We had an amazing live PPC Chat session on December 16th where we got to as many community questions about Google Ads as we could. This post captures all of those questions and the ones we did not have time to discuss during the chat!
Huge thanks to Ginny Marvin, Google Ads Liaison, for doing this session and answering all of the additional questions.
Question:
It seems like to have your ads appear in the newer ad inventory (AI Overviews and AI Mode) advertisers need to have broad match enabled. And matching hierarchy is different for these ad positions – traditionally an exact match keyword would get preference over a broad. But with AI Overviews or Mode, the broad match keyword gets preference. So, what is on the roadmap for match types?
Answer:
You will be eligible to have your ads appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode using Performance Max, Shopping and Search campaigns with broad match and/or AI Max for Search campaigns. To serve ads within AI Overviews, we consider both the user query and AI Overview content to understand the user intent more deeply. Since the ad is matched to both the user query and AI Overview content, only *broad match keywords or keywordless targeting* are eligible to trigger ads (even if there are exact match keywords present in the account). This is because we are not showing ads which are exactly matching the user query but for a deeper intent behind it.
And on keyword prioritization, when there are multiple keywords eligible to serve, the identical keyword/query combination is preferred, and within that exact is preferred over phrase/broad. For non-identical queries, we use AI based ad group prioritization to find the most relevant ad group. More information https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2756257?hl=en.
Question:
I’d love to know how Google decides which clients can’t use a credit card as a payment method. We just set up a brand new account and before campaigns even launched, we got the alert requiring ACH payments.
Answer:
This applies to a small segment of customers who receive differentiated support provided by our Large Customer Sales (LCS) team and Google Customer Solutions (GCS) High Touch Sales teams (more here). Those on monthly invoicing have more options for billing support, growth is more easily accommodated via credit limit increases, and payment issues are less common due to longer billing cycles.
Follow up question:
So is ACH required for only those clients? Or are we going to keep seeing it roll out for some of the “baby” accounts (small spenders who don’t have/qualify for dedicated support)?
Answer:
Our policies on this haven’t changed. This continues to apply to a small segment of customers who receive differentiated support provided by our Large Customer Sales (LCS) team and Google Customer Solutions (GCS) High Touch Sales teams.
Question:
Why does [close variant] consistently match with competitor brands? What data does google have that tells us these terms are likely to convert?
Answer:
We see that users are often still in discovery and research mode when querying brand names. That said, we’ve also heard feedback and spoken with many advertisers who want better control over when/if their ads show on competitor terms. We introduced brand settings (brand inclusions and exclusions) to help address these concerns. More here. And please do continue to share your feedback on this.
Follow up question:
Is the general thought that people using exact match are looking to serve their ads to people in the research phase, especially those researching another brand? Do people in the research phase convert at a high enough rate to meet the target CPA these campaigns are often targeting?
Answer:
The system looks at Ad Rank factors to determine auction eligibility and sets bids based on predicted likelihood of conversion to help get as many conversions as possible at your target CPA, and keep your average CPA equal to your target CPA.
Question:
How successful do we see AI Max campaigns being?
Answer:
So far, we’ve seen a wide range of businesses finding success with AI Max and it’s already adopted by over 225,000 advertisers. While we do recommend using all of the features together, a big part of AI Max’s appeal is its flexibility as well as additional controls (e.g. brand setting and geo targeting at the ad group level) and reporting features. More to come on that in 2026.
Question:
Why is it that when I search for a product by brand name and exact model number, a different model number appears in my ads (and other advertisers’ ads)?
I understand that Google may broaden matching when the exact model number isn’t available, but why would it substitute or match to another model number when the exact one clearly exists?
Answer:
This may happen if a product is not predicted to result in a conversion, or there may be technical reasons that can cause a product not to show for specific queries such as low bids, exhausted budget, poor product data quality, negative keywords.
Question:
What’s the best match type to use while adding negative keywords – broad match negative ,exact match negative or phrase? If it depends then where & how ? How can we decide which is the best match type to use?
Answer:
It does depend. But it’s a good question because negative keyword match types behave differently from positive match types. This article has a good overview, including examples, of how negative keywords and their match types work.
Follow up question:
Is negative broad match matching as widely as positive broad match? / also becoming more signal based?
Answer:
There’s no change in how negative keyword match types work. More info here.
