New Design
Muhammad S. discovered this new design for experiments!
mCPV campaigns — changes coming end of April
From the end of this month, you can’t create Max CPV (mCPV) video campaigns via the standard buyflow anymore (spotted by Aleksejus Podpruginas ).
Still possible via:
– copy/paste
– Google Ads Editor
But: Google wants you to switch to tCPV (Target CPV) using the Video Views Campaign (VVC) buyflow
.Why?
They’re moving away from Max bidding to make CPV buying simpler + more performance-driven.
Google Search Ads can now show at both the top and bottom of the page
Google is updating how Search ads are delivered at the bottom of the search results page. Previously, an advertiser’s ad would only appear in one location per page (top or bottom).
Now, if an advertiser shows in the top ads auction, they can also compete to show a different, relevant ad in the bottom ads auction.
Why the change?
Users often scroll down the page, then return to the top if they don’t find relevant content.
This change aims to reduce friction and improve ad relevance throughout the page.
Key results from testing:
+10% increase in highly relevant ads shown at the bottom.
+14% increase in conversions from bottom ads.
Important clarifications:
No change to Google’s double serving policy: advertisers won’t compete against themselves in the same location.
No changes to query matching, ad load limits, or top ads auction. Ads shown at the top and bottom may be different to suit their placement better.
New docu Pmax image optimizations
Soon, Google will roll out image optimizations for Pmax. This new document was found by Hana Kobzová. The update was announced earlier, but now we know where to find it when they release it:). Must be coming soon!
DOJ Proposes Breaking Up Google’s Search Monopoly
On April 21, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice and several states proposed major remedies to dismantle Google’s alleged illegal monopoly in search and search advertising.
The plan includes:
Ending Default Search Deals: Google’s billion-dollar payments to Apple and Android manufacturers would be banned to stop locking in its dominance.
Chrome Divestiture: Google may be forced to spin off Chrome, which contributes to 35% of all Google searches.
Data Sharing: Google would need to share critical user, search, and ad performance data to help rivals compete and innovate.
Ad Transparency: Google would have to give advertisers more control and reporting options, including opting out of broad/automated keyword matching.
Oversight & Android Clause: A technical committee would ensure compliance.
If competition hasn’t improved in five years, Google may also have to divest Android.
Impact: These measures could dramatically change how people use Google, how advertisers operate, and how competitors emerge especially in search and AI.
New LSA update found by Anthony Higman
A new Google Local Services Ads (LSA) update introduces provisions allowing Google to modify and display LSA content more broadly across its platforms.
The update also permits Google to record messages and calls originating from URLs listed on advertiser profiles.
Additionally, new rules now apply to agencies managing LSA on behalf of clients.
These changes signal Google’s expanding permissions over ad content and data usage raising concerns over transparency and control.
Google Ad Spend Up, But Performance Wobbles – Q1 2025
Google Search:
+9% YoY spend, mostly from rising CPCs (+5%), not more clicks (+4%).
Shopping Ads: Clicks up 9%, spend up 8%, with Amazon still dominating.
PMax: 93% adoption but dropping in performance, lower ROAS, higher CPC than standard Shopping.
Microsoft Ads: Stronger growth (+17% YoY spend), with rising CPCs, especially for brand terms.
Advertisers face rising costs across platforms, with Microsoft gaining traction and PMax under scrutiny.
Source: Tinuiti Q1 2025 Benchmark Report
Tree Table
Thomas Eccel discovered that you now have tree table view in reports!
Cookies not leaving
On April 22, 2025, Google announced it will no longer introduce a standalone prompt to block third-party cookies in Chrome, effectively continuing their use.
This marks a major reversal from Google’s previous plans to phase out third-party cookies. Anthony Chavez, VP of Privacy Sandbox, explained the decision was driven by mixed industry feedback and ongoing discussions with regulators.
Although third-party cookies will remain, elements of the Privacy Sandbox project, like IP Protection for Incognito users, will continue.
The Privacy Sandbox itself remains in a state of uncertainty, as challenges such as scalability issues and publisher hesitation have stalled broader adoption.
Shopify Alert for Google Tags
Ginny Marvin just posted that the new Shopify’s new checkout will break legacy gtag.js setups on your “Thank you” & “Order status” pages.
Action: Install the Google & YouTube app and migrate your old tags before your checkout is upgraded.
LSA Update
Starting May 22, Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) will relax their photo guidelines. Restrictions like off-topic content, watermarks, contact details, bad lighting, duplicates, and screenshots will no longer be part of the photo review process. This update was found by Anthony Higman
Threads Ads are soon eligible for all advertisers
Meta is expanding advertising on its Threads platform to all eligible advertisers globally, with ads initially appearing in select markets.
The company plans to test the feature in over 30 countries, including the United States, as part of a phased rollout aimed at optimizing both user and advertiser experiences.
Ads will be identifiable by a “Sponsored” label next to the posting account’s username. This broader launch follows a limited test that began in January 2025 with a few brands in the U.S. and Japan.
Threads and Instagram head Adam Mosseri previously acknowledged user concerns but emphasized the necessity of revenue to maintain the platform’s free services and operations.
Checkout on Merchant Now Available for Demand Gen Campaigns in the US
Arpan Banerjee just texted me that as of April 24, 2025, Checkout on Merchant is available for Demand Gen campaigns running on YouTube In-stream.
This feature lets users quickly move from product discovery to checkout directly on the merchant’s website.
It was already supported in Performance Max campaigns and organic shopping results.
How to enable it
:Add a checkout/cart page URL template in Google Merchant Center (account level), or use the checkout link template attribute in your product feed (product level).
This update is available to all U.S. advertisers using product feeds.
Early results show an average 11% boost in conversion value at a similar CPA for advertisers who enable checkout URLs.
Updating the Merchant Listing Documentation on Energy Efficiency
Google has removed EnergyConsumptionDetails properties. Added a note on backward compatibility for developers using the original markup.
Included an alternative to the certificationIdentification property for merchants without EPREL codes.
This update was done following the October 2024 announcement, the EnergyConsumptionDetails type has been replaced by the more comprehensive Certification type.
Q1 2025 Google Ads revenue is in
Here’s what just dropped:
Search & Others$46.2B → $50.7B (+10%)
YouTube Ads $8.1B → $8.9B (+10%)
Google Network $7.4B → $7.3B (flat)
Total Google Ads $61.7B → $66.9B (+8.5%)
Total Alphabet Revenue $80.5B → $90.2B (+12%)
GA4 Update
Arpan Banerjee just texted me that Google Analytics has introduced report snapshot templates (User behavior, Sales and revenue, and Marketing performance) to help users quickly understand key data insights.
Additionally, the card library has been updated for easier discovery of relevant cards.
Google Ads API v17 will sunset on June 4, 2025.
After this date, all v17 API requests will begin to fail. Migrate to a newer version prior to June 4, 2025 to ensure your API access is unaffected!
Make a bumper
Anthony Higman discovered that Google is now trying to let users make a bumper in a video campaign ad at the end of the campaign creation.
Google Ads: Set a Weight for Display View-Through Conversions?
Dario Zannoni discovered a new option in Google Ads now lets you set the weight for view-through conversions in Display campaigns, from 1% to 100% (default is 100%).
There’s no official documentation yet, and it’s unclear who would need this.
