Google Ads News
Renaming
Anthony Higman discovered that Google has renamed the Google Ads Advertiser Verification page to “Account,” adding to the ongoing confusion caused by Google reusing the same terminology across different areas of Google Ads.
New?
Arpan Banerjee shared that the Google Ads support contact form is showing an insane policy that requires you to select it, which is crazy…
New form option
Arpan Banerjee discovered that Google Ads support form now gives 6 options of the issue to select from.
App update
Google now attributes app campaign conversions to the app install date instead of the original ad interaction.
This change reduces discrepancies with MMP reporting and gives Google’s machine learning faster, more stable signals, leading to improved data accuracy and quicker campaign optimization.The update was spotted by David Vargas & Hana Kobzová!
Sponsored places
Barry Schwartz discovered that Google is now testing with Sponsored places!
SDK 25.0.0
Google released Android Google Mobile Ads SDK 25.0.0, a major update introducing new banner sizing logic, breaking API changes, and important deprecations.
Key updates:
• New Large Anchored Adaptive Banner sizes A new API (getLargeAnchoredAdaptiveBannerAdSize) replaces the previous anchored adaptive banner sizing. Larger banner formats are designed to improve engagement and increase publisher revenue potential. Older anchored adaptive banner APIs are now deprecated.
• Breaking changes for developers Several deprecated mediation and custom event APIs have been removed. Developers must migrate to updated classes and callbacks using AdError handling and updated configuration methods to maintain compatibility.
• SDK deprecations and sunset timeline SDK versions 23.0.0–23.6.0 are now deprecated, while versions 22.x will stop working after June 30, 2026. Apps must upgrade to avoid ad serving disruptions.
What it means:
This is primarily a developer and publisher update. App publishers should upgrade quickly to maintain ad delivery, ensure mediation compatibility, and benefit from improved banner performance on modern mobile devices.
Data Manager API V1.5
Google released Data Manager API v1.5, expanding it into a full platform for automated audience management and first-party data activation.
Key updates:
• End-to-end user list management Advertisers can now create, update, retrieve, and delete Customer Match audiences directly via the API, enabling fully automated CRM → Google Ads audience syncing.
• Partner links A new PartnerLinkService allows secure connections between advertisers and data partners across Google Ads and Display & Video 360, improving data sharing and governance.
• User ID support for audience uploads Customer Match now supports User IDs as identifiers, alongside emails and phone numbers, with improved diagnostics to monitor ingestion issues.
What it means for advertisers: Google is moving toward centralized, privacy-safe, first-party audience infrastructure. Advanced advertisers should prepare for automated audience pipelines and stronger CRM integrations instead of manual list management.
Reddit update
Reddit is now testing AI shopping carousels in search results.
Crypto update
In February 2026, Google will gradually introduce the ability for some advertisers to apply for the following certifications in their Google Ads account:
– Cryptocurrency exchanges and software wallets
– Cryptocurrency hardware wallets
– Cryptocurrency coin trust
– Complex speculative financial products
Budget Pacing
Jordan Fry posted that Google just announced an important change to budget pacing when using ad scheduling in Google Ads and it’s easy to misunderstand what this actually means.
Short version:Ad scheduling still works. Your ads will NOT run outside the hours or days you set.
What is changing is how Google tries to spend your budget.
Until now, ad schedules have indirectly limited monthly spend. If you ran ads only during office hours or weekdays, Google often underdelivered because fewer serving hours existed.
Starting March 2026, Google will proactively try to spend up to your full monthly budget (30.4 × daily budget) regardless of your ad schedule.
So what happens in practice?If your ads only run when your sales team is available for example Monday to Friday, 9–5 Google will now concentrate spend more aggressively during those allowed hours to reach the monthly target.
– No weekend ads.
– No schedule overrides.
– No higher billing limits.
But potentially:
• higher auction participation during open hours
• faster daily pacing• more aggressive bidding
• increased CPC pressure in tightly scheduled campaigns
This mainly affects:
– call-driven businesses
– B2B advertisers
– lead gen accounts using office-hour schedules
The key takeaway: your daily budget is no longer spread across the calendar month, it’s effectively compressed into the hours your ads are eligible to run.
First look: Ads are now appearing inside ChatGPT
Adthena & Ashley Fletcher has identified the first sponsored placements showing for signed-in desktop users in the US, and the rollout already challenges many industry assumptions.
Early predictions suggested ads would only appear after a longer conversational journey. Instead, these ads are triggering immediately in the very first response.
Example:A user asks, “What’s the best way to book a weekend away?”→ Sponsored placements appear instantly within the answer.
A few notable observations so far:
• Ads show directly in the initial response, not after multiple prompts
• Clear “Sponsored” labeling is present
• Brand favicons are prominently displayed
• The UI differs slightly from OpenAI’s earlier conceptual mockups
This is an important signal for search marketers.We may be witnessing the transition from keyword search → conversational discovery → AI monetization.
If ads continue appearing at the start of AI conversations, the implications for Google Ads, SEO, affiliate traffic, and discovery journeys could be massive.
Meridian
Google has introduced a new Scenario Planner interface for Meridian, making its open-source Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM) solution significantly more accessible for marketers.
The update removes the need for technical or coding expertise by providing a user-friendly UI where advertisers can test different budget allocation scenarios directly within the platform. Marketers can now simulate investment changes across channels and immediately see projected performance outcomes.