Question:
Analyzing the brand search campaign, I noticed that we are not spending the set budget.
Search loss is 0% for budget but 60% for rank.
What optimization activities could be implemented for a brand search campaign that already has very clean keywords?
Answer:
It sounds like your budget isn’t constrained at the campaign level (meaning it isn’t running out before the end of the day), but that your ads are getting outranked by competitors in some auctions. That indicates you should look at Ad Rank factors. You can look at increasing your bids (adjusting your targets, keeping your goals in mind) and/or look for opportunities to improve your ad relevance and landing page experience. Don’t forget about assets like Sitelinks, etc. which also factor into Ad Rank!
This guide to creating compelling Search ads may be helpful.
Keep testing and iterating.
Question:
When will AI Max support be available in Ads Editor?
Answer:
You’re in luck! AI Max is supported in Ads Editor, with version 2.10. More details here.
Question:
When will Google Ads allow us to delete enabled disapproved ads in removed campaigns and ad groups?
Answer:
Technically, ads in a removed campaign are also “removed” regardless of whether you can see them as enabled or paused in the removed campaign.
Question:
When Google Ads disapproves an ad, can it highlight which of the 15 headlines and 4 description lines has caused the disapproval and needs to be changed, so you don’t have to guess?
Answer:
Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll pass it along.
Question:
When will you show Google Ad Grants and Non-Profits some love and open up more channels to the Ad Grants version of PMax?
Answer:
For nonprofits with physical locations, and an aim to drive offline conversions, PMax allows you to enter the Maps auctions when you link your Google Business Profile. New channels and inventory will come over time. Since 2003, Google has awarded over $10 billion in free advertising to over 115,000 nonprofits across 51 countries.
More here: https://www.google.com/grants/program/
Question:
Any POV from Google on SB 5814 in WA State in regards to digital advertising sales tax?
Answer:
To comply with Washington state law, starting January 1, 2026, Google will begin collecting Washington sales tax on purchases of digital advertising services. Advertisers can submit exemptions, if applicable, in the Billing section of their accounts.
Please note that Google cannot provide tax advice.
Question:
Next to some specific questions about AI Max, I’d like to ask a broader question: how can we, as a PPC community, help Ginny help us more?
Answer:
Love this question. One thing I’d suggest is that when you’re giving feedback or flagging an issue, try to share specific examples. Just saying something doesn’t work is almost never actionable. Sharing specific examples that we can investigate and look into is helpful. (Please do not share case IDs, CIDs, or other account or email info publicly.)
Question:
So are ads INSIDE AI overviews just not gonna happen then? We have heard about these a ton in the last two years but it’s been super confusing to me if or when these will ever actually be a thing. AI mode as well. I know there is “testing” going on here but if AI Overview ads are any indication should we also not expect to see ads in AI Mode any time soon? I only ask because clients are also always asking and confused here.
Answer:
We started with Search and Shopping ads (from Performance Max, Shopping and Search campaigns with broad match). Ads in AI Overviews are currently available in the US for English and also now available as a small experiment in 11 additional English speaking countries.
For ads to show within the AI Overview, the ads must additionally be relevant to the content of the AI Overview. We continue to have a high bar for quality and relevance for ads within AI Overviews, and consider the user’s intent and engagement with ads throughout this journey. More on ads in AI Overviews here.
We are testing ads in AI Mode in the U.S. More on that announcement here.
Question:
We have seen a big increase in YouTube ads as Google has pushed the PP (power pair or power pack) or whatever it is now. My question on this is how does Google justify the push towards subscription revenue on YouTube with no ads tiers while at the same time telling advertisers the importance of the PP while the available audience is dwindling due to the subscription revenue push? These things seem at odds, no? Maybe I’m missing something with stats here but I don’t think they are publicly available.
Answer:
These are two separate programs. As with many other streaming platforms, YouTube offers users a paid ad-free subscription experience. YouTube has 2.5 billion monthly active users worldwide. YouTube Music and Premium has 125M+ subscribers worldwide. A lower priced option, Premium Lite, launched this year where ads may appear on music content, Shorts, and when you search or browse.
Question:
How do Google ads and Google Local Services Ads work together? Or do they not? Why are the teams for this at Google completely separate and seem to pretend like the other side doesn’t exist?
