video made by a YouTube creator”!
Google can disable your conversion tracking!
Starting from April 2024, Google has begun to ramp up its consent audit program to ensure compliance with our longstanding EU user consent policy.
This consent mode requires consent from users in the EEA for the collection, sharing and use of personal data for personalisation of ads.
Make sure you have implemented consent mode because advertisers who fail the audit will face enforcement actions such as: suspension of remarketing lists or disabling conversions tracking.
This will impact:
– Reach potential customers
– Measure the effectiveness of your campaigns
– Optimise performance
– Understand your return on investment (ROI)
Still need to implement Consent mode? Send me a personal message I will send a video + a 10% discount code on Cookiebot.
Policy for video inventory
On 23 September 2024, Google will move the existing policies for video inventory from the Google Publisher Policies to a section under the Google Publisher Restrictions as video inventory restrictions.
Video inventory that contains content which is restricted, as specified under the list of Video inventory restrictions, may receive less advertising than other, non-restricted content.
Google is also making editorial updates to improve clarity and readability in the video inventory restrictions without changing the requirements.
1. Video inventory and ad controls must not be obstructed, hidden, or non-functional unless activated by a single user action (e.g., scrolling, tapping).
2. For sticky placements, the video player must start in the main content and only become sticky as the user scrolls it off the page.
Pmax Bug
Pmax campaigns are showing no data at the placement section. This is a bug and you should check the placement report at Insights and Report > Report Editor > Pmax placement.
New GA4 feature
Brais Calvo Vázquez discovered that Google Analytics 4 is introducing a Benchmarking feature that lets you compare your business’s performance with others in the same industry.
To access it, you need to enable Modeling contributions & business insights in Account Settings, though it may not be available yet.
The data is encrypted and updated every 24 hours, includes only properties with sufficient user volume for accurate comparisons. You can customize comparisons by adjusting the industry group.
New ad format test
Anthony Higman found this new sponsored ad carousel! Looks like Google is testing more and more!
No more auction insights in Looker Studio
Teodor Yordanov just sent to me that Starting on August 24, 2024, Auction Insights fields will not be available for new data sources in Looker Studio.
Existing data sources will lose access to Auction Insights fields starting on September 23, 2024.
To prevent your reports from breaking, we recommend removing these fields from your reports and charts….
New Title copy
Anthony Higman discovered that Google is now also putting ad copy in the title from places. They did not put this keyword in the ad themself!
Internal tool error
Geert Groot found this bug in Google Ads, let’s hope that one day we can see internal tools 👿 !
New GA4 recommendation
Arpan Banerjee just sent me this update that Google Analytics update now surface a recommendation to fix missing deep links in your app in order to increase conversions and improve your app’s engagement.
The recommendations include a downloadable report of deep links to implement or fix, ordered by opportunity.
GA4 Recommendation
Arpan Banerjee just sent me this update that Google Analytics update now surface a recommendation to fix missing deep links in your app in order to increase conversions and improve your app’s engagement.
The recommendations include a downloadable report of deep links to implement or fix, ordered by opportunity.
Limitations
Casey Gill discovered these limitations related to US Election, despite ad copy, images and websites that have nothing at all to do with election advertising….
New Google Ads tools
Google is introducing new tools and updates to help retailers navigate this year’s shorter holiday shopping season, which is more compressed due to Black Friday falling later.
Here are the key points:
Shopping Trends Insights: Google’s Merchant Center will provide global users with insights into trending shopping queries, helping retailers make informed decisions about inventory and product descriptions.
Example: showing popular queries ranked by topic and product. AI-Powered Insights: New generative AI features in Merchant Center will summarize product performance and generate custom reports based on user queries, simplifying data analysis.
Automated In-Store Availability: A new feature will automatically sync in-store product availability from retailers’ websites to Google’s Merchant Center, reducing manual work and enhancing the customer experience.
Enhanced Advertising Tools: Google Ads is offering “new” and expanded features to attract new customers and optimize ad campaigns for profit during the peak season
Example: customer acquisition goals, optimizing campaigns with profit-focused metric and brand exclusion(all not new)
These updates help retailers stay agile and make data-driven decisions in a shortened holiday shopping window.
