Google is rolling out a significant update to how average daily budgets pace in campaigns that use ad scheduling — and it could materially change monthly spend totals.
What’s happening. Starting March 1, 2026, Google Ads will begin proactively pacing budgets to spend up to the full 30.4x monthly limit, even if campaigns only run on specific days via ad scheduling.
How it works:
The 2x daily overspend rule stays in place.
The 30.4x average daily budget monthly cap remains unchanged.
Campaigns will not run outside scheduled hours.
But Google will now attempt to hit the full monthly ceiling within the allowed schedule.
Why we care. Until now, advertisers running limited schedules — like weekends only — effectively spent less per month because Google paced against active days. Campaigns using ad scheduling may start spending significantly more per month — even though daily budgets and billing caps haven’t changed.
Google will now push harder to hit the full 30.4x monthly limit within scheduled days, which could double spend for weekend-only or limited-hour campaigns. Without adjusting daily budgets, marketers risk unintentionally overshooting their intended monthly targets.
Example. A campaign set to weekends only with a $100 daily budget previously spent about $800/month (roughly eight weekend days).
Under the new pacing logic, it could spend up to $1,600/month — hitting $200 (2x daily budget) on each scheduled day.
What Google says. According to Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin, the goal is to better align pacing behavior with advertisers’ expectations around monthly spend limits. Spend will still be driven by campaign objectives like conversions or conversion value, and no campaign will exceed the existing billing caps.
Ginny also clarified that only advertisers who received notifications about this update will be affected and the change will be slowly rolled out.
Between the lines. This is less about raising limits — and more about how aggressively Google uses existing ones. For advertisers relying on ad scheduling to naturally suppress spend, this could lead to unexpected increases unless daily budgets are recalibrated.
What to do now:
Review campaigns using ad scheduling.
Recalculate daily budgets based on true monthly goals.
Lower daily budgets if you want to maintain previous monthly spend levels.
The bottom line. Google isn’t changing how much you can spend — it’s changing how quickly you will spend it. Flighted and part-time campaigns should adjust before March 2026.
First spotted. This updated was mentioned by Jordan Fry who shared the Google message he got on LinkedIn.
COO Brad Lightcap noted that ads can add to the product experience of users if they are done right. He urged to give OpenAI a few months to see how the company fares in rolling out the product.
Google Ad Grants accounts can now optimize for real-world foot traffic. If you use the nonprofit program, you can set “shop visits” as an account-level goal, allowing your campaigns to optimize for in-person visits.
Driving the news. Previously, if you tried to mark shop visits as a goal in Ad Grants, you’d get an error. That restriction appears to be lifted, allowing eligible accounts to include store visit conversions in their primary goal configuration.
This update lets you align bidding and optimization with physical visits — especially for visibility in Maps placements and location-driven search results.
Why we care. If you run a nonprofit, museum, place of worship, community center, or other location-based organization, digital engagement doesn’t always translate into mission impact. Optimizing for shop visits bridges that gap, tying ad performance directly to foot traffic.
What to do. If you use Ad Grants, review your account-level goals and confirm shop visits are enabled where eligible. Optimizing for foot traffic could materially improve your local impact — especially if you rely on in-person engagement.
Between the lines. As Google continues to emphasize local intent and Maps-based discovery, bringing store visit optimization to Ad Grants expands your ability to compete for nearby audiences. It shifts the focus from clicks and website traffic to measurable offline action.
First seen. Google Ads expert Jason King spotted this update and shared it on LinkedIn.
Google’s unified video manager in Merchant Center is no longer empty. After months of showing up in accounts without visible content, the Video Assets section is now automatically populating with sourced videos.
Driving the news. Videos are now automatically pulled in, including content from external sources like YouTube.
The feature — first introduced at Google Marketing Live 2025 — was designed to centralize video content inside Google Merchant Center. It began rolling out in September, but many advertisers saw a blank interface with no assets.
