Google Ads Rolls Out 3 Updates

Google Ads has announced three important updates to its bidding and budgeting tools, giving advertisers new ways to grow campaign performance while also improving how budget-restricted campaigns are managed. The changes, revealed by Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin, include the global rollout of Smart Bidding Exploration, the launch of a new Promotion Mode beta, and a significant optimisation update scheduled to begin on 17 August.

These developments are designed to help advertisers uncover more conversion opportunities, simplify campaign management during promotional periods, and improve performance consistency for campaigns operating under budget constraints. While some of the updates are optional, others will automatically affect campaign behaviour, making it important for advertisers to understand what is changing.

Smart Bidding Exploration Expands Worldwide

Google has officially expanded Smart Bidding Exploration (SBE) to advertisers across the globe. The feature was initially introduced as a way to help campaigns discover additional conversion opportunities without requiring major changes to existing bidding strategies.

Rather than simply broadening targeting settings or relaxing return on ad spend (ROAS) goals, Smart Bidding Exploration looks for incremental traffic that may still convert while continuing to optimise towards existing campaign objectives.

The feature is now available across all languages for Search campaigns and Performance Max campaigns that do not use product feeds. Google has also launched a beta programme for Shopping advertisers, covering both standard Shopping campaigns and Performance Max campaigns that include product feeds.

For advertisers who feel that campaign growth has stalled or that available search volume is limited, Smart Bidding Exploration could provide a new route to increased visibility and conversions without dramatically altering bidding targets.

One of the key benefits is that advertisers do not have to significantly lower their ROAS expectations in order to test new opportunities. Instead, Google’s system aims to identify additional conversion potential while maintaining focus on existing performance goals.

Promotion Mode Introduced for Search and Performance Max

The second update is the introduction of Promotion Mode, which is currently being rolled out as a beta feature for Search and Performance Max campaigns.

Promotion Mode is designed to help advertisers manage short-term marketing events such as product launches, seasonal sales, flash promotions and limited-time offers. The feature allows campaigns to temporarily increase budget flexibility while adjusting tolerance around ROAS targets during periods of heightened demand.

Traditionally, many advertisers manually adjust budgets and bidding settings whenever major promotions take place. Promotion Mode aims to automate much of this process by allowing Google to respond more effectively to temporary spikes in consumer activity.

According to Google, the feature can also work alongside campaign-level total budgets, providing additional control while maintaining overall spending limits.

Although Google has not yet confirmed full eligibility requirements or rollout schedules, advertisers interested in using the feature should regularly check their accounts for availability.

If Promotion Mode performs as intended, it could reduce the amount of manual campaign management required during busy promotional periods while helping advertisers maximise performance when demand is at its highest.

Optimisation Changes for Budget-Limited Campaigns

The third update may have the biggest impact on day-to-day campaign performance.

Starting on 17 August, Google will introduce backend changes to how budget-limited campaigns are optimised. These adjustments are designed to help campaigns achieve more stable and predictable results while remaining aligned with CPA and ROAS targets.

According to Google, the goal is to reduce the fluctuations that can occur when campaigns operating under budget constraints receive additional funding. In some cases, campaigns can become volatile when budgets are increased, making performance difficult to predict. The new optimisation system is intended to improve consistency in these situations.

Google has warned that some advertisers may notice minor fluctuations during a short calibration period after the rollout begins. However, the company expects any changes to be temporary while campaigns adapt to the new optimisation process.

Unlike Smart Bidding Exploration and Promotion Mode, advertisers do not need to activate this update. It will automatically affect eligible campaigns once it goes live.

Advance Notifications Begin in July

To help advertisers prepare, Google will begin displaying notifications within Google Ads accounts from 6 July.

These notifications will provide historical campaign performance data along with recommendations related to the upcoming optimisation changes. Advertisers will have the opportunity to review their campaigns before the August rollout takes effect.

Google is also encouraging advertisers to revisit their CPA and ROAS targets during this period. In some cases, businesses may find that targets set months or even years ago no longer accurately reflect current market conditions, campaign objectives or profitability goals.

This review process could be particularly valuable for advertisers who regularly operate campaigns under strict budget limitations.

What These Updates Mean for Advertisers

Although all three updates focus on bidding and budgeting, they serve different purposes.

Smart Bidding Exploration is aimed at advertisers looking to unlock additional traffic and conversion opportunities without significantly changing campaign settings.

Promotion Mode is designed to simplify campaign management during promotional events by allowing Google greater flexibility to respond to temporary increases in demand.

Meanwhile, the August optimisation update focuses on improving performance stability for campaigns that frequently encounter budget restrictions.

Of the three changes, the August rollout may be the most important because it will affect campaign behaviour automatically, regardless of whether advertisers choose to use the new features.

For agencies and in-house marketing teams, this presents a good opportunity to review campaign performance, discuss potential impacts with stakeholders, and ensure that bidding targets remain aligned with wider business objectives.

Steps Advertisers Should Take

As Google prepares for the August rollout, advertisers may benefit from taking a proactive approach.

Key actions include:

Reviewing account notifications when they become available from 6 July.
Checking historical performance data for budget-constrained campaigns.
Reassessing CPA and ROAS targets to ensure they still support business goals.
Identifying campaigns that regularly hit budget limits and monitoring them closely.
Testing Smart Bidding Exploration or Promotion Mode if they become available and align with campaign objectives.

Most advertisers are unlikely to need major account restructuring as a result of these updates. However, campaigns that frequently operate at budget limits may require closer monitoring during the transition period.

Final Thoughts

Google’s latest bidding updates reflect its continued focus on automation and machine learning to improve advertising performance.

The global rollout of Smart Bidding Exploration offers advertisers new opportunities to expand reach, while Promotion Mode aims to simplify campaign management during key sales periods. At the same time, the August optimisation update seeks to create more predictable outcomes for budget-limited campaigns.

While the first two features are optional, the upcoming optimisation changes will affect many advertisers automatically. With advance notice being provided in July, now is an ideal time to review bidding strategies, confirm CPA and ROAS targets remain relevant, and prepare campaigns for the changes ahead.

For most advertisers, these updates are likely to be more about monitoring and fine-tuning rather than making sweeping changes. Nevertheless, understanding how the new systems work could help businesses make the most of future campaign opportunities.