New AI option
Google Ads now offers a new feature where its conversational experience can suggest headlines and descriptions to improve the Ad Strength of your existing Search campaigns. This enhancement helps you optimize current ads more effectively.
New Tools to Enhance Your First-Party Data Strategy
Google has launched two powerful tools designed to help advertisers optimize their first-party data strategies:
1. Tag DiagnosticsThe Tag Diagnostics tool is a new feature within Google Tag Manager, Google Ads, and Google Analytics. It provides a comprehensive overview of the health of your Google tags, which are essential for accurate data measurement.
Key benefits include:In-UI Diagnostics: You can view potential issues directly within the Google Ads or Google Analytics interface, making it easier to diagnose and address problems without leaving the platform.
Real-Time Alerts: The tool monitors your website’s measurement setup and alerts you to issues such as missing tags, incorrect tag order, or the need for a conversion linker tag to connect ad data with on-site actions.
Guided Fixes: Tag Diagnostics offers step-by-step guidance on how to resolve identified issues, ensuring your tags are set up correctly and your data collection is accurate.
2. Integrated Consent Management SetupThe Integrated Consent Management Setup simplifies the process of deploying consent banners and managing consent mode, which is crucial for compliance with privacy regulations.
This tool integrates directly with several CMP (Consent Management Platform) partners, offering: Seamless Integration: Connect easily with supported CMP like Cookiebot by Usercentrics, directly within the Google interface.
In-Product Guidance: Receive tailored instructions on how to set up and implement consent banners, reducing complexity and ensuring compliance with privacy laws.
Simplified Banner Installation: Install consent banners either manually or directly within Google Tag Manager with just a few clicks, streamlining the process.
These tools are designed to help you maintain accurate data measurement and streamline consent management, ultimately building trust with your customers while adhering to privacy regulations.
New tips from Google
Google released top tips to optimize for the holiday season and beyond with Google AI!
Here are the key takeaways:
Extended Holiday Season: The holiday shopping period is now much longer, with significant spending days beyond Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Businesses need to be prepared for these extended periods of high consumer activity.
Google Ads Features you should use:
Category-Level Insights: Provides performance, demand trends, and actionable recommendations to drive clicks and sales.
New Customer Acquisition Goal: Helps attract new customers during peak periods in Performance Max and Search campaigns.
Profit Goals Optimization: In beta, this allows prioritizing more profitable ad placements, resulting in higher campaign profits.
Generated Insights and Reports: Google Merchant Center now offers tailored reports and summaries on product performance, helping make informed inventory and marketing decisions.
Creative Tools:
Product Studio: Launching in September, this tool allows businesses to create videos and images that match seasonal moments and brand aesthetics, which can be used across marketing channels.
Generative AI Creative Tools: Integrated with Google Merchant Center to create holiday-themed imagery and optimize ad headlines and descriptions dynamically.
Full-Funnel Marketing Solutions:
Performance Max Campaign Enhancements: features like URL contains rules and improved brand exclusions help refine targeting and increase campaign efficiency.
Local Inventory Ads: New features to sync in-store availability with Merchant Center, helping convert local shopping intent into store sales.
Loyalty Promotions: Tailored bidding strategies and loyalty promotions help attract and retain valuable customers.
Real-Time Insights and Recommendations:
Store Quality Scorecard: Helps businesses compare their performance on various factors like delivery and returns against competitors.
Price Insights Report: Suggests pricing strategies to maximize impressions, clicks, conversions, and gross profit.
New GTM feature
Google has added a new ‘Set consent mode override’ setting to the Google tag settings that lets you override the default consent settings in your website or app code and instead set the default to ‘denied’ for all regions you choose.
The setting is useful when setting up consent mode with a consent mode platform, or if you’re having difficulty sequencing the default command in your code.
New Gambling & Games Policy Germany
Effective September 25, 2024, Google’s Gambling and Games policy in Germany will be updated. Only gambling operators and brokers licensed by the Gemeinsame
Glücksspielbehörde der Länder (GGL) will be eligible to apply for advertising certification for the gambling products specified in the policy.Applications from advertisers of online gambling services that do not meet these criteria, including those offering gambling aggregation services (such as linking to multiple operators on their landing pages), will no longer be accepted.
