Google Ads API v25.2 Released with Competitive Benchmark Metrics
Google released v25.2 of the Google Ads API on September 23, 2026, introducing competitive benchmarks percentile metrics. A live walkthrough is scheduled for September 24th at 10am ET on Discord and YouTube.
Why it matters:
Client library upgrades are required to access the new capabilities, meaning any agency running automated Google Ads workflows must update code before using v25.2 features, including the new competitive benchmarks data.
Agency action:
Upgrade Google Ads API client libraries and client code to v25.2 to access competitive...
Google Expands AI Brief Beta to 7 Languages, Adds AI Max Reporting
On Sep 23, 2026, Google expanded the AI Brief closed beta to seven languages, including French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. A new unified reporting view for AI Max is also rolling out, showing search terms, creative assets seen, and landing pages in one interface.
Why it matters:
Clients in non-English markets can now guide AI Max campaign behavior in their native language, widening the tool's practical use across international accounts. The new unified reporting view gives campaign managers a single place to trace the full Search ad journey and validate AI-driven decisions.
Agency action:
Check Google Ads access for AI Brief in the seven newly supported languages and enroll...
Google Ads Customer Lifecycle Goals can inflate ROAS if misconfigured
Search Engine Journal warns that Google Ads Customer Lifecycle Goals contain specific settings that inflate ROAS reporting and may exclude valuable prospects, urging advertisers to audit configurations before trusting performance data.
Why it matters:
Inflated ROAS figures can mislead client reporting and cause budget misallocation, making proper configuration a billing and retention risk for agencies managing Google Ads accounts.
Agency action:
Audit any active Customer Lifecycle Goal settings in client Google Ads accounts to...
Meta Tests Landing Page Experience Enhancement in AI Ad Settings
Meta has introduced a new Landing Page Experience Enhancement for advertisers who have opted into testing new AI generation features via Advertising Settings. The feature appears as an optional enhancement within that experimental setting.
Why it matters:
Opting into Meta's AI generation test features now surfaces additional ad creative controls, giving client campaigns early access to enhancements before broader rollout.
Agency action:
Check Meta Advertising Settings to confirm AI generation test features are enabled, then...
Google Broadens Mediapartners-Google Crawler Guidance Beyond AdSense
Google updated its official documentation for the Mediapartners-Google crawler, expanding the guidance so it now covers more than just AdSense-related crawling behavior.
Why it matters:
Sites running multiple Google ad products may need to revisit robots.txt rules, as crawler guidance now applies more broadly than AdSense alone.
Agency action:
Review your robots.txt and noindex configurations for Mediapartners-Google to confirm...
Google Ads Decoded podcast explains data strength for lead gen
Google's Ads Decoded podcast released an episode focused on 'data strength,' covering what it is, how to build it, and why lead generation campaigns depend on it.
Why it matters:
Lead gen campaign performance on Google Ads is increasingly tied to the quality of first-party data signals, making data strength a core factor in producing sales-ready results for clients.
Agency action:
Listen to the Ads Decoded episode and audit current first-party data inputs across client...
Google Rethink 2026 event targets holiday season ad ROI
Google launched Rethink 2026, an initiative aimed at helping marketers prepare for the upcoming holiday season with new customer connection tools and ROI-focused ad capabilities.
Why it matters:
Holiday campaign planning windows are narrowing, and Google's new tools could shift how client budgets are allocated across paid channels before peak season.
Agency action:
Review Google's Rethink 2026 announcements and assess which new ad features apply to...
Google Ads Decoded podcast shares holiday sales steps
Google published a new Ads Decoded podcast episode outlining steps for driving sales and reaching customers during the holiday season, available now on the Google Ads blog.
Why it matters:
Holiday campaign planning requires early action, and this episode may contain tactical guidance relevant to client campaign setup, though the source provides no specific metrics or named tactics to evaluate.
Agency action:
Listen to the Ads Decoded holiday episode and extract any tactics applicable to current...
Google Ads Migration: Audit Local Services Ads Before Moving to PMax
Search Engine Journal published an on-demand webinar covering what agencies must audit in Local Services Ads accounts before migrating campaigns to Performance Max, in partnership with CallRail.
Why it matters:
Local service clients running LSA campaigns face structural differences from PMax, and skipping a pre-migration audit risks losing lead quality data and budget controls built into the original setup.
Agency action:
Register for the CallRail and SEJ on-demand webinar to walk through the LSA-to-PMax audit...
ChatGPT Ads Adds AI Text Customization Toggle for Advertisers
Some advertisers creating ChatGPT ad campaigns now see a new Text Customization toggle, enabled by default, that uses AI to generate personalized and translated versions of ad headlines and descriptions.
Why it matters:
AI-rewritten ad copy shown without explicit approval reduces agency control over brand voice and messaging, making it critical to audit this setting on any active ChatGPT campaign.
Agency action:
Check all active ChatGPT ad campaigns for the Text Customization toggle and decide...
