Google Ads News
Alphabet Q2
Alphabet delivered a strong Q2, with total revenue up 24% to $119.8 billion. Google advertising revenue rose to $81.6 billion, driven mainly by 17% growth in Search and 13% growth in YouTube Ads. Advertising remains Alphabet’s key revenue growth engine.
Warning AI Labels
Google Warns Against Placing AI Labels in Corners. Thanks for sharing Barry Schwartz
Subheading test
Google appears to be testing a new subheading in Shopping Ads: “Featured products from online or local stores. Found by Sachin Patel.
Rounded corners
Google is testing rounded corners for both articles and sponsored results in the its Discover feed.Found by Hana Kobzová, Barry Schwartz & Damien Andell.
Appeal
Google wrote, Starting July 21, 2026, the option to appeal a policy decision directly from your Google Ads account will not be available for policy decisions made more than 6 months prior.Thanks for sharing Barry Schwartz.
More AI
Google Merchant Center is adding more AI features, including automated insight summaries, suggested search queries, and access to previous chats directly from the dashboard. Thanks for sharing SERP Alert ⚡.
CSS
Google appears to have renamed Comparison Listing ads as CSS Product Listing ads, with a substantially updated help page but no formal announcement.
The ads let eligible Comparison Shopping Services compete alongside merchants in Google’s product carousel and direct clicks to product pages on the CSS’s website.
Thanks for sharing Barry Schwartz
LSA
Google confirms Local Inventory Ads will be enabled by default.
API V25
Google Ads API v25 adds richer YouTube and Shorts reporting, new loyalty retention and customer acquisition goals, and expanded creator insights. Developers must update their client libraries and integrations to access the new features and replace retired legacy resources.
Editor 2.13
Google Ads Editor 2.13 adds AI Max support for Shopping campaigns, new Performance Max retention goals, expanded Demand Gen features, improved reporting, and AI-content disclosure controls. It also streamlines offline campaign management while ending support for creating new Video Action campaigns.
Chat GPT
ChatGPT Ads adds conversion bidding, geo exclusions and bulk campaign tools!
ASK Advisor
Google is gradually rolling out Ask Advisor in Merchant Center.The AI-powered assistant can help advertisers understand account issues and guide them towards possible solutions directly within the platform.
The feature was announced at Google Marketing Live 2026 and is currently only available in selected accounts, so not everyone will see it yet.
This update was uncovered by Emmanuel Flossie.
Gambling & Games
Google is updating its Gambling and Games certification requirements on August 26, 2026.
New applicants will need to use revised application forms and provide up-to-date licensing information.
Advertisers must also display required compliance details on their websites, including age restrictions and licensing information.
Significant business or licence changes may require recertification, and failing to comply could result in suspension.Source: Google Ads Help.
Crypto update
Google is expanding its cryptocurrency advertising policy in Europe.From August 2026, eligible advertisers will be allowed to promote crypto exchanges, software wallets, and hardware wallets in Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
Advertisers must be licensed as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider under MiCA and comply with local legal requirements.
This creates new opportunities in these markets, but only for properly licensed providers that meet Google’s certification and compliance standards.
Healthcare and Medicines
Google is updating its Healthcare and Medicines policy in Spain.
From August 2026, eligible telemedicine providers will be allowed to advertise prescription drug services, provided they hold both LegitScript Healthcare Merchant Certification and Google advertiser certification.
This opens up new advertising opportunities in Spain, but only for providers that meet the required compliance and certification standards.
Lead Form
Google has broadened access to Lead Form assets by removing the previous $50,000 ad spend requirement.
Eligibility now mainly depends on advertiser verification and a good policy compliance history, making the feature more accessible to smaller businesses.
Lead Form assets are now supported for Search and Performance Max campaigns. Google has also added more lead delivery options, including email notifications and Zapier integration.CSV downloads remain available for 30 days, while lead data is stored for 60 days.
The feature is also expanding to additional countries, including Bahrain, Jordan, and Tunisia. Credit to Anu Adegbola, mMBA for uncovering the update.
Merchant API
Google has opened a form for advertisers that need more time to migrate from the Content API for Shopping to the Merchant API.The current deadline is August 18, 2026. Businesses that are not ready can request extended access until either October 15 or December 31, 2026.
The application asks for contact details and a business justification. Google warns that missing the migration deadline could affect both ads and organic product experiences.