Why we care. This confirms Google is moving ahead with its plan to make Merchant Center a central hub for commerce-ready creative — not just product feeds. With videos now auto-populating, you may gain additional visibility across Shopping and Performance Max without extra upload work, but you’ll also need to ensure your YouTube and site videos are optimized for commerce. In short, video is becoming embedded in retail ad delivery, and if you manage it proactively, you’ll have a competitive edge.
Between the lines. By centralizing videos from your website, social platforms, and potentially AI-generated sources, Google is turning Merchant Center into a more comprehensive creative hub—not just a product feed manager. That aligns with the broader shift toward video-first shopping experiences across Search, Shopping, and Performance Max.
What to watch. It’s still unclear how performance reporting, optimization controls, and editing tools will evolve in the Video Assets section. But the shift from an empty placeholder to a populated library shows the infrastructure is now active.
First spotted. PPC News Feed founder Hana Kobzová first spotted this update.
Advertisers contacting Google Ads support may now need to grant explicit authorization before they can even submit a help request — giving a Google specialist permission to access and make changes directly inside their account.
Here’s what’s happening. Users are first routed to a beta AI chat. If they opt to submit a support form instead, they must tick an “Authorisation” box. The wording allows a Google Ads specialist, on behalf of the company, to reproduce and troubleshoot issues by making changes directly in the account.
The fine print is clear. Google doesn’t guarantee results. Any adjustments are made at the advertiser’s own risk. And the advertiser remains solely responsible for the impact on campaign performance and spending.
Why we care. The required checkbox shifts more responsibility onto advertisers at a time when automation and AI already limit hands-on control. If support makes changes, the performance and spend risk still sits with the advertiser.
Between the lines. This creates a trade-off between speed and control. Granting access could accelerate troubleshooting, but it also opens the door to account-level changes that may affect live campaigns — without any assurance of improved outcomes.
The bottom line. Getting support may now mean temporarily handing over the keys — while keeping full accountability for whatever happens next.
First seen. This new caveats to getting support was spotted by PPC specialist Arpan Banerjee who shared spotting the message on LinkedIn.
Demand Gen marks a shift in Google Ads toward visual advertising beyond keywords and text. Relying on traditional strategies when testing it wastes budget, hurts performance, and limits opportunity. To succeed, you have to think more like a social advertiser than a search advertiser.
At SMX Next, Industrious Marketing owner Jack Hepp explained why many businesses struggle with demand gen campaigns — especially in B2B and lead generation — while also sharing insights relevant to ecommerce.
Understanding the Shift: From Intent to Interruption
Demand Gen reflects Google’s shift from intent-first search advertising to visual, discovery-based campaigns.
Instead of targeting users actively searching for your service, you reach them as they scroll through YouTube, Gmail, or Discovery feeds.
This changes your approach: visual creative becomes the new keyword, replacing traditional targeting.
Common misalignments in Demand Gen strategy
Applying outdated search strategies can lead to failure with Demand Gen. The four main mistakes:
Expecting bottom-of-funnel CPAs from mid-funnel traffic.
Using overly broad, “spray and pray” targeting.
Running bland, generic creative.
Not knowing how to optimize without negative keywords.
Success requires a social advertising mindset.
Campaign structure: Understanding the hierarchy
Demand Gen uses a two-level structure.
Campaign-level settings control broad parameters like bidding strategy, conversion goals, and device targeting.
Ad group–level settings control audiences, locations, and channels.
Each ad group learns independently—insights don’t transfer—allowing precise audience segmentation with tailored creative.
Creating interruption-based creative
You must stop their scroll within 3-4 seconds. Your creative must capture attention immediately, speak to a specific pain point, and present your solution.
Unlike search ads — where users are actively looking for you — Demand Gen interrupts browsing, so your message must be instantly compelling and problem-focused.
Aligning visuals to the customer journey
Match your offer to audience readiness.
Cold audiences need educational content like free guides or diagnostic tools.
Warm audiences respond to case studies, webinars, and comparison tools.
Hot audiences are ready for demos and direct purchase offers.
Misaligning them — like pushing demos to cold audiences — guarantees failure from the start.
The power of problem-focused creative
Generic ads with stock photos and basic headlines get scrolled past. Winning creative uses bold headlines, striking visuals, and problem-focused messaging.