Google Ads Attribution Models Compared: Last Click vs. Data-Driven
A Wordstream analysis breaks down Google Ads attribution models, noting that Google has offered conversion tracking features for two decades, yet no single model definitively identifies which touchpoint drives a conversion.
Why it matters:
Choosing the wrong attribution model can misallocate budget across funnel stages, causing campaigns to over-credit final clicks while ignoring earlier touchpoints that influenced the decision.
Agency action:
Audit current Google Ads attribution settings for each client account and compare...
Google Ads API Gets New Cloud Console Homepage and Automated Basic Access
Google has launched a new homepage for the Google Ads API within the Google Cloud Console, rolling out today. Basic Access applications are now automated for developers who have completed brand verification, reducing manual steps in the onboarding process.
Why it matters:
Faster API access setup means less time waiting on manual approvals before client campaigns can go live. Developers at agencies must review the action required section of the announcement to avoid disruptions during the transition.
Agency action:
Review the action required section of Google's announcement to confirm your accounts...
Google Ads Video Sequence Campaigns Serve Clips in Fixed Order Per Viewer
Google Ads offers video ad sequence campaigns that deliver multiple video clips to individual viewers in a specific, predetermined order, building narrative across exposures.
Why it matters:
Sequential video storytelling gives client campaigns a structured way to move prospects through awareness stages, which suits agencies managing brand-building briefs on YouTube.
Agency action:
Audit current client Google Ads accounts to identify brand-awareness campaigns that could...
Google Ads Adds Local Customer Optimization Feature
Google Ads has introduced a Local Customer Optimization feature, as reported by Search Engine Journal. Separately, Google Local Services Ads are moving to Performance Max, with a live migration webinar scheduled for September 8.
Why it matters:
Local-focused ad campaigns may behave differently under the new optimization setting, and the Local Services Ads shift to PMax changes budget, bidding, and reporting workflows that agencies currently manage for clients.
Agency action:
Review the Local Customer Optimization setting in active Google Ads accounts and assess...
GoodLads Launches AI Growth Manager for Google Ads Accounts
GoodLads launched today on Product Hunt, targeting Google Ads accounts spending between €10K and €250K per month. The tool generates AI hypotheses to improve ROAS or CPA, deploys each one with a single click pending human approval, and tracks outcomes on a kanban board.
Why it matters:
Client approval stays in the loop on every change, reducing risk for agencies managing mid-to-large Google Ads budgets. The kanban-based verdict tracking gives account managers a structured way to document what worked and what did not.
Agency action:
Evaluate GoodLads for client accounts in the €10K to €250K monthly spend range where ROAS...
WordStream publishes 21 Google Ads experiment ideas for account testing
WordStream released a guide listing 21 Google Ads experiment ideas to help advertisers identify what to test next, covering a range of account features and performance scenarios.
Why it matters:
Having a structured list of 21 testable variables gives account managers a ready queue of experiments, reducing the guesswork that often stalls optimization cycles for client campaigns.
Agency action:
Review the 21 experiment ideas against current client account performance gaps and...
Google has confirmed that Google Ads API v22 will sunset on October 7, 2026, after which all v22 API requests will begin to fail.
Why it matters:
Any automation or reporting tools built on v22 will break after that date, disrupting client campaign management and data pipelines without a prior migration.
Agency action:
Audit active Google Ads API integrations now to identify any running on v22 and begin...
Google Ads Developer Policy Updated to Restrict Programmatic Proxies
Google renamed its 'Google Ads API Policy' to 'Google Ads Developer Policies' and updated the rules to restrict programmatic proxies, which bypass the verified interface between end-users and Google. The Ads API Compliance team is actively reviewing existing integrations and will contact developers who need to transition.
Why it matters:
Any client automation or white-label ad tool built on programmatic proxy integrations may require rework to stay compliant. Failing to update affected applications risks losing API access, disrupting client campaign management.
Agency action:
Audit all Google Ads API integrations against the updated Google Ads Developer Policies...
3 Tested AI Prompts to Improve Google Ads Account Management
Practical Ecommerce published a guide on August 11, 2026 outlining 3 specific AI prompts designed to improve Google Ads messaging and user experience beyond the platform's built-in AI tools.
Why it matters:
Prompt-driven workflows for Google Ads management can reduce manual copywriting time and produce more consistent ad messaging across client accounts.
Agency action:
Review and test the 3 prompts from the Practical Ecommerce guide against active Google...
OpenAI adds ads to ChatGPT free and Go tiers in India
OpenAI will begin displaying ads on ChatGPT's free and Go tiers in India, where the platform has more than 100 million weekly active users, the majority on those lower-cost plans.
Why it matters:
A paid ad channel inside ChatGPT opens a new placement option for agencies running campaigns in India, but client messaging will now appear alongside AI-generated responses, raising brand-safety questions worth addressing proactively.
Agency action:
Evaluate ChatGPT ad placements as a potential India-market channel and establish...
