Google Ads Product Manager Reveals Key Details On Bidding Updates
Google Ads Product Manager Tal Akabas shared insights on bidding and budgeting updates, including how changing targets or budgets affects campaign learning. These updates are crucial for advertisers heading into the holiday season.
Original reporting · searchenginejournal.com
Original: “Google Says Changing tCPA & Budgets Won’t Reset Learning – 6 BFCM Takeaways via @sejournal, @siliconvallaeys”
Read “Google Says Changing tCPA & Budgets Won’t Reset Learning – 6 BFCM Takeaways via…” at Search Engine Journal →
How this was written. Adtomix wrote this article with a language model from Search Engine Journal’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.
Key points from Search Engine Journal’s report
- Changing targets or budgets on a steady-state campaign does not trigger 'Learning' status or erase history.
- Seasonality Adjustments are not necessary for standard holiday spikes, but can be useful for anomalies that the AI cannot know about.
- Promotion Mode allows advertisers to schedule a promotional window with dedicated budget and bid changes, combining faster ramp-up with Smart Bidding Exploration.
- Channel Prioritization and Budget Allocation add a middle ground for advertisers who want to retain access to certain channels while steering allocation.
- Google will replace the existing Display Expansion allocation behavior starting in February 2027.
Google Ads Product Liaison Ginny Marvin recently interviewed Product Manager Tal Akabas for her Ads Decoded podcast, revealing several key details on bidding and budgeting updates. According to Search Engine Journal, the conversation focused on new channel prioritization and budget allocation, which are essential for advertisers heading into the holiday season and Black Friday Cyber Monday.
One of the key takeaways from the conversation is that changing targets or budgets on a steady-state campaign does not trigger 'Learning' status or erase history. However, performance can still adjust as bids and traffic mix change. This removes a psychological barrier to changing targets when business conditions warrant it.
Akabas also addressed the use of Seasonality Adjustments, which allow advertisers to inform Smart Bidding of short-term changes in conversion rates. He suggested that these adjustments are not necessary for standard holiday spikes, as Google's year-over-year models already anticipate these changes. Instead, advertisers should save adjustments for anomalies that the AI cannot know about.
The conversation also touched on the use of Promotion Mode, which is rolling out to Search and PMax. This feature allows advertisers to schedule a promotional window with dedicated budget and bid changes, combining faster ramp-up with Smart Bidding Exploration. However, Smart Bidding Exploration requires an eligible tROAS campaign with an unconstrained budget.
Channel Prioritization and Budget Allocation were also discussed, with Akabas explaining that these controls add a middle ground for advertisers who want to retain access to certain channels while steering allocation. The new controls allow advertisers to sort supported channels into High Priority and Low Priority tiers, with optional daily spend limits for Low Priority channels.
The rollout of these updates is expected to continue in the coming months, with some features already available and others scheduled to launch in early 2027. Advertisers should review their campaigns and adjust their strategies accordingly, taking into account the new features and best practices discussed in the podcast.
In addition to the updates discussed in the podcast, Google also announced that it will replace the existing Display Expansion allocation behavior starting in February 2027. Advertisers should audit their Search campaigns that use Display Expansion and set Display to Low Priority with a 50% allocation to maintain current behavior.
Questions and answers
Will changing my target or budget reset my campaign's learning status?
No, according to Google's Product Manager Tal Akabas, changing targets or budgets on a steady-state campaign does not trigger 'Learning' status or erase history.
When should I use Seasonality Adjustments?
Seasonality Adjustments should be used for anomalies that the AI cannot know about, such as an off-cycle flash sale or a sitewide discount much deeper than last year's.
What is Promotion Mode and how does it work?
Promotion Mode allows advertisers to schedule a promotional window with dedicated budget and bid changes, combining faster ramp-up with Smart Bidding Exploration during the window to capture additional traffic.
