Google Ads News
Performance Max Gets Product Reporting by Asset Group
Google has introduced a useful update for Performance Max campaigns: advertisers can now select individual asset groups directly within the Products report.
This makes it much easier to analyze product-level performance for specific asset groups without relying on extensive filtering or time-consuming workarounds.
Previously, understanding how individual products performed across different asset groups required considerable effort. With this update, advertisers gain clearer insights and can make faster, more informed optimization decisions.
The new asset group dropdown includes options such as Brand, Search Themes, and Your Data.
The update was first reported by Yash Mandlesha & Hana Kobzová
YouTube update
Google Ads now provides real-time Shorts ad previews for Video View and Video Reach campaigns. Advertisers can preview new or existing ads on mobile and desktop during campaign creation, helping catch formatting issues and confirm how creatives will appear before launch.
Label Demand Gen
Google Ads now supports Custom Labels in Demand Gen campaigns, expanding a feature previously limited to Performance Max and Standard Shopping.
Advertisers can use labels 0–4 to segment products by attributes such as margin, seasonality, or promotion strategy, giving them more control over targeting, bidding, and messaging instead of relying entirely on automation.
Thanks for sharing Emmanuel Flossie
Approval API
Starting July 27, 2026, the Google Ads API will gradually introduce multi-party approval requirements for sensitive account-access actions. User invitations, permission changes, and access removals may be paused until approved by a second account administrator.
Applications using the affected methods must support the new MultiPartyAuthReview workflow, including retrieving, approving, rejecting, or revoking pending requests. Developers should upgrade to a supported API or client-library version before the rollout begins.
v21
Google Ads API v21 will be discontinued on August 5, 2026, after which all requests using this version will fail. Developers should migrate to a newer API version before the deadline to avoid service disruptions.
The Google Cloud Console can be used to identify recent v21 requests, including the services and methods currently used by an integration.
DV 360 update
On July 13, 2026, two unversioned changes will take effect in the Display & Video 360 API and Structured Data Files. Nielsen will no longer be available as a third-party brand lift vendor.
In addition, Demand Gen and YouTube responsive ads will automatically inherit default business name and logo values when these fields are not set. Advertisers and developers should review the announced deprecations and update any affected integrations before the deadline.
Security expansion
Google is expanding its financial advertiser verification program to all EU and EEA countries. Financial services advertisers must prove that they are registered or authorized by the relevant national regulator.
The rollout will happen in phases, and businesses will have 30 days to complete verification. If they fail to do so, their financial ads will be restricted. The goal is to prevent scams, improve trust in financial advertising, and stop unauthorized advertisers before their ads reach users.
YouTube update
At Cannes Lions 2026, YouTube introduced new Gemini-powered tools to help brands and agencies improve creator-led campaigns.
Updates include more detailed YouTube trend data, integrated insights into paid and organic brand performance, a new API offering richer creator and audience information, and creative recommendations for optimizing Demand Gen campaigns.
Together, these tools provide a clearer view of trends, performance and creator influence.
Demand Gen June
June’s Demand Gen update expands YouTube campaign tools to help advertisers drive more new-customer growth.
Key additions include broader automatic video resizing across aspect ratios, Gemini-powered creative optimization recommendations, and Web-to-App Acquisition Measurement to track app installs generated by Demand Gen campaigns.
Measured reports that 72% of incremental YouTube conversions come from new customers.
Short Ads interactions
Arpan Banerjee discovered this metric for ads, is this new?
GMC Disapprovals
There’s a reported spike in Google Merchant Center disapprovals for Shopify products due to “Product page unavailable” errors.
It seems Google’s bots are having trouble crawling some Shopify product URLs, so store owners should check their GMC accounts and see if they’re affected.Thanks for sharing Jochem Jacobs.
Expanding AI Max Search Terms
Google expanded its AI Max for Search reporting guidance, confirming that Dynamic Search Ads will automatically transition to AI Max starting in February 2027.
The update adds clearer search-term and landing-page views, exclusion controls, dedicated travel campaign reporting, and best practices emphasizing conversion intent, reviews every one to two weeks, and limited use of negative keywords.
Final URL Expansion
Google added a new section to the about final URL expansion in Search document named “How the landing page logic works for Travel Promotion Ads & Booking Links within Search Campaigns for Travel” Thanks for sharing Barry Schwartz
New Merchant Center roles
Merchant Center for Agencies is introducing Admin and Standard roles to simplify account management and strengthen security.
Agency Admins have full control to link or unlink client accounts, manage Standard users’ permissions, and organize clients with custom labels by brand, vertical, or team.
Standard users receive access only to the client accounts they need.This creates a more centralized, scalable, and secure way for agencies to manage multiple clients.
LSA Update
Google has expanded its Local Services Ads broad search documentation, explaining how advertisers can opt out of general category queries, identify broad-search leads, and report on their costs.