For example, “43% of cyberattacks target small businesses” speaks to a specific pain point, making the ad stand out and prompting engagement instead of a scroll.
Bidding and budget strategies
Demand Gen uses campaign goals rather than traditional bidding strategies: conversion-focused, click-focused, or conversion–value–focused.
Aim for 50+ conversions per month and budget 10–15x your target CPA to build enough data.
For click-based bidding, set budget based on desired traffic volume and target CPC.
Demand Gen is highly data-reliant, so hitting these thresholds is critical to performance.
Can Demand Gen work with small budgets?
Yes, with strategic planning.
Focus on mid- or upper-funnel audiences and optimize for MQLs instead of bottom-funnel conversions. This helps you reach 50+ monthly conversions for data density, even with smaller budgets.
Align your goals, targeting, and budget to generate enough conversion data.
Building the right audience
Avoid two extremes:
Audiences that are too broad (billions of impressions) where Google can’t identify your target.
Audiences too narrow (a few thousand impressions) where you can’t build data density.
The sweet spot: start with custom segments based on search terms or competitor websites, then layer in lookalike segments and strategic first-party data. Avoid optimized targeting at first — it works best to expand already successful campaigns.
The role of creative in targeting
Your creative shapes who Google targets. The people who engage with your ads teach Google who to show them to next.
Performance peaks when your creative speaks to your ideal customer profile. Align messaging to the buyer’s stage — cold audiences need different messaging than hot prospects.
Strategic exclusions
Use exclusions surgically, not broadly. It’s tempting to exclude like negative keywords, but over-excluding shrinks your audience too much.
Focus only on clear non-converters (e.g., specific age groups, locations, or audiences you know won’t respond). Give Google room to find engaged users within your parameters, rather than narrowing to the point of ineffectiveness.
Optimization: Where to focus
Without negative keywords, optimize through three levers: creative, audience, and offer. Test multiple formats (video, image, carousel) and styles (UGC, testimonials, problem-focused messaging). Continuously refine what works with new hooks and data points.
Test offers to match audience readiness — cold audiences need educational content, while hot audiences need direct CTAs.
Prioritize post-click optimization: improve landing pages, strengthen tracking with CRM integration, and ensure clean data feeds Google’s learning.
Real-world case study
A telecommunications company targeting B2B managed IT services drove strong results by aligning all three elements.
Offer: An interactive quiz showing businesses how managed IT could reduce costs.
Targeting: Custom segments based on proven search terms and competitor website visitors.
Creative: Problem-focused messaging about cybersecurity threats to small businesses.
Results:
$10 cost per MQL.
3.8% conversion rate.
40% of quiz takers became SQLs.
20% increase in total SQLs.
Key takeaways
As you plan your next campaign:
Match your creative to your customer and their stage in the journey.
Target the right audience at the right point in that journey.
Test and optimize creative and offers to find what resonates and drives action.
In a short video shared on Samsung’s official US X account, the company showed a situation we have all been in: a woman is sitting on a crowded bus or train, trying to read something private. When the person next to her starts nosing around, she switches on Privacy Display mode.
Like a magic trick, the screen instantly goes black for anyone looking from the side, while staying clear for her. It’s a clever solution for “shoulder surfers” who can’t mind their own business in public.
This isn’t just a simple trick. The tech uses advanced OLED pixels to block the view from certain angles. It’s smart enough to hide your entire screen or just specific parts, like a private text or a sensitive notification.
Interestingly, shortly after the buzz started, the teaser video disappeared. If you try to find the post now, X just says “this page doesn’t exist.” Samsung hasn’t given an explanation or a warning; they simply removed it from X’s timeline.
While you can still see a “next-level privacy” headline on its official website, the specific video clip is gone. There’s possiblity that Samsung pulled it to fix a minor detail or simply to hype the big announcement.
Even without the video, the specs for the Galaxy S26 Ultra look impressive: you get a huge 6.9-inch display, the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, a massive 200MP main sensor for ultra-clear photos, and a 5,000mAh battery with fast-charging support. You will also get storage options up to 1TB.
