Week of Sep 22, 2025
13 changes logged the week of Sep 22, 2025, 3 high impact; 1 took effect. Open this week in the change history.
Google Ads
- 'Not a government website' disclosure auto-added to Search ads for government documents and services
From October 22, 2025, Google automatically shows a 'Not a government website' disclosure on Search ads promoting government documents and services unless the advertiser holds government provider certification. Enforcement ramped over about 4 weeks. Source
- Misrepresentation policy expanded to prohibit dishonest pricing practices
Google added bait-and-switch, price exploitation and misleading free app/trial promotions to the Misrepresentation policy and requires advertisers to clearly disclose the payment model or full cost before and after purchase. Enforcement began October 28, 2025 and ramped over about 4 weeks. Source
- Individual 'Sponsored' labels were replaced by one 'Sponsored results' header over grouped ads
Multiple marketers (Harpreet, Ross Stevens, John Reinesch, Lily Ray) reported on September 24 that text ads were now grouped under a single Sponsored results header. Google confirmed the new design on October 13, 2025, including a Hide sponsored results control. Source
- Negative keyword lists were seen exceeding the documented 5,000 limit; Liaison said limit unchanged
Stan Oppenheimer found a list well above the 5,000-keyword cap. Ginny Marvin said the threshold remains 5,000 but some lists slightly over the limit may be accepted. Source
- Singapore public health certification allowed prescription drug terms for health advocacy bodies
Government and well-established non-profit health advocacy organizations in Singapore can apply (from October 8, 2025) for a certification permitting prescription drug and opioid terms in ads, landing pages and keywords for public health campaigns. Source
- Cross-border certification for UK online pharmacies advertising in Germany and Austria ended
Google terminated the program that let UK-based online pharmacies advertise to Germany and Austria, effective October 2025. The equivalent Shopping change was announced in Merchant Center in March 2026. Source
- New-campaign setup changed to pick 'All' (PMax) or a specific type first, folding Shopping under Search
Riley Slater noticed the campaign creation screen now asks for All or a specific campaign type instead of ad formats, and standard Shopping must be reached via Search. Google did not announce the flow change. Source
- Search tested a sponsored 'Featured stores' section separate from organic store listings
Sachin Patel spotted a Featured stores sponsored block in search results, with a 'Sponsored shops' variation later seen by Khushal Bherwani. Google did not confirm the test. Source
Merchant Center
- Brand Profiles began appearing in Merchant Center Next for select accounts
Google started piloting Brand Profiles in Merchant Center Next, letting retailers highlight brand values, categories, descriptions, images, videos and offers that appear with product listings in Search. Early access was limited, with editing reserved for super admins; Google emailed additional brands early-access invitations in October 2025. Source
Google Analytics
- Google Ads began recommending one-click linking of unlinked Google Analytics properties
A recommendation on the Google Ads Campaigns page identifies unlinked Analytics properties and offers one-click linking; Google says linked advertisers see on average a 23% increase in conversions and 10% reduction in cost. Source
- GA4 added a native Pinterest Ads cost data import integration
Pinterest advertising cost can now be imported automatically into GA4 cross-channel reporting. Source
Google Ads API & Scripts
- Automatically created customer conversion goals stopped defaulting to account-default from November 17, 2025
When a new conversion action creates a customer conversion goal via the API, the goal is only set as account-default if all other goals in the same category are account-default; otherwise developers must set CustomerConversionGoal.biddable = true explicitly. Source
ChatGPT Ads
- OpenAI reported to be recruiting a head of ads and monetization to build a ChatGPT ads team
Sources reported that Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of Applications, was meeting candidates to lead a new team tasked with bringing ads to ChatGPT and overseeing all monetization, including subscriptions. Source
Took effect this week
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