Week of Sep 28, 2026
34 changes logged the week of Sep 28, 2026; 9 took effect. Open this week in the change history.
Google Ads
- Gemini Omni video generation began rolling out globally in Asset Studio with scene-by-scene storyboard edits
Google launched a Creative Drops series and used the first instalment to say Gemini Omni video creation in Asset Studio is rolling out globally at no extra cost. It takes a URL, brief, product shots and reference clips, applies brand fonts, hex codes and logo rules, and lets advertisers pick a creative narrative and edit the storyboard scene by scene in 9:16, 16:9 and 1:1. Source
- Complex speculative financial products policy added certification requirements for Chile and Denmark
From October 2026 advertisers promoting complex speculative financial products in Chile must be registered with the CMF or the Central Bank of Chile, and in Denmark must be authorised by Finanstilsynet. Both also need Google certification. Google said accounts get a warning at least seven days before any suspension. Source
- Promotion mode gained start and end dates, a Target ROAS tolerance and an extra daily budget
Advertisers reported new controls in the promotion mode beta: a promotion start and end date after which the campaign returns to its original settings, an adjustable Target ROAS tolerance for the promotion window, and an optional extra daily budget to pick up additional traffic. It is still a beta and not in every account. Source
- Fixed quota betting ads prohibited in Brazil and lottery and horse racing certifications revoked
Google removed fixed quota betting from the online gambling types it permits in Brazil, effective immediately, and it is no longer eligible for certification. Existing Brazilian certificates for lotteries and horse racing were revoked, and those advertisers have to re-apply for certification. Source
- Local Services Ads showed out-of-state advertisers in local results and Google called it working as intended
Len Raleigh reported California Local Services Ads returning advertisers from Illinois, New Jersey, Florida and Texas, including firms that had not selected those service areas. Google Ads Liaison replied that the behaviour is working as intended because the results include firms that serve customers in the searched area. Source
- Editorial policy began allowing a business name that differs from the destination domain in limited cases
Google updated its business name requirements so an advertiser can use a name that does not match the destination domain when the name reflects their recognised brand, there is a verified direct relationship with the domain owner, and their products or services are offered on that domain. Third-party resellers, independent booking intermediaries, affiliate distributors and secondary sellers still cannot use the standalone brand name of what they sell. Source
- Local Services Ads began hiding the phone number behind a 'Get phone number' button
Barry Schwartz found Local Services Ads no longer showing the phone number up front. A 'Get phone number' button appears instead, although on desktop the number still shows when you hover over the ad. Source
- Google removed the 50-conversion figure from its Smart Bidding learning period guidance
The help page on learning period duration used to say calibration could take up to 50 conversion events or three conversion cycles. It now says only that it typically takes one to two conversion cycles, and can be faster with more conversion data. The 50-conversion rule of thumb many advertisers cite no longer has a source in Google's documentation. Source
- Google tested three mobile sitelink designs, including a line-by-line layout and sitelinks with images
Brodie Clark spotted Google testing new mobile sitelink displays on text ads: all sitelinks in darker text with a left-hand margin and a horizontal line, the same layout without the line, and a version with images next to each sitelink. Source
- Google tested a sponsored products grid that looks like the organic product grid
Brodie Clark spotted Google showing sponsored products in a grid matching the organic product grid rather than the usual carousel at the top or right of the results. Clark said the disclosure is thin enough to confuse people about which results are paid. Source
- Destination not working article added examples, including needing an asset group to avoid a URL error
Google added more destination issue examples to the Destination not working article, among them that a campaign needs at least one asset group or setup returns an 'invalid final URL' error even when the URL works. Google said enforcement of the policy does not change. Source
- AI Mode began showing longer summaries above brand ads
Sachin Patel spotted AI Mode running extended summaries above ads on brand queries, where the longer write-ups had previously appeared below ads on ecommerce queries. Source
- Bug briefly stripped the images from sponsored product results in the carousel
Arpan Banerjee posted a screenshot of sponsored product results running without their product images. Barry Schwartz saw images back minutes later and judged it a temporary bug rather than a test, since image-less listings would cost click-through rate. Source
- Google tested a sitelinks format on ads inside AI Mode
Anthony Higman spotted ads in AI Mode carrying sitelinks in a layout that does not match the usual search ad treatment, another step in Google's monetisation of AI Mode. Source
- Google tested two dotted menus on a single search ad
Khushal Bherwani spotted sponsored results carrying two three-dot menus, one next to the URL and one near the headline. Clicking them either opened the landing page or showed the 'Why this ad' panel. Source
Merchant Center
- Seven Shopping ads policy documents rewritten around account disapprovals and bulk appeals
Google updated the products that enable dishonest behavior, dangerous products, counterfeit products, sexual content, editorial and professional requirements, misrepresentation and Shopping ads policies overview pages. The definitions did not change, but the pages now lead with account-level disapprovals, add a standard bulk appeal workflow, use identical dashboard navigation steps and point merchants on platforms such as Shopify to platform-specific review options. Source
- Loyalty Customer Match expanded to 14 countries, the Merchant API, AI Mode and Gemini
