July 2026 — PPC & Marketing news.
What changed, as it happens.
Tracked daily from primary sources. The items below are what we're watching for clients right now.
ChatGPT Ads adds location and audience-list exclusion targeting
OpenAI added geo-location and audience-list exclusion controls to ChatGPT Ads Manager: users in an excluded location won’t see the campaign even if they also match an included one, and ads are filtered out for anyone in a selected exclusion audience. It moves ChatGPT Ads’ targeting closer to parity with established ad networks.Search Engine Roundtable →
ChatGPT Ads Manager adds Attributed Sales Value, Sales ROAS, and product-level reporting
Two new columns — Attributed Sales Value and Sales ROAS — plus a product-level report have appeared in the ChatGPT Ads advertiser control center, giving ecommerce advertisers revenue-based performance reporting on the platform. OpenAI hasn’t published a formal announcement yet.Search Engine Roundtable →
Google Ads now requires a justification to remove a user’s account access
Removing a user’s Google Ads access now requires entering a justification, which is routed to a second administrator for approval — part of a broader account-security rollout that includes multi-party approval API changes effective July 27, 2026. Agencies managing multiple client accounts should expect the extra approval step when offboarding users.Search Engine Roundtable →
Google Ads rolls out Video Campaign Groups for cross-campaign reach and frequency
YouTube reach/frequency optimization for “video campaign groups” is now globally available, letting advertisers set a single reach and frequency goal across multiple video campaigns while keeping each campaign’s own budget and creative. Display & Video 360 support is described as coming soon.Google Ads & Commerce Blog →
Ginny Marvin clarifies AI Search ad eligibility and “Qualified Future Conversions”
Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin gave additional context on how ads become eligible to show in AI Search, on the new “Qualified Future Conversions” concept, and on Creator Partnerships, following up on announcements from Google Marketing Live 2026.Search Engine Journal →
Google Ads confirms it auto-assigns products to categories via an evolving taxonomy
Google Ads updated its help documentation to state that it automatically assigns products to categories using a continuously evolving taxonomy — a detail previously documented only on the Merchant Center side of the product feed. Worth knowing that the category a product is sorted into can shift over time without any change to your feed.Search Engine Roundtable →
Google tests favicons on every sitelink in sponsored results
Google is testing showing a favicon on each sitelink within a sponsored search result, extending a treatment previously limited to the main ad listing. The test is practitioner-spotted and unconfirmed by Google.Search Engine Roundtable →
Google Ads adds a “last event ping” timestamp to the conversions screen
Google Ads now shows a “last event ping” detail on the active conversions screen — the exact date and time a conversion tag last fired, even when no conversion resulted. It arrived alongside a broader refresh of the Conversions tab and gives a faster read on whether a tag is still firing.Search Engine Roundtable →
Google adds AI Max FAQs and drops its old API/Editor limitation warning
Google added new FAQs to its AI Max help doc covering what AI Max is, why to use it, that it isn’t a new campaign type, and how it differs from Performance Max. It also removed a prior warning that toggling AI Max could throw errors for API- and Editor-based text-customization and brand-setting requests — a limitation that no longer applies.Search Engine Roundtable →
Google Ads tests “Apply Theme to Asset Group” to auto-generate seasonal PMax creative
Google Ads is showing an “Apply Theme to Asset Group” option in Performance Max that auto-generates seasonal or holiday-themed creative for a campaign. It was practitioner-spotted and appears to have been rolling out gradually since April, without official confirmation yet.Search Engine Roundtable →
Google tests a “Visit Site” button on sponsored search results
Google is testing a prominent “Visit Site” call-to-action button on paid search results, extending a treatment already seen on organic sitelinks and Maps listings. The test is practitioner-spotted and unconfirmed by Google.Search Engine Roundtable →
ChatGPT Ads adds “Audiences” targeting from uploaded email and phone lists
OpenAI’s ChatGPT Ads platform now lets advertisers upload raw or hashed email and phone lists to use as audience-targeting filters. It’s separate from the platform’s new automatic ad-generation tool and pushes ChatGPT Ads closer to the customer-match capabilities of established ad networks.Search Engine Roundtable →
Google’s Bid Target Adjustment Tool is live ahead of the Aug 17 bidding change
The Bid Target Adjustment Tool is now live in Google Ads, letting advertisers review and approve or decline suggested bid-target changes before the August 17 shift that makes budget-limited Target CPA/Target ROAS campaigns track more consistently to their set target. It affects Search, Shopping, Performance Max, Demand Gen, and Travel — review your targets now.Google Ads Help →
ChatGPT Ads will now draft an ad for you from your site
When an advertiser clicks “add new ad” in ChatGPT Ads, the platform now auto-generates a draft — labeled “Generated ads for you” — built from the merchant’s site and existing campaign settings, for review, editing, and approval before it goes live.Search Engine Roundtable →
Google’s Ads Liaison on migrating DSA campaigns to AI Max: keep your structure
In a Paid Search Association AMA, Ginny Marvin advised preserving campaign structure and using the upgrade tools rather than restructuring first when moving Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max. She confirmed ad-group “locations of interest” as the fix for geo-targeting mismatches under URL expansion, and that there’s no minimum conversion threshold to opt into AI Max — the campaign just can’t be budget-limited.Ginny Marvin (X) →
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