The Scenario Planner delivers real-time ROI estimates supported by clear visualizations, helping teams understand not just what happened historically, but what future budget decisions are likely to drive the best results.
Another key improvement is collaboration. Marketing teams can work together inside the same environment, enabling shared planning, faster decision-making, and more aligned forecasting.
In practice, this lowers the barrier to adopting MMM: marketers can move from retrospective analysis toward forward-looking planning without needing data science expertise.
Text Guidelines
Thomas Eccel discovered that Text Guidelines is now rolling out to more accounts!
Shopee
Google partners with Shopee owner Sea to develop agentic AI for e-commerce and gaming what it means for advertisers.
Google and Southeast Asian tech company Sea Ltd announced a new partnership to build AI tools for Shopee and gaming platform Garena.
The collaboration will explore an agentic AI shopping prototype, designed to actively assist and potentially complete shopping tasks instead of just answering user queries.
Why this matters for PPC advertisersThis signals the next step in AI-driven commerce. Google is moving toward AI agents that can compare products, evaluate merchants, and guide purchase decisions automatically.
For advertisers, this means optimization will increasingly shift from winning clicks to being selected by AI systems. Product feed quality, pricing competitiveness, merchant trust signals, and strong conversion data will become even more important.
AI is moving from search assistance to transaction execution. Advertisers should start preparing for a future where visibility inside AI recommendations matters as much as traditional ad placements.
Projection Plans
Ivan Cicconi discovered that Google has just rolled out the Projection Plans (Beta) within the Cross-channel budgeting section!
Pmax Ads shown
Thomas Eccel is Finally seeing where Performance Max is showing !
Landing page images
Thomas Eccel discovered that Google ads added examples of how “landing page images” will be used for pmax campaigns.
Perplexity Ads
Perplexity just ditched ads, and that decision says a lot about where AI search is heading. Perplexity AI has officially stopped running ads on its platform.
The reason? User trust.According to statements shared with the Financial Times, the company believes that even clearly labeled sponsored content can make users question whether AI-generated answers are truly objective.
And in AI search, trust is the product. While companies like OpenAI and Google are actively exploring how to integrate ads into AI experiences, Perplexity is going in the opposite direction. Instead of monetizing through advertising, it’s doubling down on subscriptions and paid tiers.
Interestingly, Anthropic has taken a similar stance prioritizing credibility over ad revenue.As someone working in paid media, I find this fascinating.
Search has always been built on ads. But some AI search might not be.If users start associating AI answers with commercial bias, the long-term value of the platform erodes. Perplexity seems to be betting that protecting trust now is worth more than short-term ad revenue.
Demand Gen change
Google started to send email about: Update to Demand Gen Lookalike segments! Thanks for sharing Arpan Banerjee.
Low activity system bulk changes
Google Ads may be automatically re-enabling previously paused keywords through its “Low activity system bulk changes” tool.
Several advertisers have reported seeing activity log entries showing paused keywords being enabled via automated bulk updates something that historically only paused inactive elements rather than reactivating them.
This matters because unexpected keyword activation can impact budgets, pacing, and overall campaign performance particularly in tightly managed accounts where paused keywords are deliberate. Agencies and in-house teams are concerned that automation may be overriding manual controls.
Advertisers are advised to closely monitor change history logs, watch for unexpected activations, and quickly use the undo function if needed.
The issue was first flagged on LinkedIn by Francesco Cifardi.
Results tab
Google Ads has launched a new Results tab in Recommendations, showing the actual performance impact after applying bid or budget changes.
It compares results one week post-change against an estimated “no-change” scenario, using a 7-day rolling average over 28 days and focusing on the primary bidding metric (clicks, conversions, or conversion value).
Available for Budget and Target recommendations across Search, Shopping, Performance Max, and Demand Gen campaigns.Thanks for sharing Hana Kobzová.
Demand Gen Change
Starting March 2026, Lookalike audiences in Demand Gen will no longer act as strict targeting constraints.
Instead of targeting only users within the selected similarity threshold (narrow, balanced, broad), Google will use Lookalike as a signal. The system can expand beyond the defined audience if it predicts better conversion performance or lower CPA.
This is similar to Optimized Targeting, but it does not replace it. When combined, expansion can go even further.
Advertisers who want to keep legacy Lookalike as a hard constraint will need to request it via a form.Another step toward AI-led targeting similar to Meta’s direction in recent years.
Thanks for sharing Dario Zannoni.
Recommends customer behavior
Arpan Banerjee discovered that Google now recommends Customers’ behavior to improve measurement (beta) in conversion action.
600 dollar for conversion tracking?
Natasha Kaurra discovered that Google is now giving 600 dollars for some customers if they activate conversion tracking!
US Shopify store owners are being sued not for what they sell, but for how their websites are built.
Law firms are using automated tools to scan stores for ADA accessibility and data privacy violations, then pushing fast settlements often ranging from $15,000–$75,000.Many issues are quick fixes.
Check today:
• Add alt text to product images
• Ensure cookie consent loads before tracking pixels
• Make sure your store works without a mouse
Free tools like WAVE and Analytics Debugger can help you spot risks early.
Full breakdown: here
Thanks for sharing Emmanuel Flossie.