In Q3 2026, AI-powered automation continued to shape PPC, with ad platforms rolling out smarter optimisation, deeper audience insights, and new tools to help advertisers manage campaigns more efficiently. Here’s a quick look at the key updates from the quarter.
What Did Q3 2026 Reveal About Paid Search?
Expanding AI transparency in ads:- As AI continues to evolve across the Google Ads platform, Google is adding more transparency features to its advertising products. It is introducing a “How this ad was made” section in the My Ad Center panel, available globally. Users can access it by selecting the three-dot menu or info icon on ads across Search, YouTube, and Discover. The panel will indicate whether an ad was created or edited using AI.
About text disclaimers for Search ads:- Text disclaimers allow businesses to include important terms, conditions, or regulatory disclosures in their text ads. In Responsive Search Ads (RSAs), disclaimers are guaranteed to appear in the description section, ensuring that required information is clearly visible.
Turn discovery into action with September’s Demand Gen Drop:- Demand Gen helps you reach people on YouTube and Google’s visual channels. Google is adding new features and integrations to help you engage and convert audiences more easily during the holiday season. These features are:
- Business agent for YouTube ads
- One -click experiences
- Affiliate location extensions in Google Maps
Bing Ads API Release Notes:- In this quarter, Microsoft Advertising has expanded its API around AI Search, automation, audience targeting, Performance Max, reporting, and greater campaign control. Some notable updates are:
- AI search: API support for AI search settings
- Performance Max: asset group and negative targeting have more control
- Negative Keywords: New account-level and asset-group negative keyword capabilities
Announcing v25.2 of the Google Ads API:- By announcing the release of v25.2 of the Google Ads API, Google mainly improves PMax migration, competitive insights, tracking, creator discovery, and automated bidding recommendations.
Amazon Ads announces new integration to support advertising in ChatGPT:- Amazon Ads has announced a partnership with OpenAI to bring advertising to ChatGPT. The partnership will allow advertisers to extend their Amazon Ads campaigns to ChatGPT through a new conversational ad experience.
Upcoming change: Max CPC removal for new non-portfolio campaigns:- Microsoft Advertising has announced a change to Max CPC that will take effect next year. Starting January 12, 2027, Max CPC will no longer be available when creating new non-portfolio campaigns, regardless of the account type. This change will apply to campaigns using the following bidding strategies:
- Max Clicks
- Target CPA
- Target ROAS
- Max Conversions
- Max Conversion Value
From brief to on-brand video in Asset Studio: Meet Gemini Omni in Google Ads:- Creating multiple high-quality video formats—vertical, horizontal, and square—has traditionally been time-consuming for marketers. Google DeepMind’s flagship model, Gemini Omni, is now bringing multimodal video creation capabilities directly to Asset Studio in Google Ads.
What’s New Across Paid Social Platforms in Q3 2026?
ChatGPT Ads expands to Southeast Asia and Taiwan:- OpenAI’s mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. Advertising supports this mission by helping make AI more accessible through free and low-cost access to ChatGPT. As part of this broader rollout, ChatGPT Ads are expanding to markets across Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Taiwan.
Pinterest unveils Visual Search Ads, bringing new performance advertising to visual discovery:- Pinterest has announced Visual Search Ads at its annual advertiser summit. The new format taps into visual search and user intent, giving advertisers prominent placements in Pinterest Search results and Pin closeups. By combining keyword relevance with a new visual ad format, it helps brands reach people as they search, compare options, and move closer to making a decision.
New Meta AI Features for Small Businesses:- The new Meta AI feature is designed to help small businesses work more efficiently and grow faster. Businesses can now ask Meta AI questions about their operations and get answers based on insights available only to Meta, such as account engagement and ad performance data.
Manage ads from an AI agent with Meta ads AI connectors:- Meta is rolling out Ads AI Connectors, allowing advertisers to use AI assistants to analyze, create, and manage Meta ad campaigns through natural-language commands. The Ads MCP server connects AI agents to account-specific data while giving businesses control over which actions the agents can take, including creating campaigns and changing budgets.
Performance unlocked: Reddit Max campaigns are now available to all advertisers:- Reddit launched Max campaigns earlier this year, and the feature is still in beta. Max campaigns automate targeting, creative selection and rotation, placements, and budget allocation, while giving advertisers enough control to apply their own strategic expertise.
Capture attention that lasts with 15-second Engaged Video Views:- Reddit has introduced a new 15-second Engaged Video Views goal to help advertisers reach users who are more likely to watch a video for at least 15 seconds or through to completion. This feature is now available in public beta to advertisers worldwide.
What Were Karooya’s Best PPC Insights of Q3 2026?
AI Overviews Are Costing Publishers~40% of Their Clicks — Findings From A Field Experiment:- A 2026 field experiment by researchers from the Indian School of Business and Carnegie Mellon University found that Google AI Overviews reduced organic clicks by 39.8% when they appeared. Hiding the AI Overview also reduced zero-click searches, while paid ad clicks remained unchanged.
Digital Ads Benchmark Report by Tinuiti | Q2 2026 | Key Highlights:- Tinuiti’s digital ads benchmark report explores how major platforms like Google, Meta, and Amazon performed in Q2 2026. Google Ads CPCs remained relatively stable in Q2 2026. Google Search CPCs rose just 1%, while Shopping CPCs declined 1%. By comparison, Microsoft Search CPCs jumped 19%, while Amazon Sponsored Products CPCs increased only 1%.
Amazon Affiliate Commission Cuts (2026): What Changed and What It Means for Advertisers:- Between March and May 2026, Amazon reportedly cut affiliate commissions by up to 50%, removed milestone bonuses, and reduced “halo sale” commissions. This could shift more demand toward paid channels like Amazon Ads and Google Ads, putting greater pressure on ad efficiency.
What Does Google’s Language Targeting Change Mean For Advertisers?:- Google has been adding more AI to Google Ads for years, and removing language targeting from Search campaigns is another step in that shift. While it may seem like less control for advertisers, Google says the impact should be limited because its systems already use multiple signals to understand search intent and show relevant ads.
FTC vs. Amazon: What the Sponsored Ads Auction-Pricing Lawsuit Means for Advertisers:- The FTC and 22 states have sued Amazon, alleging that its Sponsored Ads auction practices may have increased advertisers’ CPCs. Amazon disputes the claims. The case highlights the need for advertisers to closely monitor CPCs, bids, and ROAS.
MCP for PPC: Managing Campaigns Without the Manual Work:- MCP makes PPC management faster by letting advertisers use AI to access and analyse ad data through natural language, without manual exports or spreadsheets. It can help with reporting, search-term analysis, negative keyword research, and performance checks, while strategic decisions still remain with the advertiser.
Which Amazon Attribution Tool Fits Your Needs? Karooya, Skai, Pacvue & AMPD:- Compare Karooya, AMPD, Skai, and Pacvue to see how their Amazon Attribution solutions differ in keyword-level attribution, cross-channel insights, automation, and bidding capabilities.
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