Google's loyalty program documentation now covers 14 countries instead of 8, adding India, Italy, the Netherlands, South Korea and Spain. Loyalty Customer Match became available through the Merchant API, merchants who do not advertise can take part, loyalty points and completed orders count as qualifying membership, and the benefits can surface in AI Mode and Gemini. Google also said a free-to-join program cannot require eventual payment, including some free trials. Source
- Merchant Center API help page renamed and rewritten with setup and authentication steps
The page formerly titled 'API access to Merchant Center' became 'Google Merchant Center API' and was expanded with the specific technical options, setup and authentication instructions, and the features that only the API unlocks, such as Google Product Studio and direct account notifications. Source
Google Analytics
- Google Analytics went down for about an hour in an outage Google confirmed and fixed
Google Analytics would not load for some users on the evening of September 29. Google said at 8:57pm ET that it was investigating, two minutes later that service had been restored for some users, and about an hour later that the problem was resolved. Google did not say what caused it or how many properties were affected. Source
- Cross-channel conversion reporting in Analytics extended to app conversions for Google Ads advertisers
Google Analytics added app conversions to its cross-channel performance and attribution reports, with attribution settings that can be adjusted independently from web conversions. Availability varies by property, and cross-channel budgeting stays web-only. Source
Microsoft Ads
- Microsoft Advertising API September release added company list operations and asset group keywords
The September 2026 release adds GetCompanyListDetails and GetKeywordsByAssetGroupId, asset group IDs on keyword get, update and delete calls, JobTitle as a campaign criterion, more Google import options including NCA settings and asset groups, AssetGroupId and AdId in the asset performance report, HeadlineSource in the search term landing page report, Romanian leu as a currency, and bulk entities for company lists and items. SDK 13.0.30 shipped the same day. Source
- Microsoft dropped the October 1 REST-only cutoff; new API features ship in SOAP until January 31, 2027
Microsoft had planned to make new API features and enhancements REST-only from October 1, 2026. After feedback it will keep shipping them in both SOAP and REST until SOAP is deprecated. The full SOAP deprecation date is unchanged at January 31, 2027. Source
- Optimization experiments became generally available for Search, Shopping, Audience and Performance Max
Microsoft Advertising made A/B optimization experiments generally available across Search, Shopping, Audience and Performance Max campaigns. An experiment builds a treatment campaign from an eligible control and splits budget and traffic, and a single results page compares the two side by side. A winning variant can be applied to the original campaign or saved as a new one. Source
- LinkedIn company lists in Microsoft Advertising raised from 1,000 to 10,000 companies per list
Microsoft raised the cap on LinkedIn company lists tenfold and now lets advertisers paste the whole list at campaign setup or in the audience library instead of adding companies one at a time. The lists work with LinkedIn profile targeting in Search and Audience campaigns. Source
- Microsoft Advertising went live inside HubSpot for audience building, lead follow-up and revenue reporting
Advertisers can connect a Microsoft Advertising account in HubSpot to target HubSpot contacts across Bing, Copilot, Outlook and Xbox, trigger a HubSpot next best action when a campaign captures a lead, and tie ad clicks to contacts and deals so campaigns can be compared on pipeline and revenue. Source
- Microsoft Advertising updated its pricing policy for US automotive ads
Microsoft revised the pricing requirements that US automotive dealer ads have to meet, setting out how prices must be represented so advertisers can keep their listings compliant. Source
- Bing tested sitelinks that reveal a description on hover
Sachin Patel spotted Bing showing sitelink descriptions when someone hovers over the sitelink, giving more context on each link without taking up space in the ad. Source
- Bing tested a consumer review extension showing a one-line Trustpilot quote under sponsored results
Khushal Bherwani spotted Bing sponsored results carrying a one-line customer review snippet drawn from the advertiser's Trustpilot profile, similar to Google's third-party endorsement unit. Source
- Bing tested a blurred horizontal separator between sponsored and organic results
Khushal Bherwani spotted Bing drawing a faint blurred line to divide ads from organic results on the search page. Source
- Bing tested a 'Minority-owned' label on sponsored search results
Sachin Patel spotted a 'Minority-owned' attribute appearing next to sponsored results on Bing, marking advertisers that qualify as minority-owned businesses. Source
- Bing tested a blue background behind sponsored results in shopping search
Sachin Patel spotted Bing trialling a redesigned shopping ad block that sits on a blue background, changing how sponsored products stand out on the page. Source
ChatGPT Ads
- ChatGPT Ads Insights API began returning attributed conversions beyond the campaign's goal
The public Insights API can now report attributed conversion events other than the campaign's selected goal, so advertisers can read purchases while still optimising for a different event, without changing the campaign's conversion goal or optimisation settings. Source
- ChatGPT Ads added bulk creation of product feed campaigns from a spreadsheet and a product review status tab
Advertisers can build multiple product feed campaigns and ad groups at once by downloading the product feed template under Campaigns then Bulk uploads, with ad templates generated automatically. A Products tab now shows each product's review status and the reason for any rejection. Source
- ChatGPT Ads split account, brand and legal names into separate settings fields
Settings then General now holds three names: the internal account name, the public brand name shown with ads, and the registered legal name used for billing and verification. Each carries different review implications. Source
Took effect this week
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