Existing certifications for these types of services will be revoked on September 25, 2024, preventing them from running gambling ads targeted at Germany.The Gambling and Games policy page will be updated when the policy takes effect on September 25, 2024.
New Gambling & Games Policy USA
In September 2024, the Google Ads Gambling and games policy United States country-specifics will be updated. Google will begin to accept and run ads for sports betting from entities licensed by the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission in Puerto Rico.
Google launched a new page for, Partnership ads powered by BrandConnect
This new feature allows advertisers to use YouTube creator videos in their ad campaigns through Google Ads.
These ads help achieve marketing objectives by adding authenticity, reaching new audiences, and providing diverse, trend-driven content. Partnership ads can be utilized across various campaign types, such as Video Action Campaigns, Demand Gen Campaigns, and Performance Max Campaigns.
To use partnership ads, brands need to link the creator videos to their Google Ads account, enabling access to valuable data and insights.
Co-branded ad formats are available for certain campaign types, like Demand Gen campaigns.
Performance measurement for these ads is supported by standard Google Ads reporting and Lift measurement tools.
Brands are encouraged to run experiments to compare the effectiveness of campaigns with and without creator videos, ensuring that the addition of creator content boosts campaign performance.
New destination GMC
New destination discovered by Felix Mayo! YouTube affiliate in GMC.
YouTube bug
Anthony Higman got this crazy bug where an ads keeps popping up, looks like this ad is getting enough impressions haha.
Problem with smart campaigns
There is a problem with smart campaigns where you can’t stop them. If you want to stop the campaign you should use the schedule tool or the Google Ads tool on mobile to pause it:)
Hana Kobzová just added that you could also just go inside and pause the campaign!
New Feature in GA4
You can now include/exclude dimensions in the line charts in the detailed reports in GA4 . Discovered by Kyle Rushton McGregor.
New “Conversions (Campaign Type)” Column in Google Ads
Discovered by Dario Zannoni, the “Conversions (Campaign Type)”.
This column in Google Ads is designed to measure only Demand Gen campaigns distinctly from other Google campaigns.
It focuses on view-through conversions (VTC) and isolates Demand Gen campaigns from the broader Google ecosystem, aligning with the default attribution models of other advertising platforms.
This column provides an alternative view of Demand Gen performance, integrated seamlessly into existing reporting views, and is intended for comparison purposes rather than impacting optimization or bidding strategies.
Key Methodologies:
Demand Gen Campaigns in Isolation:
Attribution is confined to Demand Gen touchpoints, with full credit given to the last Demand Gen interaction, unlike Google’s broader attribution models, which share credit across various touchpoints.
Inclusion of View-Through Conversions (VTCs):
VTCs are now included in conversion metrics, aligning with industry standards and providing a more accurate comparison with other advertising platforms.
Best Practices:
Use this column to highlight differences between Demand Gen and other platforms, not to compare with other Google Ads products.Maintain consistency in campaign structure and settings when comparing Demand Gen performance across different platforms.
Related Metrics:
The “Conversions (Campaign Type)” column is supported by related metrics such as Cost per Conversion, Conversion Rate, and Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), all scoped specifically to the campaign type for more precise performance tracking.
Bid strategy pop-up
Anthony Higman discovered this new change bid strategy pop-up in Google Ads!
Looker studio Migration
The Looker Studio Help community migration to Google Cloud is complete. To ask questions and participate in conversations with fellow Looker Studio users and experts. Check it here.
New category section
Google has added categories to the products section!
Discovered by: Aleksejus Podpruginas Image by: Hana Kobzová
GA4 Bug
Brais Calvo Vázquez discovered this bug in GA4, which is not showing data for the 27 of August.
Note that the bug should be fixed now.
New Demand Gen Alert
Thomas Eccel discovered a new alert when setting up a demand gen campaign!
This Alert notified him that all of the conversion actions have not received any conversion in the last 7 days.
Asset test
Hana Kobzová discovered that Google Ads is now testing with a grey background for the new pill formed assets!