The changes that matter to advertisers, with the sources behind them and a practical next step. Pick a topic and catch up at your own pace.
Google Ads
An SE Ranking study of 50,032 keywords found ads showing on 29.45% of commercial queries in Google AI Mode. Greg Sterling notes Google sees AI Mode as a way to expand the number of SERPs carrying ads.
Google Ads
Household exclusions were spotted inside a Performance Max campaign, in a European account. The setting had not been seen in PMax before.
Google Ads
Google logged two more changes in its policy change log. For you, this means regulated verticals face fresh requirements, so check each policy against your markets.
YouTube
Version 25 of the Google Ads API landed on 22 July. It adds YouTube ad sub-format breakdowns by duration, Shorts social metrics for comments, likes, and shares, a loyalty retention goal, and a revamped new customer acquisition goal.
Google Ads
Google says its AI now matches Shopping ads to natural-language, long-tail searches, not just exact product terms. Ad copy is tailored using Merchant Center feed details, confirmed in updated PMax documentation.
Google Ads
Google has extended the Content API for Shopping timeline, reported by Search Engine Roundtable. Developers gain more time to migrate to the Merchant API.
Google Ads
From 21 July, you cannot appeal a policy decision made more than six months ago from your account. Older decisions fall outside the in-account appeal route entirely.
Google Ads
The Brand report announced months ago is appearing in accounts. It shows branded searches generated per Demand Gen campaign and cost against branded-search trends over time.
Google Ads
Google's tightened verification for financial services advertisers began rolling out across the EU this week. Identities are verified before campaigns launch, not after.
Google Ads
Google announced an August migration for selected US home-service categories, placing Local Services Ads within Performance Max with pay-per-lead billing.
Google Ads
Google’s lead-form documentation no longer lists the $50,000 lifetime-spend route. Other eligibility and format-specific requirements remain, so the change does not mean every advertiser can use every lead-form experience.
Google Ads
Google's Missed Opportunities tool moves into Recommendations, where estimates describe activity constrained by bids or budgets.
Industry
Google is testing a "Read more" link in mobile Search ads that expands longer descriptions without sending the user to the site. The test was spotted and shared by Khushal Bherwani, so scope and rollout are unconfirmed.
Google Ads
Google will require a Passkey to authorise sensitive actions in Google Ads, such as changing payment details or user access. The security step mirrors the multi-party approvals added to the API in June.
Google Merchant Center
Google is expanding eligibility for Shopping ads and free listings to 14 additional countries. The change broadens where product inventory can be served across Google surfaces.
Google Ads
Product-level reporting in Performance Max now includes data from all eligible networks, per a Google notice shared by Bia Camargo. Google notes the change can produce a one-time increase in reported metrics.
Google Ads
Ahead of the 17 August change for budget-limited campaigns, Google's Ads Liaison, Ginny Marvin, confirmed that the update only affects budget-constrained campaigns using a target and is not a broader Smart Bidding change. She added that it will not result in any changes to spending, and that a campaign whose target is reset to its current achieved average should continue to perform as it does now.
Google Ads
Google is bringing business data feeds to Demand Gen, enabling dynamic ads without a Merchant Centrer account. The capability targets non-retail verticals such as travel, real estate, and automotive, and currently applies to Google Display Network inventory within Demand Gen.
Industry
Amazon is expanding Alexa shopping so customers can describe design ideas in natural language and generate custom products through Amazon Merch on Demand. Amazon fulfils items and keeps the whole flow inside its ecosystem.
Google Merchant Center
Google will consolidate its Shopping ads and free listings policies into one unified set on September 2, standardising requirements across paid and unpaid product surfaces.
Google Ads
Google has introduced video campaign groups, which manage reach and frequency across multiple video campaigns while individual campaign settings stay in place. PPC News Feed reports the option is now available globally.
Google Ads
Google has published three policy changes affecting regulated categories. For you, this means new eligibility and certification requirements between late July and mid-September, so check each policy against your verticals now.
Google Ads
Google Ads has expanded the availability of Brand Lift studies and added an Enhanced option, as Thomas Eccel flagged. The Enhanced study carries a lower reported lift threshold but requires a larger budget than the Standard version.
Google Ads
Google has published an FAQ for AI Max for Search campaigns, describing it as an evolution of DSA and Performance Max rather than a separate campaign type. It sets out how AI Max differs from each, how assets are generated, and what changes when a campaign turns it on.
Google Ads
Google is testing Channel Diagnostics for Performance Max, found under Channel performance in Insights and reports. It shows diagnostic data across all channels and per channel, including which assets are missing or were not accepted, with fixes available from the same view.
YouTube
Manuel Lodi has flagged that after Google auto-linked Google Ads and YouTube accounts, it created a "YouTube subsequent views" conversion and set it as Primary. Because each organic view counts as a conversion, some Performance Max campaigns shifted most budget to the Video channel.
Google Ads
Google has launched a pilot that reviews pending Basic Access applications within hours once the linked Google Cloud project is brand verified. Participation is optional, and developers with approved tokens need not act.
Google Ads
Google has updated its Alcohol policy help article to give clearer information on acceptable ad formats. Google states the update does not change how the policy is enforced.
Google Merchant Center
Emmanuel Flossie has flagged that Google Shopping checkout links are now available in Indonesia, France, Mexico, Argentina, Israel, and Australia. The links send ready-to-buy shoppers straight to your cart or checkout on mobile and tablet devices, rather than to the product page.
Google Ads
Google is testing the addition of SMS as a message asset, alongside WhatsApp, Messenger, and Zalo under "set up your message asset." It uses a native Google Messages preview, keeps the 140-character starter message, and rolls SMS conversions into the account-level leads-from-messages goal.
30 of 582 updates loaded.
Load more updatesEach update has one permanent page. New evidence about the same development is added to that page. Dates identify the source report or newsletter coverage; article publication dates appear in the full view.
2026 newsletter archive: 38 editions and 1,562 distinct updates through Week 36. Source descriptions, credits and media are preserved; missing details remain marked.
Share the original source and what changed. If it is already covered, help us improve the existing update.
