Part 3 - Everything else that happened this week
Part 3 - Everything else that happened this week
Explore every update from this edition, with the original reporting and contributor credits.
A digest of the original edition. Updates and availability reflect what was reported at the time.
Google Ads changes budget pacing for campaigns with ad schedules from 1 June
As a reminder, Thomas Eccel recalls the material spend impact of the new ad schedule changes: from 1 June 2026, Google will change how it paces campaign budgets based on ad schedules. Today, Google paces around active scheduled days (e.g., 22 weekdays per month for a weekdays-only campaign); from 1 June, Google will pace toward the full monthly cap (30.4x daily budget): speeding up spend on active days.
Read this update in detail →Google Ads API v24.1 + UploadClickConversions deprecation + auto-link changes
Three Google Ads developer/policy items landed alongside GML:
Read this update in detail →Brand names appear in YouTube product Ads + Shorts Shopping ads
Arpan Banerjee discovered that brand names are now appearing in YouTube product Ads: including the YouTube Shorts Shopping ad surface: a finding flagged by Adriaan Dekker on LinkedIn. Where YouTube product Ads previously displayed product images, price, and store name, the brand name now appears as an additional surface element.
Read this update in detail →Google Ads rolls out Sync Columns across Manager Accounts
VIVEK GUPTA has flagged a new Sync Columns feature inside Google Ads: letting users keep table columns, and segments synchronised across all accounts viewed from a Manager Account (MCC). Set up one account's columns and segments as you want, then apply the same configuration to other accounts in a single action.
Read this update in detail →Google Ads Ad Certifications application is now in the account
Anthony Higman has flagged that the ability to apply for Google Ads Ad Certifications is now available directly inside Google Ads accounts: what was formerly the standalone Google Ads Advertiser Verification Page. The integration removes a friction point in the certification application workflow, with the certification surface now appearing within the account UI rather than on an external page.
Read this update in detail →Google Ads conversion tags push directly into Google Tag Manager
Govind Singh has flagged a small but consequential Google Ads update: conversion tags can now be pushed directly into Google Tag Manager from the Conversions setup screen. The new workflow: create the conversion action in Google Ads, choose "Use Google Tag Manager," click "Set up in Google Tag Manager", and the conversion tag arrives in GTM automatically with Conversion ID, Conversion Label, and tag type pre-filled.
Read this update in detail →Google Ads offers a limited-time 2x Google Ads Credit
VIVEK GUPTA has surfaced a limited-time 2x Google Ads Credit offer rolling out to eligible new advertisers. Reported offer tiers: spend $500 → get $1,000 credit, spend $680 → get $1,360 credit, spend $1,400 → get $2,800 credit.
Read this update in detail →Bing tests a new way to show prices in ads
Sachin Patel has spotted Bing testing a new way to show prices in search ads. The test surfaces pricing as a more prominent visual element within the standard text ad format: an evolution beyond the existing Price extension surface, which has been live for years.
Read this update in detail →GA4 rolls out a new Source grouping dimension and updates the Source platform
Tamás Geiger has flagged two related GA4 updates landing this week. A new Source grouping dimension is rolling out across Google Analytics properties: a slow rollout that may take weeks to appear in individual accounts.
Read this update in detail →BigQuery launches "chat with your data" at the dataset level
Balazs Vajna has flagged that BigQuery is rolling out "chat with your data" at the dataset level: a shortcut to Conversational Analytics (the Agents feature) that's spreading across the BigQuery interface. The capability lets analysts launch a chat-based exploration on entire datasets rather than only query results.
Read this update in detail →BigQuery Studio adds Git repository integration
Luka Cempre has flagged a new BigQuery Studio capability: Git repositories integration is now available in preview, providing direct integration to remote Git repositories. The setup requires enabling APIs, naming the repository, and authenticating with GitHub: within a few minutes, a GitHub repo is synced with BigQuery Studio.
Read this update in detail →Meta launches six May 2026 updates
Bram Van der Hallen has consolidated six Meta Ads updates landing in May 2026.
Read this update in detail →Meta Ads adds Audience Label to Website Custom Audiences
VIVEK GUPTA has flagged a Meta Ads update that makes Audience Label available for Website Custom Audiences: previously available only for Customer List Custom Audiences. The new categories include Engaged Audiences (Qualified Leads, Disqualified Leads, App Users, Trial Users, Other Engaged Users), Customers (High Value, Low Value, At Risk, Disengaged, Customers), and Other Audiences (Other 1, Other 2, Other 3).
Read this update in detail →Meta finally adds Ad Scheduling alongside Budget Scheduling
Matias Axel Ramayo has flagged that, after long providing only "budget scheduling," Meta has finally added ad scheduling: letting advertisers show ads only within business hours, which is particularly relevant for messaging campaigns to avoid low-quality 3am messages. Previously possible only via total budget configuration (tedious to set up), the new ad scheduling provides a simpler, modifiable schedule based on the fan page's operating hours.
Read this update in detail →Meta adds Instagram Live as a conversion ad placement
Matias Axel Ramayo has flagged that Meta has added Instagram Live as a new conversion ad placement. Advertisers can promote an Instagram Live that's currently running or scheduled for the future, with a simple setup in the campaign placement flow.