Answer:
They are distinct with different offerings for local businesses – and each works a little differently for different needs. Google Ads lets you target a broad audience and uses a pay-per-click model. Local Services Ads focuses on local leads with a pay-per-lead mode. Many local businesses use both platforms, but it really depends on their needs, market and goals. Local Services Ads has its own product team dedicated to building out features and functionality, though they also work closely with other Ads product teams. There are also dedicated support specialists for Local Services Ads given it functions differently.You can find a comparison of each platform here:
Follow up question:
For larger organizations that are likely to use both, is there a concern about both products bidding against one another in the same auction?
Answer:
Using both Local Services Ads and search campaigns can help you reach a wider audience and cater to different customer objectives. Your LSAs don’t compete against your other ads.
Follow up question:
Will GMB be more supported in upcoming years? It directly impacts paid media and is janky as all get out.
Answer:
I don’t have anything to share at this time, but stay tuned. And I’ll pass along this feedback.
Question:
I’ve noticed that conversions from Demand Gen campaigns “vanish” within the attribution backfill time frame. (It feels like unstable ground.) What is the best way to approach reported conversions for this campaign type?
Answer:
Happy to connect directly on specific reporting issues you’re experiencing.
There can be conversion delays/conversion lag – these can occur 1) from the time it takes for a user to perform the action after seeing the ad and 2) the data processing and attribution lag that can occur. This is a normal part of data processing and attribution. We recommend expanding the date range considered to include multiple weeks (last 30 days is a common lookback window). You can view your conversion delay by reviewing your campaign and attribution reporting.
Follow up question:
Just want to confirm one thing Demand Gen doesn’t support portfolio bidding & also shared budget?
Answer:
That’s correct.
Follow up question:
I have some creatives doing well in terms of conversion & ROAS in Demand Gen, now I want to push them more than others. Is there anything I can do within the same ad group or do I have to create a different ad group with lower CPA? Or any other way around?
Answer:
Our algorithms are designed to continue to optimize spend towards the best performing creative based on an advertiser’s objective. There isn’t a mechanism to manually control which creative is served.
Question:
Is there a (self-serve) way for advertisers to tap into CTV-only placements via Google TV?
Answer:
Good news, we have a beta active now to access CTV-only placements in Google Ads. Reach out to your Google account rep for more details. DV360 offers CTV insertion orders for buying digital TV across screens. More on that here.
Question:
Are negative KWs the best way to steer query relevance for AI Max search campaigns?
Answer:
Negative keywords can be one tool but not the best/only way to ensure your ads trigger for relevant queries. Ads, assets, landing pages are key relevancy levers. And so is your ad group structure. You want structures that help the AI understand the meaning of the keywords in the ad group and optimize accordingly.
Question:
Will there be an expansion of PMax asset reporting? Right now it’s only for live campaigns and the lookback is only 90 days. My clients want to look at a full year of videos to understand what worked well and what needs improvement.
Answer:
I’ll pass along the feedback!
Question:
What is the future of search?
Answer:
Great question. New AI experiences are making Search more intelligent, agentic and personalized. With generative AI and the ability to synthesize and reason across information, people are asking more complex questions and exploring information in new ways such as Google Lens, AI Overviews and AI Mode. For advertisers, this means richer context and intent signals can create additional/incremental opportunities to show ads in moments of discovery and action. You also might find this recent podcast with Google’s Nick Fox insightful.
Question:
What is your best advice at the moment for clients who want to make sure their budget is only going to specific products or use cases, but want to take advantage of AI search and some of these other more advanced features?
Answer:
Looking at AI Max, for example, it’s designed to give you the flexibility and options to use the AI features you want and turn off those you don’t. While we recommend they all be used together, there are reasons to pick and choose. AI Max also has controls for Final URL expansion, as well as location and brand controls at the ad group level. It also supports experiments for testing. The main thing I’d recommend though, is ensuring you’ve got a comprehensive and robust data setup. That’s what will power your measurement and help ensure you’re able to optimize to your goals. Check out this article on data strength best practices.
Question:
Why is this always populating but still showing nothing although everything is okay? Enhanced conversion is in place & also at account level, conversion based customer list is opt in?
Answer:
The time it takes for conversion-based customer lists to populate depends on the number of conversions captured by your Enhanced Conversions implemented via web tag (not API). These lists will be updated in real-time as hashed user-provided data, as new conversions are captured. Data segments become active when they reach the minimum size.