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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Merchant Center flags feeds disruption
An incident affecting Feeds on the Google Merchant Center status dashboard could disrupt product listings and Shopping ad performance.
Google now attributes app conversions to the install date
Google's app conversion attribution just shifted from ad click to install date — and it could meaningfully improve Smart Bidding performance.
Google Ads shows how landing page images power PMax ads
Google Ads now gives advertisers clearer visibility into how Landing Page Images may be automatically turned into creatives in PMax campaigns.
Google Ads shows PMax placements in “Where ads showed” report
Google Ads now shows where Performance Max campaigns run, giving advertisers clear insights to optimize performance.
Google Ads adds Results tab to show impact of applied recommendations
Google Ads now shows the real performance impact of applied recommendations in a new Results tab, comparing outcomes against estimated baseline results.
Google shifts Lookalike to AI signals in Demand Gen
Google is turning Lookalike audiences into AI signals that expand reach and could significantly change campaign performance.
Google Ads adds beta data source integrations to conversion settings
Google Ads now lets advertisers connect external data to conversions, improving measurement and performance.
Google Ads tool is automatically re-enabling paused keywords
Google Ads may be re-enabling paused keywords automatically, raising concerns about unexpected campaign expense
Google Ads adds ROAS-based tool for valuing new customers
Google Ads is testing a ROAS-based tool that suggests conversion values to help advertisers bid smarter for new customers.
Why creative, not bidding, is limiting PPC performance
Smart Bidding and Meta’s delivery systems have leveled the field. To scale PPC, fix creative fatigue, increase asset volume, and test faster.
Google Ads shows recommended experiments
Google Ads now suggests ready-to-run experiments, helping advertisers test optimizations faster and improve performance with less setup.
Google Ads simplifies product campaign tracking
Google Ads now shows per-product campaign eligibility, making gaps and overlaps easier to spot.
How to reduce low-quality leads from Performance Max campaigns
Performance Max often optimizes for cheap conversions by default. Learn how guardrails and better signals can improve lead quality.
Google pushes AI Max tool with in-app ads
Google is advertising its AI Max feature inside Google Ads campaign settings, promoting its own tools within the paid platform.
Amanda Farley talks broken pixels and calm leadership
Amanda Farley shares lessons on overcoming setbacks and balancing AI with human insight in modern marketing leadership.
Performance Max built-in A/B testing for creative assets spotted
Performance Max now supports built-in A/B testing for creative assets, giving advertisers a clearer way to measure and optimize what works.
Google Ads adds a diagnostics hub for data connections
Google Ads’ new diagnostics tool helps advertisers spot data connection issues early and protect conversion tracking and campaign performance.
Performance Max reporting for ecommerce: What Google is and isn’t showing you
Explore how to make smarter use of search terms, channel and placement reports, and device-level performance to improve campaign control.
Google Ads no longer runs on keywords. It runs on intent.
If you’re still building Google Ads around keywords, you’re behind. Here's what that means for eligibility, structure, and PPC strategy.
In Google Ads automation, everything is a signal in 2026
Automation performance depends on signal quality. Learn how Google Ads prioritizes signals, how pollution starts, and how to correct drift.
How Google Ads quality score really affects your CPCs
High CPCs? Low ad quality, not bids, may be the real culprit — improving your Quality Score drives better results.
Why Google’s Performance Max advice often fails new advertisers
Early Performance Max adoption often reduces insight and control. Shopping campaigns provide clearer performance signals and faster learning.
Google Ads API update cracks open Performance Max by channel
Google Ads API v23 lets advertisers break down PMax campaign results by channel, offering more precise insights for optimization.
How to build a modern Google Ads targeting strategy like a pro
Learn a practical PPC framework that predicts intent, reaches beyond search, and connects the right audiences to the right content.
Google tests third-party endorsements in search ads
Google is testing 3rd party endorsements in Search ads, adding publisher logos and quotes to introduce external validation into paid results.
Google Ads API v23 brings PMax data, richer invoicing, scheduling
Google’s v23 Ads API speeds up releases while adding deeper Performance Max insights, AI-driven audiences, and more granular reporting.
Is your account ready for Google AI Max? A pre-test checklist
AI Max can unlock incremental conversions – or drain budget fast. Validate tracking, bidding, and broad match readiness before enabling it.
Why Search and Shopping ads stop scaling without demand
Search and shopping excel at closing, not creating. Learn how awareness, CRM, and upper-funnel media fuel future performance.
Google Ads debuts centralized Experiment Center
Google Ads’ new Experiment Center gives advertisers a single hub to test strategies and measure impact before scaling.
Why Performance Max looks different for B2B in 2026
PMax for B2B depends on conversion signals, market size, and tolerance for automation. Learn when it’s worth testing.
Google Ads bug blocks edits to Performance Max asset groups
A new Google Ads bug is preventing some advertisers from editing PMax asset groups, forcing teams to rely on Ads Editor as a workaround.
Agentic AI and vibe coding: The next evolution of PPC management
Agentic AI and custom-built tools are changing how PPC accounts are run – and what marketers need to focus on next.
Google Ads adds cross-campaign testing with new Mix Experiments beta
Google’s Campaign Mix Experiments beta lets you test multiple campaign types and budgets together to find what works best.
Why Demand Gen works best alongside Performance Max for ecommerce
Demand Gen offers more creative and audience control than PMax. Learn when to use it and how to combine both for ecommerce growth.
Google rules out ads in Gemini — for now
Google’s repeated stance against ads in Gemini suggests conversational AI monetization will remain limited — and cautious — for now.
Google Shopping API cutoff looms, putting ad delivery at risk
Advertisers must migrate to Google’s new Merchant API or risk Shopping and Performance Max campaigns stopping altogether.
Google Ads tests A/B experiments for Shopping ad product data
Google Ads is testing A/B experiments for Shopping Ads, letting advertisers compare product titles/images to see what performs better.
Google Ads makes Manual CPC easier to find
Advertisers can now access Manual CPC directly in campaign setup, making it easier to set bids without bypassing recommended options.
Google introduces total campaign budgets for Search
Set a total campaign budget over days or weeks, letting Google optimize spend automatically and keep your campaigns on track without constant tweaks.
Google Ads rolls out account-level placement exclusions
Google Ads has introduced account-level placement exclusions, allowing advertisers to block unwanted inventory from a single, centralized setting.