Samsung is set to unveil the full lineup on February 25, 2026. Whether the video removal was a mistake or a marketing tactic, it definitely has people talking.
Google Merchant Center is investigating an issue affecting Feeds, according to its public status dashboard.
The details:
Incident began: Feb. 4, 2026 at 14:00 UTC
Latest update (Feb. 20, 14:43 UTC): “We’re investigating reports of an issue with Feeds. We will provide more information shortly.”
Status: Service disruption
The alert appears on the official Merchant Center Status Dashboard, which tracks availability across Merchant Center services.
Why we care. Feeds power product listings across Shopping ads and free listings. Any disruption can impact product approvals, updates, or visibility in campaigns tied to retail inventory.
What to watch. Google has not yet shared scope, root cause, or estimated time to resolution. Advertisers experiencing feed processing delays or disapprovals may want to monitor the dashboard closely.
Bottom line. When feeds stall, ecommerce performance can follow. Retail advertisers should keep an eye on diagnostics and campaign delivery until more details emerge.
Google is updating how it attributes conversions in app campaigns, shifting from the date of the ad click to the date of the actual install.
What’s changing. Previously, conversions were logged against the original ad interaction date. Now, they’re assigned to the day the app was actually installed — bringing Google’s methodology closer in line with how Mobile Measurement Partners (MMPs) like AppsFlyer and Adjust report data.
Why this helps:
It should meaningfully reduce discrepancies between Google Ads and MMP dashboards — a persistent headache for mobile marketers reconciling two different numbers.
Google’s default 30-day attribution window meant many conversions were being reported too late to be useful for campaign learning, effectively starving Smart Bidding of timely signals.
Tying conversions to install date gives the algorithm fresher, more accurate data — which should translate to faster optimization cycles and more stable performance.
Why we care. The change sounds technical, but its impact is significant. Attribution timing directly affects how Google’s machine learning optimizes campaigns — and a 30-day lag between ad click and conversion credit has long been a silent drag on performance. This change means Google’s machine learning will finally receive conversion signals at the right time — tied to when a user actually installed the app, not when they clicked an ad weeks earlier.
That shift should lead to smarter bidding decisions, faster campaign optimization, and fewer frustrating discrepancies between Google Ads and MMP reporting. If you’ve ever wondered why your Google numbers don’t match AppsFlyer or Adjust, this update is a direct response to that problem.
Between the lines. Most advertisers never touch their attribution window settings, leaving Google’s 30-day default in place. That default has quietly been working against them — delaying the conversion signals that machine learning depends on to make better bidding decisions.
The bottom line. A small change in attribution logic could have an outsized impact on app campaign performance. Mobile advertisers should monitor their data closely in the coming weeks for shifts in reported conversions and optimization behavior.
First spotted. This update was first spotted by David Vargas who shared receiving a message of this post on LinkedIn.
Google Ads is now displaying examples of how “Landing Page Images” can be used inside Performance Max (PMax) campaigns — offering clearer visibility into how website visuals may automatically become ad creatives.
How it works. If advertisers opt in, Google can pull images directly from a brand’s landing pages and dynamically turn them into ads. Now when creating your campaigns, before setting it live, Google Ads will show you the automated creatives it plans on setting live.
Why we care. For PMax campaigns your site is part of your asset library. Any banner, hero image, or product visual could surface across Search, Display, YouTube, or Discover placements — whether you designed it for ads or not. Google Ads is now showing clearer examples of how Landing Page Images may be used inside those PMax campaigns — giving much-needed visibility into what automated creatives could look like.
Instead of guessing how Google might transform site visuals into ads, brands can better anticipate, audit, and control what’s eligible to serve. That visibility makes it easier to refine landing pages proactively and avoid unwanted surprises in live campaigns.
Between the lines: Automation is expanding — but so is creative risk. Therefore this is a very useful update that keeps advertisers aware of what will be set live before the hit the go live button.
Bottom line: In PMax, your website is no longer just a landing page. It’s part of the ad engine.
First seen. This update was spotted by Digital Marketer Thomas Eccel who showed an example on LinkedIn.
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