Week of May 11, 2026
12 changes logged the week of May 11, 2026, 3 high impact. Open this week in the change history.
Google Ads
- Help doc was found saying the search terms report may show a 'best approximation' of intent, not the query
Anthony Higman found new help-center language explaining that for searches involving Lens, AI Mode, AI Overviews or autocomplete, the search terms report shows the closest approximation of intent rather than the literal query. Source
Merchant Center
- Merchant Center for Agencies became generally available worldwide
Two months after the US and Canada launch, Google made Merchant Center for Agencies generally available to agencies globally. Source
- Google notified advertisers that Ads and Merchant Center accounts would be linked automatically from June 6
Marcin Wsol shared a notification that accounts not yet running product ads will be auto-linked to Merchant Center starting June 6, 2026, with a 'Connect now' option to link earlier. Source
- 'Merchant Advisor' AI chatbot was spotted live inside Merchant Center
Tamara Hellgren found an AI assistant inside Merchant Center offering setup, troubleshooting and optimization guidance in a limited beta. Google later folded it into Ask Advisor. Source
Google Analytics
- GA4 added an 'AI Assistant' default channel for ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude traffic
Traffic from AI assistants is now automatically assigned medium 'ai-assistant', campaign '(ai-assistant)' and a dedicated AI Assistant channel in Default Channel Group reports. Source
Google Ads API & Scripts
- Google Ads API closed to new adopters of offline conversion imports and enhanced conversions for leads
Developer tokens that had not imported offline conversions between December 2025 and May 2026 receive CUSTOMER_NOT_ALLOWLISTED_FOR_THIS_FEATURE from ConversionUploadService.UploadClickConversions starting June 15, 2026; the Data Manager API is now the primary offline conversion import API. Source
- Google Ads API v24.1 released with expanded experiments and a mobile device platform segment
v24.1 added segments.mobile_device_platform (iOS/Android), classic_display_images for Demand Gen multi-asset ads on the Display Network, a passkey_enabled field, the REQUESTED_DATE_GRANULARITY_NOT_SUPPORTED error, and a revamped experiments feature set with direct experiment statistics and new experiment types for AI Max, broad match, Video/Demand Gen, Performance Max replacement and PMax asset optimization. Source
Google Tag & Tag Manager
- Google tag gateway added automated Akamai and Fastly integrations from the Google tag interface
Google can now detect CDN zones and inject routing rules directly for Akamai and Fastly, removing manual CDN configuration when deploying the gateway. Source
Microsoft Ads
- Ads for CFTC-registered prediction markets allowed in a US pilot
Prediction sites registered with the CFTC as Designated Contract Markets can advertise in select US states under a new pilot program. Source
- Gambling policy opened social casinos in Taiwan and casino, sports betting and fantasy ads in Belgium
Taiwan now permits social and sweepstakes casino ads; Belgium permits casino, sports betting and fantasy sports ads on Search. Source
ChatGPT Ads
- Product feed ads launched: retailers connect catalogs and ChatGPT auto-generates sponsored placements
OpenAI added product feed advertising to Ads Manager, letting retailers connect a product feed, set eligibility rules and have ads generated automatically from product names, images and attributes. The same feed that informs organic shopping answers now also powers paid placements. Source
Search Console
- Discover performance report under-reported clicks and impressions for May 7-8, 2026
Google logged a data anomaly: a logging error caused a decrease in reported clicks and impressions in the Discover Performance report from May 7 until May 8, 2026; data logging only. Source
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