Welcome to the September 2026 PPC roundup! This month brought several noteworthy updates across Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, and other major platforms. Here’s a quick look at the key changes and what they mean for advertisers.
October 2026 changes to the Display & Video 360 API and Structured Data Files:- Google’s rolling out three changes to the Display & Video 360 API and Structured Data Files this October.
- From October 1, 2026: advertisers will lose the ability to exclude certain digital content labels and most sensitive categories through targeting.
- From October 12, 2026: a business name and logo will be required when creating or updating YouTube responsive ads, unless default branding has already been set at the advertiser level.
From brief to on-brand video in Asset Studio: Meet Gemini Omni in Google Ads:- When it comes to Google and YouTube campaigns—including Demand Gen- creative variety plays a big role in ad performance. So, what is the catch? Producing high-quality videos in multiple formats can be time-consuming. Google is making this easier with Gemini Omni, which brings new video creation capabilities directly to Asset Studio in Google Ads.
Google expands direct booking for Local Services Ads:- Google is expanding LSA direct booking to more than 500 partners, making it easier for customers to book services directly from an ad. If an advertiser’s Google Business Profile already has an active booking partner link, the booking option will be automatically enabled for their Local Services Ads—no additional setup or linking is required.
AI Max for Search and other product news for August 2026:- Microsoft Advertising’s latest updates are helping advertisers adapt their search campaigns to the AI era, connect them with their own AI workflows, and manage accounts, assets, and targeting more easily. Overall, these changes aim to make campaign management simpler while helping advertisers get better results.
About text disclaimers for Search ads:- Text disclaimers make it easier for businesses to include important terms, conditions, or regulatory disclosures in their existing desktop and mobile text ads. In Responsive Search Ads (RSAs), these disclaimers are guaranteed to appear in the description section, helping ensure that any legally required information is clearly displayed.
Reimagining Search campaigns for the AI era with AI Max:- AI Max brings Microsoft’s AI into Search campaigns to make them work smarter. It helps advertisers reach more relevant searches, tailor ad copy, and send users to the most relevant landing pages—all through search term matching, text customisation, and final URL expansion. AI Max is now available to all Microsoft Advertising advertisers.
Reddit expands its partner ecosystem with Skai and Innovid:- Advertisers use a range of tools to plan, launch, optimise, and measure their campaigns. To make this easier, Reddit has expanded its Ads API partnerships with Skai and Innovid, helping advertisers activate campaigns and measure performance on Reddit more effectively.
New Meta AI Features for Small Businesses:- Meta is introducing new AI features to help small businesses save time, work smarter, and grow faster. The goal is to make Meta AI a useful business partner, while also showing how it works alongside Meta’s existing business tools, including Meta Business Suite.
AI Max for all Microsoft Advertising accounts globally:- Microsoft Advertising’s AI Max is here. Microsoft has started rolling out AI Max globally, bringing AI-powered search term expansion, text customisation, and final URL expansion to Search campaigns. The goal is to help advertisers reach more relevant searches, create more personalised ad copy, and send users to the pages that best match their intent. Importantly, Microsoft is also giving advertisers brand controls and reporting options, so they can use AI without completely giving up control of their campaigns.
Microsoft Advertising removes the ability to add a Max CPC to new campaigns:- From October 1, 2026, new standalone campaigns using Max Conversion, Max Conversion Value, or Max Click bidding will no longer support a Max CPC limit. Microsoft is encouraging advertisers to rely more on automated bidding strategies such as tCPA and tROAS, backed by accurate conversion data.
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