Google Ads Adds Auto Video Creation for Demand Gen
From late October, Google Ads will begin automatically converting advertisers’ existing image-based demand-generation ads into video format. The tool will draw from existing image and text assets in image-only ad groups created before the 27th of August to generate branded video variations across multiple aspect ratios and placements. This move reflects Google’s recognition of the stronger engagement that video formats tend to deliver compared with static imagery.
What does this mean for advertisers? Essentially, brands running demand-gen campaigns may automatically see their creative library expanded without additional production costs. The generated videos will be eligible to serve across channels such as YouTube, YouTube Shorts, and Google Discover. In other words, an image-only campaign could now have dynamic video reach, potentially lifting performance and engagement. On the flip side, because the feature is auto-enabled, advertisers must act if they want to control or opt out of the automatic video creation.
Advertisers are advised to review their asset libraries with urgency. The deadline for opting out or adjusting assets is set for 31 October. If existing image and text assets are repurposed into videos that do not align with brand standards, messaging, or intended aesthetic, there is a risk of creative dilution or mismatched placement. Therefore, marketers should check that their image-only ad groups are aligned and that their settings are correct before the feature activates.
This update underscores how automation and creative repurposing are increasingly shaping digital advertising. By converting static assets into video automatically, Google is enabling scalability in creative production but also shifting more responsibility onto advertisers to ensure their assets are fit for purpose. The ability to expand into more formats without extra production cost sounds compelling, yet the trade-off is less direct control unless opt-out or asset review takes place. [1]
Looker Studio Adds New Google Ads Reporting Metrics
From early October, the reporting capabilities of Looker Studio have been enhanced for users of Google Ads, with seven new metrics now available in the official connector. Advertisers can now pull data such as conversions by conversion date, all conversions by conversion date, new versus returning customers, gross profit, and gross profit margin. This update provides a deeper lens into campaign profitability and customer behaviour.
For advertisers relying on standard conversion and cost metrics, this expansion brings a meaningful shift. The ability to visualise conversions by conversion date rather than just click date aligns reporting more closely with when results actually occur. Meanwhile, the new gross profit and margin fields open the door to linking campaign inputs with actual financial outcomes. It moves reporting from pure performance to deeper business intelligence.
Marketers are therefore encouraged to revisit their dashboard setups without delay. It is prudent to blend the new fields into existing reports, adjust date-dimensions accordingly, and ensure annotation of when data began driving from these new metrics. Without such review, legacy reports may miss the narrative shift introduced by the new metrics, and insights risk being incomplete or misleading.
This update highlights how reporting tools are becoming more focused on business outcomes rather than just advertising metrics. Looker Studio is moving beyond simple visualisation of clicks and conversions to include measures of value, profit, and customer type. This change encourages advertisers to think more strategically about their results and to use the new data to understand the real impact of their campaigns. [2]
Google Ads Expands Performance Max Reporting
From late September, the reporting clarity of Google Ads’ Performance Max campaigns has been notably improved, with the introduction of enhanced asset segmentation and a beta surface-level channel performance report. Advertisers can now break down creative performance by device, time, conversions and network, and use a “Network (with search partners)” view to see how assets are triggering across Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps.
For campaign leads accustomed to broad performance overviews, the upgraded reporting represents a significant shift. The channel performance report introduces account-level bulk downloads, cost visualisation, ROI-style columns, and segmentation by conversion action and ad-event type. These features make it easier to see which surfaces are contributing to your goals and where your budget is actually being spent.
Advertisers should take this opportunity to review how their Performance Max campaigns are structured. Incorporating the new segmentation options into existing dashboards will provide clearer insight into which channels and assets are delivering results. Regularly monitoring the new performance tables will also help identify areas for optimisation, ensuring that budgets are focused on the placements driving the strongest outcomes.
This update highlights how automation platforms are becoming more transparent and less of a “black box”. By offering channel-level insight and more granular asset data, Performance Max is shifting from purely automated optimisation to a balance of machine efficiency and advertiser insight. The change places more responsibility on marketers to interpret the data and drive meaningful optimisations rather than simply deploying campaigns passively. [3]
Google Maps Ads Gain Scrollable Sitelinks
From mid-October, Google Maps advertisements have been enhanced with scrollable sitelinks beneath promoted pins. This new format allows advertisers to present a horizontal carousel of clickable links that guide users straight to specific pages on their website, right within the map experience. The sitelinks appear in a light-blue layout beneath the location pin and serve across mobile and desktop if the minimum configuration is met.
For advertisers focused on local and in-person intent, this change offers clear benefits. The inclusion of sitelinks in the Maps environment creates additional real estate and actionable options in what has traditionally been a “find a place” setting. Rather than just directing users to a generic landing page, brands can now send them to pages such as “Menu”, “Book Now”, “Offers”, or “Contact Us”, thereby reducing friction in the journey from exploration to conversion.
It is therefore crucial for advertisers to review their current Maps-eligible campaigns and sitelink assets. Ensure you have at least two sitelinks configured for both desktop and mobile placements and that your links target highly relevant pages. In addition examine existing Search or Performance Max campaigns to see if they can benefit from this new Maps format, since sitelinks used in those campaigns may now show in the Maps environment as well. Without proper preparation you may not fully leverage the updated format or miss out on potential engagement gains.
This update underscores how advertising surfaces are converging and offering more seamless user journeys. Maps is no longer just for discovery, it’s becoming a direct path to action. With sitelinks now embedded in the map ad unit, advertisers must think in terms of user context, intent and immediate relevance, rather than purely broad location-based exposure. The change also means that creative and landing page alignment matter more than ever to maintain consistency across surfaces. [4]
[1] Search Engine Land
[2] PPC News
[3] Search Engine Journal
[4] Search Engine Land