The extension offers some breathing room, but the migration should still be prioritised rather than postponed unnecessarily.This update was discovered by Barry Schwartz.
Pmax
Google has updated its Performance Max help documentation to clarify how AI is used for text customization.
Google AI can generate headlines and descriptions using content from the landing page, website domain, and existing ads.Most of the documentation changes are minor, but this wording makes Google’s role in automatically creating text assets more explicit.Advertisers should still review generated assets for accuracy and brand consistency.
Credit to Barry Schwartz for spotting the update.
LSA Update
Local Services Ads are moving into the Google Ads interface.The campaigns will run under Performance Max with pay-per-lead goals, while keeping the current LSA model: ads remain limited to Search and Maps, and advertisers continue paying for valid leads rather than clicks.
The move should make campaign and lead management easier by bringing LSAs into the same platform as other Google Ads campaigns. Existing settings and Google Business Profile information will be used during the transition.
One important limitation: historical performance data will not transfer, so advertisers should download previous reports before migration.The first accounts will move in August, followed by a phased rollout.
Credit to Ginny Marvin for sharing the update.
LSA Shopping
Google will enable Local Inventory Ads by default in Shopping campaigns from August 31, 2026.The existing local products setting is being removed.
Advertisers will instead need to use the inventory filter and select Channel = Local or Channel = Online to control which products are included.
This is especially important for advertisers that keep separate budgets for online and local inventory, as campaign settings may need to be adjusted before the change takes effect.
The notification applies to manager accounts connected to a Merchant Center account where the Local Inventory Ads add-on is enabled.
Credit to Arpan Banerjee for sharing the update.
Prediction markets
Google has banned ads for prediction market contracts and related products in Michigan and New York.The restriction took effect on July 13, 2026, following a similar ban in Ohio in June.
Shopify ID
Google has confirmed a fix for the Shopify product ID bug that caused some merchants to lose historical product performance after reinstalling the Google & YouTube app.
Google advises merchants not to uninstall the app while the fix is being rolled out.
Credit to Ginny Marvin, Emmanuel Flossie, and Matinique Roelse for sharing.
Pmax
Google has launched a dedicated NotebookLM to help agencies pitch Performance Max to clients.
The tool can generate pitch emails, discovery call scripts, campaign setup guidance, and PMax recommendations.
Useful for speeding up preparation, but strong pitches still require real client context and strategic expertise.
Credit to Bia Camargo for sharing.
AI Recommendations
Google Ads is now showing AI-powered conversion recommendations in the Conversion Summary dashboard.The recommendations suggest actions such as Page views and Engagements, labelled “Recommended by Google AI”.
Missed opportunities
Thomas Eccel discovered that the missed opportunities section is now live!
New example screenshots
Thomas Eccel discovered that Google Ads added 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁𝘀 under Asset Optimization inside AI Max campaigns for both 𝗧𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗨𝗥𝗟 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Branded searches
Google Ads rolled out a new Brand report that shows branded search volume per Demand Gen campaign, and comparing it to spend over time. Thanks to Yash Mandlesha & Thomas Eccel for sharing it with me.
Has improvements
Thomas Eccel discovered the new tracking status has improvements!
Collapse
New? The collapse button?Thanks for sharing Arpan Banerjee
Demand Gen Frequency
Demand Gen: The Campaign Group option is now showing in some accounts.Thanks for sharing Arpan Banerjee.
AI max standard shopping
Arpan Banerjee discovered that AI Max lands to Standard Shopping campaigns!
Voice-over
Arpan Banerjee discovered that Google has added Voice-over video enhancement examples under Asset Optimization in Performance Max campaigns.
DV360 Update
The July 2026 update to the Display & Video 360 API introduces three main changes:Creatives and ad assets can now indicate whether their content was created or edited using AI through the new syntheticContentAttestationStatus field.
Advertisers can set a default business name and logo. These values will automatically be used for Demand Gen and responsive YouTube ads when no business name or logo is specified.
Beta support has been launched for generating reach forecasts and retrieving related metadata. This feature is currently limited to allowlisted partners.Users should update their client library to the latest version before using these new features.
The complete list of changes is available in the Display & Video 360 API release notes.
Thanks for sharing Arpan Banerjee
Line support
Arpan Banerjee discovered that Google Ads message assets now support LINE.
