Google Ads product manager Tal Akabas sat down with Ginny Marvin on the Ads Decoded podcast and let slip a stack of tactical details that matter more than the headline feature. If you run paid search, the next few weeks are where these details turn into margin.
The learning reset myth is dead
One of the biggest psychological barriers in PPC just got removed. On a steady-state campaign, changing a tCPA, tROAS or daily budget does not erase historical data or force Smart Bidding back into “Learning” status. Akabas explained that the backend already holds bid landscape data, so it can scale bids in proportion to your new target.
New campaigns, reactivated bid strategies, composition changes and major conversion-goal changes can still trigger a learning phase. For new conversion-focused campaigns, Google’s advice in the episode is to start with Maximize Conversions or Maximize Conversion Value, not Max Clicks, as a required warm-up.
Use it: adjust targets when your business conditions change. Just avoid repeated target changes inside a single conversion cycle.
Don’t force Black Friday into seasonality adjustments
It’s tempting to flip on a Seasonality Adjustment for BFCM. Akabas says you usually don’t need to: Google’s year-over-year models already anticipate standard holiday spikes.
A Search Engine Journal study of BFCM accounts from 2022 to 2024 found that accounts using seasonality adjustments saw CPCs climb about twice as fast, and ROAS drop, while revenue grew faster. That’s an association, not proof, but the message is clear: save adjustments for anomalies Google can’t see, like an off-cycle flash sale or a discount far deeper than last year.
Promotion Mode and Smart Bidding Exploration need room
Promotion Mode is rolling out to Search and Performance Max. It lets you schedule a promotional window with dedicated budget and bid changes, plus faster ramp-up and Smart Bidding Exploration.
Smart Bidding Exploration, now in Retail Performance Max and coming to Shopping, gives the algorithm roughly 10% effective ROAS flexibility to bid into new queries and incremental auctions. But it only works on eligible tROAS campaigns with budgets that do not constrain spend. If the budget caps, exploration switches off.
Channel Prioritization has a catch-22
The new controls for Search, Shopping, Performance Max and Demand Gen split supported channels into High and Low priority, with optional best-effort daily caps for Low priority channels. All channels start High priority.
Here’s the catch: Google recommends uncapped, demand-led budgets with tCPA and tROAS. But if a budget never limits spend, Channel Prioritization alone has nothing to do. To restrict Low-priority channels on an uncapped campaign, you need Budget Allocation.
And that has its own trap:
- Budget Allocation percentages are calculated against your budget setting, not actual spend. A 10% Display cap on a $5,000 budget can still allow $500 a day in Display, even if the campaign normally spends $500 total.
- Caps are “best-effort” and reset daily, so in volatile traffic they can overshoot.
February 2027 Display migration: audit now
Right now, Search campaigns opted into Display Expansion treat Display as a low-priority outlet for unused Search budget. Starting around February 2027, that legacy allocation behaviour gets replaced.
Two fixes: use Google’s one-click migration button when it appears, or manually set Display to Low Priority with a 50% budget allocation to keep your current configuration. Also flag Search campaigns using Target Impression Share, because Display Network will no longer serve there.
Make peace between demand-led budgets and finance
Demand-led budgeting means pairing uncapped or highly flexible budgets with strict efficiency targets, so campaigns can buy every conversion that hits your target instead of shutting off when a daily cap runs out. The finance team, of course, still wants fixed monthly control.
Bridge the gap in three steps: anchor targets in real margin and lifetime value; use filtered planning tools so recommendations stay inside a business unit’s P&L; and run external pacing guardrails that alert, dial back daily caps or raise tROAS targets if monthly spend runs hot.
The same episode confirmed lifecycle reporting upgrades: a reporting-only mode for new vs returning customers, a re-engagement only mode for churned lists, and loyalty mode for PMax and Shopping. Feed custom labels for margin, inventory depth and price competitiveness to make those signals useful.
Bottom line: leave steady-state campaigns alone, skip seasonality adjustments for routine BFCM, check that Smart Bidding Exploration isn’t being throttled by a capped budget, and put the February 2027 Display migration on your calendar.
Source: Search Engine Journal