Disabling broad search may reduce leads and applies across all industries in multi-vertical accounts, with special controls for legal and food businesses. Google also clarified that LSAs cannot target competitors’ branded searches; advertisers must use Search or Performance Max instead.
Thanks for sharing Barry Schwartz
YouTube update
YouTube is introducing new Gemini-powered insights and optimization tools to help advertisers spot trends, evaluate creators and improve campaign creative.
Updates include richer U.S. trend data in Insights Finder, selected Brand Pulse metrics combining paid and organic performance, a new Content & Creator Insights API, and upcoming Gemini recommendations for Demand Gen creative.
Financial Services Verification
Google is expanding Financial Services Verification to 24 additional EEA markets, with rolling enforcement starting July 23, 2026.
Notified advertisers and agencies managing their accounts must first verify through G2, then apply to Google using the issued code.
Advertisers that miss their enforcement deadline will be unable to run in-scope financial services ads in affected countries.
Update CPA & ROAS
Google will change how target-based bidding behaves in budget-constrained campaigns on August 17, making results track configured CPA or ROAS targets more closely.
A Bid Target Adjustment Tool, launching July 6, will help advertisers identify affected campaigns and revise outdated goals.
Advertisers whose campaigns currently outperform their targets should review settings, as unchanged targets could lead to higher acquisition costs or altered returns.
BREAKING: Maximize conversion value for standard shopping 🚨
Google is rolling out Maximize Conversion Value bidding for Standard Shopping campaigns without requiring a Target ROAS.
This gives advertisers access to value-based bidding while preserving Standard Shopping’s control and transparency.
It may also reduce the need for feed-only Performance Max campaigns previously used solely to access this bidding strategy.
Thanks for sharing Yash Mandlesha & Boyd Klerk
Policy update
Google Ads will allow some ads to redirect the final URL to a different domain, with prior approval.
Skills
Google has launched official Agent Skills for advertising and measurement, giving AI coding assistants task-specific, up-to-date guidance for integrating Google Ads APIs and SDKs.
Using progressive disclosure, agents load only the context needed for tasks such as Mobile Ads implementation, Google Ads API setup, MCP installation, and audience or conversion data ingestion. Developers can install the skills with npx skills add google/skills/skills/ads and update them using npx skills update.
Smart Campaigns
Google will stop allowing new Smart Campaigns to be created through the Google Ads API on August 3, 2026.
Existing campaigns will continue running and remain manageable via the API, but developers must update automated workflows preferably toward Performance Max, Search, or Demand Gen to avoid creation errors.
Pinning Ads?
Google Ads updated its responsive search ads guidance to discourage pinning identical or similar assets.
It recommends pinning only one or two essential keyword headlines while allowing other assets to rotate, keeping each keyword within a single headline, and moving keywords longer than 30 characters into the description field.
Thanks for sharing Barry Schwartz
FloodLight
Floodlight has improved its measurement of server-to-server conversions that were previously undercounted because browser cookie data was unavailable.
When a GCLID is present, server-side conversion data can now be matched with related browser signals, such as cookies, resulting in more accurate conversion attribution and reporting.
Gambling & Gaming
Google Ads is expanding its Gambling and Games policy in Peru to allow online lottery advertising by approved operators.
Advertisers must hold the required licenses and certifications, including a favorable technical opinion from Peru’s Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations (MIMP).
Permitted categories will include online gambling, sports betting, online casino games, and lotteries.
Note: The announcement contains conflicting dates: it says the revision occurs on July 8, 2026, but also states the changes become effective on June 24, 2026. The official policy page should be checked to confirm the applicable date.
Strong match
Google is running a small experiment with adding a “Strongest match” or “Strong match” label to certain Search ads.The goal is simple: to help people instantly identify the most relevant information for their query, and help advertisers connect more effectively with high-intent audiences.
New Google Ads Homepage
Google Ads is introducing a new Gemini-powered homepage featuring proactive insights, custom performance-tracking workspaces, and interactive analysis. It is currently in beta for English-language accounts.
Enhanced conversions
Google Ads is unifying Enhanced Conversions from June 2026.“Enhanced conversions for web” and “for leads” will become one setting. Advertisers can also send customer data through website tags, Data Manager, and API simultaneously no longer choosing just one method.
Existing eligible setups migrate automatically, while offline and lead uploads move to the Data Manager API from June 15, 2026. Review your account to ensure the new unified toggle matches your intended setup.
Thanks for sharing Matteo Zambon.
Ads Gmail
Gmail has moved ads to the bottom of the Promotions and Social tabs on desktop. Previously, ads appeared among inbox messages or at the top.
The change makes promotional content more clearly positioned while still giving advertisers visibility.
The update was first spotted by Hana Kobzová.
New columns
Arpan Banerjee discovered these new columns!
