Google Ads News
API
Google is pushing developers to move offline conversion imports from the Google Ads API to the Data Manager API by June.
Brandcast
At Brandcast 2026, YouTube unveiled a range of new advertising and commerce innovations designed to help brands connect with audiences across every screen and drive stronger business results
.Custom Sponsorships: AI dynamically surfaces videos that align with a brand’s target moments.Masthead with Custom
Content Shelf: Expands YouTube’s homepage masthead with curated supporting content.
Buy with Google Pay: Enables viewers to purchase directly on connected TVs in just two clicks.
Affiliate Partnerships Boost: Amplifies organic creator content with tagged products while creators earn affiliate revenue.
Multimodal Video Creation: Uses Google AI models (Gemini, Nano Banana, and Veo) to turn briefs into finished videos.
Commerce Media Suite Expansion: Adds shopper data from Costco Wholesale and Dollar General to help brands reach high-intent shoppers in Display & Video 360.
Vehicles
Starting in May vehicle ads in the United States will expand to support All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), RV’s Utility Task Vehicles (UTVs), and non-motorized trailers, such as travel trailers and campers.
Thanks for sharing Emmanuel Flossie
Phishing mails
New Google Ads phishing mails uncovered by Tamás Geiger & Hana Kobzová…
A/B Test API
Google just made A/B testing in the Google Ads API a lot more powerful.With the release of Google Ads API v24.1, advertisers can now create and analyze a much broader range of experiments directly through the API.
What’s new:
Direct experiment reporting
You can now query experiment statistics directly, including:
• Control arm metrics
• Point estimates
• Margin of error
• P-values
No more manually stitching together campaign data to measure significance.
New experiment types
Support has been added for:
• AI Max tests• Broad match experiments
• Custom video experiments
• Shopping vs. Performance Max
• Performance Max asset optimization
This is a major upgrade for teams managing large, sophisticated accounts and running experiments at scale.
Why this matters:
Testing in Google Ads has historically been more limited and harder to automate than it should be.
This update makes it much easier to:
• Measure statistically significant results
• Automate experiment workflows
• Compare campaign strategies
• Optimize creative assets in Performance Max
For agencies and in-house teams that rely heavily on experimentation, this is a meaningful step forward.
My take:Google is clearly investing in making experimentation a core part of campaign management, especially as automation and AI continue to expand.
If you’re building tools on top of the Google Ads API, this release is worth paying attention to.
Custom Audiences
Juozas Kaziukėnas discovered that custom audiences are coming to ChatGPT Ads.
Advertisers will be able to upload raw or hashed emails and phone numbers to use as audience filters for campaigns.
Video to images
Arpan Banerjee discovered that Google is now showing create a video from images!
Primary conversions Smart bidding
New: Primary conversion actions can improve Smart Bidding predictions even when they’re not used for optimization.
That means tracking meaningful mid-funnel events (like Add to Cart, Begin Checkout, Pricing Page views, or Contact clicks) can help campaigns ramp faster and improve performance.
Key takeaway:
Optimize only for your true end goal (e.g. Purchase or Qualified Lead)Track additional meaningful actions for signal enrichment
Assign each conversion to the most relevant categoryIn short: More high-quality conversion data = better bidding signals.
This appears to be part of Google’s new Journey-Aware Bidding update and could have a significant impact on both Search and Demand Gen campaigns.
Thanks for sharing Dario Zannoni!
API v24.1
Google Ads has released Ads API v24.1, introducing more advanced reporting, broader experiment support, and stronger security features to help advertisers manage increasingly automated campaigns.
Why it matters: The update improves visibility into performance, expands testing across AI-driven campaign types, and gives advertisers more creative control in Demand Gen campaigns.
Key updates:Granular mobile reporting: New segments.mobile_device_platform lets advertisers analyze performance separately for iOS and Android.
Demand Gen creative control: Static image support via classic_display_images allows brands to use exact creatives without AI-generated combinations.
Passkey support: New passkey_enabled field shows whether passwordless authentication is enabled.
Expanded experiments: Testing now supported for AI Max, Video, Demand Gen, and Performance Max campaigns, with improved side-by-side reporting.
Data retention preparation: New error code helps developers adjust before Google’s 37-month reporting data retention limit begins on June 1.Bottom line: v24.1 gives advertisers and developers better testing tools, tighter creative control, and a clear path to prepare for upcoming reporting data restrictions.
AI Generator
Thomas Eccel discovered that Google added an 𝗔𝗜 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 CTA inside 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝗮.
Consent mode
Thomas Eccel discovered that 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 now also can show for Apps!
GA4 Update
GA4 can now track AI traffic! Thanks for sharing Barry Schwartz.
Top out of stock
Arpan Banerjee discovered this new client optimization section called top out-of-stock products!
YouTube Link
Google Ads is going to auto-link YouTube channels starting June 10! Discovered by Arpan Banerjee.
Merchant Advisor
Tamara Hellgren & Hana Kobzová discovered that Google is rolling out Merchant Advisor, a new AI-powered chatbot integrated directly into the Google Merchant Center!
Shopping Ads
Sachin Patel discovered that Google is now showing descriptions for shopping ads!
Dashboards
New In Google Ads, Dashboards built with Gemini capabilities!
Linking Merchant Center
Google will automatically link eligible Google Ads accounts with Google Merchant Center starting June 6, 2026.
This applies to accounts not currently using product ads and will make it easier to show products in ads, expand reach, and increase sales opportunities. Advertisers can also connect their accounts earlier using the “Connect Now” option.
Thanks for sharing Hana Kobzová & Marcin Wsół
Search Partner Network
Google Ads now offers full placement reporting for the Search Partner Network, giving advertisers complete visibility into which partner websites displayed their ads and how many impressions each site generated.
This report is available in the Content Suitability section and via API, helping advertisers better monitor performance and control where their ads appear.
Thanks for sharing Hana Kobzová
Merchant Center for Agencies
Google is rolling out Merchant Center for Agencies globally, following its initial launch in the U.S. and Canada.
The platform gives agencies a centralized and more efficient way to monitor merchant account health and optimize product data across all clients.
Key capabilities include:
Agency overview dashboard: View all client accounts, onboarding status, and critical alerts in one place.
Portfolio-wide diagnostics: Identify and prioritize issues across clients by country, marketing method, and potential impact.
Client optimization tools: Track store quality, inventory status, and manage promotions.
Ads opportunities: Find high-potential products with low traffic and apply custom labels to improve ad performance.
This update helps agencies manage product feeds at scale and maximize results across Google Shopping and Ads.
Week 20 finished