Read this update in detail →Facebook launches Forum app to compete with Reddit
Matt Navarra has flagged that Meta has launched Forum: a new standalone iOS app turning Facebook Groups into an AI-powered answer engine to compete with Reddit. Forum heavily pushes questions, recommendations, and "real answers from real people."
Read this update in detail →TikTok launches ad-free tier in the UK
TikTok announced on 11 May 2026 that it is rolling out TikTok Ad-Free: a new ad-free subscription tier: to UK users aged 18+ over the coming months. The subscription costs £3.99 per month and provides an ad-free experience.
Read this update in detail →Andy Jassy confirms Alexa for Shopping rollout
Andy Jassy confirmed at CEO level this week that Alexa for Shopping has rolled out broadly: bringing Rufus and Alexa+ together as a unified AI shopping assistant across phone, laptop, and Echo devices. In his words: "Alexa for Shopping is like having an expert personal shopper who already knows you and remembers your preferences, past purchases, and conversations, and carries that knowledge and understanding across your phone, laptop, and Echo devices."
Read this update in detail →Amazon shows review highlights directly in search results
Muhammad Muzamil has flagged that Amazon has started showing review highlights: actual phrases pulled from customer reviews: directly in search results, before shoppers click into a listing. Examples include phrases such as "Positively reviewed for quality" and "Loved for design."
Read this update in detail →Amazon Benchmark Report rolls out globally
Florian Nottorf has flagged that the Amazon Benchmark Report is now live globally, including Germany, after launching as a US-only beta in February. The report provides detailed competitor CPC and CTR benchmarks by campaign type and category: with up to 90 days of data available via the Ads Console at daily granularity.
Read this update in detail →Amazon Product Opportunity Explorer adds AI-powered insights
Daniel Orkun Duzgun has flagged that Amazon's Product Opportunity Explorer now includes AI-powered insights: auto-generated analyses covering search-term behaviour patterns, pricing sweet spots, review sentiment analysis, and product feature trends. The most actionable data is Brand Click Share Distribution, which shows top brands' click share within a category.
Read this update in detail →Walmart Marketplace updates Expected Ship Date calculations
Daniel Sodkiewicz has flagged a Walmart Marketplace update changing Expected Ship Date calculations for seller-fulfilled orders. Previously, sellers with fulfilment lag time greater than 0 days could benefit from order cutoff times: orders placed after the cutoff could sometimes receive an extra business day before shipping.
Read this update in detail →Google launches the May 2026 core update
Google Search Central confirmed on 21 May that the May 2026 core update has begun rolling out to Google Search. The rollout may take up to two weeks to complete.
Read this update in detail →ChatGPT Ads expand to the UK in the coming weeks
Tariq Mohammed has flagged that ChatGPT Ads are coming to the UK in the next few weeks. OpenAI confirmed on 7 May that UK users on the Free and Go tiers will start seeing ads in the coming weeks: in the shopping, retail, and travel categories first.
Read this update in detail →Meta begins 8,000 job cuts under "talent density" reorganisation
Meta Platforms began notifying staff worldwide on Wednesday, 20 May 2026, about layoffs as part of a restructuring aimed at reducing costs while investing heavily in artificial intelligence. The cuts started in Asia at 4 a.m.
Read this update in detail →Amazon Upfront 2026 runs alongside GML and IAB Upfronts week
Amazon Ads ran its annual Amazon Upfront on Tuesday, 12 May 2026, in New York, unveiling its 2026–27 content slate, sports rights, ad-product roadmap, and a major measurement and creative push for Prime Video.
Read this update in detail →Amazon doubles AI bot blocking to 100, adding DeepSeek and xAI/Grok
Juozas Kaziukėnas has flagged that Amazon has doubled the number of AI bots it is blocking, adding China's DeepSeek and Musk's xAI/Grok. Amazon now blocks 100 different bots, playing whack-a-mole as new ones emerge.
Read this update in detail →Google AI Overviews rolls out for dictionary queries: and follows the user's instructions
Lily Ray has flagged that Google has rolled out AI Overviews for new query types this week, including many words that previously generated dictionary results. Typing "disregard," "ignore," or "help" no longer returns a dictionary definition: instead, it returns an obedient AI Overview that follows the instruction.
Read this update in detail →Chrome documents LLMs.txt as part of agentic audits
Chris Long has flagged a significant Chrome documentation update: Chrome released documentation on its new Agentic Browsing audits, and buried in the spec is a reference to how the audit will check for the LLMs.txt file at the domain root. Crystal Carter was credited as the original finder.
Read this update in detail →Screaming Frog v24 launches MCP Server for Claude Desktop integration
Gus Pelogia and Ian Ferguson have both flagged the launch of Screaming Frog v24's MCP Server, which lets users run crawls directly inside Claude Desktop. The setup involves grabbing the MCP extension from Screaming Frog's docs, installing it via Claude Desktop settings, and restarting.
Read this update in detail →OpenAI introduces ChatGPT for PowerPoint in beta
OpenAI for Business has launched ChatGPT for PowerPoint in beta. The integration lets teams create, edit, understand, and polish presentations using natural language directly inside PowerPoint: starting from notes, docs, spreadsheets, prompts, or an existing deck.
Read this update in detail →The advertiser takeaway
Each update reflects the source reporting at the time. Open an individual update for its full description, original links and media.
Explore the original edition
Every update from this edition is linked above. Explore the original newsletter for its full context, contributor credits and reporting links.
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