Google Ads News
Demand Gen changes
Arpan Banerjee just sent me a reminder of the Demand Gen updates:
Starting March 2025:
New channel controls in Demand Gen will let advertisers choose exactly where ads appear (YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and GDN).
Google Video Partners will be renamed to the Google Display Network (GDN) within Demand Gen.
The GDN opt-in setting will move from the campaign level to ad group level for more flexibility.
Existing campaign-level opt-ins to Google Video Partners will be migrated to the GDN at the ad group level. Advertisers can opt out at any time.
Starting April 2025:Video ads in Demand Gen ad groups opted into the GDN will continue to run across the GDN.
Image ads in those ad groups will also start serving on the GDN.
What this means:
Campaigns using Demand Gen will now be able to use both video and image ads across the GDN, streamlining campaign management and expanding reach and flexibility.
New function
Arpan Banerjee just texted me that Generated images now gives option to select the aspect ratio!
Handling time
Emmanuel Flossie discovered that you can now submit 0, If a customer places an order before the cutoff time and your products can be shipped on the same day the order is placed.
Get a call
Arpan Banerjee discovered that Google Ads support is now also giving an option to “Get a Call”!
Paid product click
Arpan Banerjee just sent to me that Paid product click reporting will now align with Google Ads from the 21st of April 2025.
Conversion column
Thomas Eccel discovered that Google is now releasing the new conversions column in which you can see view-through conversions. With this change Google is going to compete more with Meta!
No green checkmark
Barry Schwartz & Anthony Higman discovered that Google is testing removing the green checkmark from the Local Service Ads!
Introducing changes CMP
Google is introducing two new optional account-level settings under European regulations in the Privacy & Messaging section.
These settings let Google’s Consent Management Platform (CMP) respect users’ consent choices across Google products like Ads, Analytics, and Firebase for both advertising and analytics purposes.
They are disabled by default and only apply to publishers using Google’s CMP (excluding AMP pages).
Cryptocurrency
Starting April 23, 2025, Google is updating its advertising policy for Cryptocurrency Exchanges and Software Wallets in the European Union (EU).
Advertisers must:
– Be licensed as a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) under the MiCA regulation.- Comply with local legal requirements.
– Be certified by Google.Transitional periods apply for existing country-based licenses in:
– Finland (until June 30, 2025)- France (until June 30, 2026)
– Germany (until December 30, 2025)After these dates, only MiCA licenses will be accepted.
Violations won’t lead to immediate suspension advertisers will receive at least 7 days’ warning.
REST code
Google has added REST code examples to the Google Ads API documentation, responding to developer feedback.
These examples, shown alongside client library code, demonstrate how to perform common operations like:
– Creating customer accounts
– Listing accessible accounts
– Managing recommendations
– Generating keyword ideas
Examples include cURL commands and can be found in relevant sections of the documentation.
More examples will be added over time. Developers are encouraged to request or contribute examples via the REST code examples GitHub repository.
This update aims to make learning and using the Google Ads API easier for a broader range of developers.
March 24, 2025 Looker Studio Update
Looker Connector Enhancements (Preview):
Now supports connections to private IP Looker (Google Cloud core) instances via instance ID.Supports selected calculated field functions.
New Partner Connectors Added:
SEMSTORM Reports by SEMSTORM
Pango by Pango Solutions AB
AppsFlyer by Dataslayer
Vista Social by Vista Social
LinkedIn Pages – Free by Data Bloo
WooCommerce – Free by Data Bloo
Reach out to reps
Arpan Banerjee discovered that Google has a new way to reach out to reps!
Stickers live
First time seeing the stickers/affiliate product links live in YouTube! Spotted by Arpan Banerjee.
Gambling and games policy
On March 26, 2025, the Google Ads Gambling and games policy United States country-specific requirements was updated to disallow Lottery Couriers in Texas and New Mexico.
Consequently, advertising of lottery couriers in Texas and New Mexico is prohibited effective immediately.
API Change
Starting April 23, 2025, Google Ads API will fix a data issue in version 17 where the current_average_target_micros field in LOWER_TARGET_ROAS recommendations was incorrectly returning whole currency units instead of micros (1 unit = 1,000,000 micros). After the fix, the field will correctly return micros values, improving precision.
Action required: If your app or script uses this field, update your logic to treat it as a micros value from April 23 onward to avoid incorrect calculations.
More information on WhatsApp conversions
Arpan Banerjee discovered that Google has given us more insights into WhatsApp conversion!
Change in views count
YouTube is changing how views are counted for Shorts, starting March 31, 2025.
A view will now be counted when a Short starts playing or replays, with no minimum watch time required.
Previously, a view was only counted after a certain duration of watching.
This change is meant to give creators a more accurate sense of reach, especially when sharing content across platforms.
The old view metric, which required a minimum watch time, will now be labeled as “Engaged Views” and can still be found in YouTube Analytics under Advanced Mode.
Monetization and eligibility for the YouTube Partner Program will continue to rely on Engaged Views, not the new Shorts view count.
As a result, creators may notice an increase in view counts going forward.
This update helps better evaluate the initial performance of Shorts for strategy and potential collaborations.For advertisers running Video View Campaigns through Google Ads, this change doesn’t affect billing.
You won’t be charged for every play or replay of a Short.
That said, completion rates for Shorts tend to be low, so consider this carefully when using Shorts in such campaigns.
Thanks for making me aware of this change Georgi Zayakov.
Color in Shopping
Arpan Banerjee discovered this new setting in Google Shopping! Have not seen this before.
Hotel tracking price
Rudolph Dekker discovered that Google launched hotel price tracking on google.com/hotels.
Turn on tracking to get email alerts when prices drop for hotels that match your filters. Available worldwide on mobile and desktop. 40% of travelers book rooms with free cancellation to switch to better deals.
Update to Google’s Unfair Advantage Policy (April 2025)
Starting April 14, 2025, Google will update its Unfair Advantage Policy to clarify that the restriction on showing multiple ads for the same business, app, or site applies only to a single ad location.
The revised policy continues to prohibit gaining an unfair traffic advantage, such as violating affiliate program rules or attempting to show multiple ads in one ad placement.
Policy violations will not result in immediate account suspension Google will provide a warning at least seven days before taking any action.
Google Settles $100M AdWords Dispute
Google will pay $100 million to settle a 14-year lawsuit over AdWords billing practices (2004–2012) without admitting wrongdoing.
The case alleged manipulated discounts and ads shown outside targeted areas, violating California’s unfair competition law.
The settlement, pending judicial approval, may compensate advertisers, with up to 33% allocated to lawyers.
The case highlights transparency concerns and could lead to stricter ad regulations. Google claims the dispute involves outdated practices.
Discount code
Arpan Banerjee discovered that Google shopping ads showing discount amount in minus (-) sign.
FIRST Search Max Doc
I just found the first external search max doc from Carsten Streich, SEA / Google Ads Experte on LinkedIn!
In Stock
Arpan Banerjee discovered that Google is now showing if products are in stock with a green colour!
Diagnostics
Thomas Eccel & Hana Kobzová discovered that Google Ads has introduced Campaign diagnostics in the Overview section.
This new reporting section identifies issues across ads, audiences, accounts, budgets & bidding, and goals.
