We’re announcing our tentative 2024 release and sunset schedule for upcoming versions of the Google Ads API to bring greater clarity to your planning cycle. Please keep in mind that these dates are only estimates and may be adjusted going forward. Additionally, releases may be added, removed, or switched between major and minor versions.
We’re announcing our tentative 2024 release and sunset schedule for upcoming versions of the Google Ads API to bring greater clarity to your planning cycle. Please keep in mind that these dates are only estimates and may be adjusted going forward. Additionally, releases may be added, removed, or switched between major and minor versions.
Version Planned Release
Type*
Projected launch* Projected sunset*
V16 Major January/February 2024 January 2025
V16.1 Minor April/May 2024 January 2025
V17 Major May/June 2024 May 2025
V17.1 Minor July/August 2024 May 2025
V18 Major September/October 2024 September 2025

*Estimated and subject to change

Where can I learn more? Check back for any updates as the blog is the best place to stay informed about developments in this space.

If you have any questions or need additional help, contact us via the forum.

What’s New

The recently announced search themes beta feature for Performance Max campaigns lets you provide Google AI with valuable inputs about your customers and business to further optimize Performance Max campaign serving and placement. Beginning in Google Ads API v15, you can create search themes for Performance Max campaigns with the API.

What’s New

The recently announced search themes beta feature for Performance Max campaigns lets you provide Google AI with valuable inputs about your customers and business to further optimize Performance Max campaign serving and placement. Beginning in Google Ads API v15, you can create search themes for Performance Max campaigns with the API.

How It Works

  • Search themes beta lets you indicate queries that you know your customers are looking for. They are optional and are additive to what queries Performance Max would match by using your URLs, assets, and more.
  • You can add up to 25 search themes per asset group.
  • Search themes will respect brand exclusions in Performance Max and account-level negative keywords. You can configure brand exclusions through campaign criteria using the BRAND criterion type. Similarly, account-level negative keywords are configured at a customer level using CustomerNegativeCriterionService and the NegativeKeywordList criteria.
  • Results driven from search themes will bring your customers to the landing pages you’ve indicated with your Final URL expansion, page feeds, or URL settings. Final URL expansions can be enabled or disabled with url_expansion_opt_out.
  • Search themes will have the same prioritization as your phrase match and broad match keywords in your Search campaigns.
  • You’ll be able to see the search categories that your ads matched to, and associated conversion performance, in your search terms insights at both the campaign and account levels with the campaign_search_term_insight and customer_search_term_insight reports. You can also view search term insights for custom date ranges, download your data, and access it using the API.

Implementation Details

In the Google Ads API, a search theme is a type of AssetGroupSignal, which can be attached to Performance Max campaigns at the asset group level. You can add a search theme to an asset group by creating an AssetGroupSignal and populating the

AssetGroupSignal.search_theme with a SearchThemeInfo criterion containing a text string representing your search theme, for example, "activities for children". In addition, you must populate the AssetGroupSignal.asset_group with the resource name of an existing asset group you are targeting.

Here is a Java example for creating a search theme asset group signal:

// Creates a search theme asset group signal.
AssetGroupSignal assetGroupSignal =
    AssetGroupSignal.newBuilder()
        .setAssetGroup(assetGroupResourceName)
        .setSearchTheme(
            SearchThemeInfo.newBuilder().setText("activities for children").build())
        .build();

You can add multiple asset group signals to a single asset group by creating multiple AssetGroupSignal objects targeting the same asset group. However, each AssetGroupSignal object can only represent a single search theme or audience signal.

Reporting

You can use the asset_group_signal resource to get the search themes present in a Google Ads account. While performance metrics are currently available at the asset group level, they are not available at the asset group signal level.

Here is a GAQL example to retrieve search theme texts for a specific asset group:

SELECT
  asset_group_signal.search_theme.text
FROM asset_group_signal
WHERE
  asset_group.id = <Asset Group ID>

Policy Exemptions

In v15 of the Google Ads API, we also introduced two new fields to provide additional information about search_theme approval: asset_group_signal.approval_status and asset_group_signal.disapproval_reasons. Search theme text must be approved by Google. The asset_group_signal.approval_status field provides information about the approval status, and if the search theme text is not approved, the asset_group_signal.disapproval_reasons field lists the reasons why.

Here is a GAQL example to retrieve search theme texts with policy review information for a specific asset group:

SELECT
  asset_group_signal.search_theme.text, 
  asset_group_signal.approval_status, 
  asset_group_signal.disapproval_reasons 
FROM asset_group_signal 
WHERE 
  asset_group.id = <Asset Group ID>

If your search theme text is not approved, and you believe the usage adheres to Google’s policies, you can submit a policy exemption request for the search theme that triggered the policy violation.

