Google Ads
Search Engine Land is your premier source for Google Ads news, strategies, and in-depth content. You’ll find a variety of up-to-date and authoritative resources, including the latest news, tactic-rich tutorials, and the latest data to help you work smarter and make better decisions that boost your ROI.
Mastering Google Ads for maximum ROI
Google Ads is a powerful tool for driving targeted traffic, generating leads, and increasing sales — but staying ahead in paid search requires more than just a basic understanding of campaigns. Search Engine Land equips you with actionable strategies to optimize ad performance, reduce wasted spend, and maximize your return on investment.
Discover insights on everything from mastering campaign types like Performance Max to leveraging advanced strategies and features like audience targeting, responsive search ads, and bidding strategies. Whether you’re managing large-scale accounts or running ads for a small business, our resources are tailored to meet your specific needs.
What you read here is written by our experienced in-house team, alongside subject matter experts from leading agencies and top-performing brands across various industries
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Google Ads quietly rolls out a new conversion metric
Google’s new “Original Conversion Value” metric gives advertisers long-needed clarity by revealing the true, unadjusted revenue their campaigns generate.
Google’s new “Ads Advisor” AI is put to the test
Google’s new AI Ads Advisor shows promise but remains error-prone and not ready to fully manage campaigns.
Google Ads boosts accuracy in advertiser account suspensions
Google Ads, powered by Gemini AI, has cut incorrect advertiser suspensions by over 80% and now resolves 99% of appeals within 24 hours.
Google Ads experiment taps social creatives for PMax campaigns
Google Ads is testing a feature that pulls social video ads into PMax campaigns, streamlining setup but raising data concerns.
Google launches AI-powered advisors
Google’s new Ads and Analytics Advisors, gives advertisers faster, ways to analyze data, optimize campaigns, and turn insights into immediate results.
Google quietly adds brand inclusions to standard Shopping campaigns
Google brings long-awaited brand inclusion controls gives advertisers more precise management of which brands appear in their shopping ads.
Google makes incrementality testing easier, cheaper, and faster
Google is lowering the cost of incrementality testing helping marketers of all sizes measure and prove the true impact of their ads.
The best way to use custom segments in Google Ads
Learn how Google Ads custom segments target people by recent searches and site visits so you reach the right audience more efficiently.
How to consolidate legacy SKAGs – and why it’s time to move on
Precision has changed, but control isn’t gone. Learn how to consolidate SKAGs, protect performance, and focus on what still drives results.
Google Ads Editor 2.11 gets campaign-level negatives and smarter automation
The latest Editor update introduces campaign-level negatives, search term reporting for Performance Max, and smarter automation tools for large-scale ad management.
Google adds asset-level reporting to display campaigns
Advertisers will soon get deeper visibility into how each Display creative performs, enabling smarter optimization decisions.
Why B2B brands are shifting from keywords to Performance Max
Accounts embracing AI-powered tools are outperforming keyword-only strategies. Here's what you need to know before you get left behind.
Google expands PMax reach with Waze ads
Advertisers can now reach drivers through Waze and gain deeper visibility into campaign performance with Google’s latest PMax updates.
Google Ads pushes ‘Investment Strategy’ planning for budget-limited campaigns
Google Ads is adding an “investment strategy” tool that lets advertisers model potential gains from increased budgets.
Google’s double-serving dilemma: Who really wins when one advertiser gets two spots?
Google Ads now lets one advertiser appear twice on a SERP – a change that tests fairness, transparency, and competition.
How APIs extend data access and automation in Google Ads and Meta Ads
Go beyond dashboards. Use platform APIs to access deeper data, connect insights, and automate workflows that reveal new opportunities.
Google’s “Smart Cropping” may be trimming your Shopping Ad images
Google’s default “Smart Cropping” may be auto-cropping product images in Shopping ads, requiring a support request to disable.
5 Google Ads tactics to drop in 2026
Some PPC practices no longer fit today’s automated Google Ads environment. Here’s what to phase out – and what to prioritize next year.
Google Local Services Ads vs. Search Ads: Which drives better local leads?
Find out how ad setup, targeting, and lead quality vary between LSAs and Search campaigns – and when to use each for better local results.
Why a lower CTR can be better for your PPC campaigns
High CTRs don’t always mean success. Focusing on qualified clicks and impression-based metrics can lead to stronger ROI and conversion rates.
Google Ads turns 25: A look back at the biggest changes and advances in search
Google marks 25 years of Ads, evolving from search keywords to AI-powered campaigns that reach audiences and deliver answers.
Google Merchant Center adds centralized Issue Details Page
A new centralized dashboard helps advertisers quickly spot and fix product or account issues to keep their listings active.
Google Ads quietly tests auto-setting “New Customer Value”
Google Ads is testing auto-set “New Customer Values,” sparking confusion and transparency concerns among advertisers.
Google Ads’ new text guidelines feature begins rolling out
Advertisers can now guide Google’s AI to create text assets that align with brand tone, messaging, and compliance standards.
Google Ads to permanently delete canceled accounts after six months
Advertisers now have just six months to reactivate canceled accounts before Google permanently deletes their data.
Susan Yen talks account structure & PMax fails
Susan Yen shares how a major PMax misstep taught her the importance of transparency, testing, and staying human in an automated world.
Google adds ‘Sources’ column to AI Max search term reports
Google’s new Sources column in AI Max reports shows where traffic comes from, giving advertisers clearer insight into AI-driven matches.
Google opens Shopping Ads to physical goods subscriptions
Google lets U.S. merchants offer product subscriptions in Shopping ads, creating new recurring revenue and customer loyalty opportunities.
Google’s Liz Reid on AI Overviews: Less ad clicks, more searches
Google’s head of Search says AI Overviews don't reduce the need to buy, which is keeping ad revenue stable as searches keep growing.
Google Ads loosens prescription drug term restrictions for non-promotional use
Google will now allow limited non-promotional use of prescription drug terms in ads, while keeping keyword certification rules the same.
Google Ads PMax: The truth about audience signals and search themes
Think audience signals drive PMax? Think again. Learn what really controls your Performance Max targeting – and how to make it work for you.
Google Performance Max adds support for vertical 9:16 image ads
Vertical image ads in PMax help brands blend naturally into mobile-first spaces like YouTube Shorts.
Google Ads tests ‘View-Through Conversion Optimization’ for Demand Gen campaigns
You can now improve upper-funnel results by letting Google Ads optimize for conversions driven by ad views, not just clicks.
Google to expand ads in AI Overviews to more markets
The expansion of AI Overviews ads will increase the challenges of how advertisers engage users through AI-driven search experiences.
Google updates Misrepresentation policy for Shopping Ads and free listings
Google clarifies its Misrepresentation policy, adding examples and guidance on compliance, delivery, and returns.
Google Ads now flags low-quality images
Google Ads adds image quality recommendations to help advertisers improve creative performance and engagement across its ad surfaces.
New YouTube Brand Pulse report tracks every brand mention
YouTube’s new AI-powered report helps advertisers measure their total brand impact across paid and organic videos for the first time.
Google Analytics adds cost data imports for Meta and TikTok ads
Advertisers can now automatically import Meta and TikTok ad cost data into Google Analytics for unified, real-time cross-channel reporting.
Google open-sources ads API MCP server for AI developers
This change will allow AI applications to access and analyze Google Ads data through natural language for the first time.
Campaign Type added to Google Ads Channel Performance report
Google’s new “Campaign Type” hint suggests the Channel Performance report will expand beyond Performance Max.