For example, if your search theme contains medical terms, and you believe the usage of the terms adheres to Google Ads policies and warrants further review, you can use the AssetGroupSignalOperation.exempt_policy_violation_keys[] field to request a policy exemption.

Improving Performance Max integrations Blog Series

This article is part of a series that discusses new and upcoming features that you have been asking for. Keep an eye out for further updates and improvements on our developer blog, continue providing feedback on Performance Max integrations with the Google Ads API, and as always, contact our team if you need support.

If you are new to Performance Max Campaigns, you can learn more with our getting started guide. Check out our asset groups and asset group signals guides to learn more.

As of early October 2023, Google no longer supports Store Sales Direct (SSD) as a standalone product, and therefore SSD conversion upload requests to the Google Ads API are also no longer supported.

As of early October 2023, Google no longer supports Store Sales Direct (SSD) as a standalone product, and therefore SSD conversion upload requests to the Google Ads API are also no longer supported.

Users who were previously allowlisted for this feature will now receive a NOT_ON_ALLOWLIST_FOR_STORE_SALES_DIRECT error when attempting to upload SSD conversions. Existing SSD conversions will continue to be available in reports.

The removal of SSD is part of a simplification of the overall Store Sales product. Users who previously relied on SSD should review the Store Sales onboarding guide to understand if they are eligible for ongoing store sales measurement. If eligible, work with your Google Ads account team to update the feature. Please reference our Upload Store Sales Conversions guide, which has been updated to reflect these changes.

If you have any questions about this change, please feel free to contact us through the forum or at googleadsapi-support@google.com for additional help.

Last month we announced new changes launching in Google Ads API v15 to enable customers to pass end-user consent when uploading data. Today we are adding similar fields to Display & Video 360 API v2 and v3 that you can use when uploading Customer Match audience members.

Last month we announced new changes launching in Google Ads API v15 to enable customers to pass end-user consent when uploading data. Today we are adding similar fields to Display & Video 360 API v2 and v3 that you can use when uploading Customer Match audience members.

You must start sending consent signals when uploading Customer Match audience members by March 2024 to adhere to the EU User Consent Policy and continue using European Economic Area (EEA) user data to populate Customer Match audiences.

What’s changing?

The Display & Video 360 API has added a Consent object for uploading consent with your Customer Match data. The Consent object specifies two distinct types of consent. For the EEA user data to be used in Customer Match user lists, both types of consent must be granted to indicate that you have received user consent.

What should I do?

Consent signals are set for all users added in a single firstAndThirdPartyAudiences.create or firstAndThirdPartyAudiences.editCustomerMatchMembers request. Use separate requests to upload users with different consent signals.

Make the following updates to requests creating and updating Customer Match audiences of the following audience types:

Audience Type Relevant update
CUSTOMER_MATCH_CONTACT_INFO Set the consent field of the included ContactInfoList.
CUSTOMER_MATCH_DEVICE_ID Set the consent field of the included MobileDeviceIdList.

We have updated the existing Customer Match feature guide with information on passing consent signals. Read our release notes for an itemized list of the changes.

Before using these new features, make sure to update your client library to the latest version.

Where can I get support?

If you have questions regarding these changes or need help with these new fields, please contact us using our support contact form.

We're pleased to announce that v202311 of the Google Ad Manager API is available starting today, November 8, 2023. This release brings support for marketplace ID on Proposals and consolidates MCM Child Network information in the Company object, removing the Network.childPublishers field.

We're pleased to announce that v202311 of the Google Ad Manager API is available starting today, November 8, 2023. This release brings support for marketplace ID on Proposals and consolidates MCM Child Network information in the Company object, removing the Network.childPublishers field.

For the full list of changes, check the release notes. Feel free to contact us on the Ad Manager API forum with any API-related questions.

Today we’re announcing the general availability of Structured Data Files (SDF) v7. All users can now use v7 when uploading and downloading SDFs in the Display & Video 360 UI or downloading SDFs through the Display & Video 360 API.

Today we’re announcing the general availability of Structured Data Files (SDF) v7. All users can now use v7 when uploading and downloading SDFs in the Display & Video 360 UI or downloading SDFs through the Display & Video 360 API.

The following material and superficial changes have been made from v6 to v7 to decouple SDF from the deprecated Entity Read Files tool and add support for newer Display & Video 360 features:

Full details on the changes made in v7 can be found in our Structured Data Files release notes. Instructions on migrating from SDF v6 to v7 can be found in our migration guide.

If you run into issues or need help with this new version, please contact us using our support contact form.