Having worked closely with Google’s Shopping platform, I’ve seen the evolution of their policies first-hand. Recently, they’ve made significant updates for 2026, allowing advertisers more creative ways to engage with consumers through various promotions.
Google’s updated Shopping policies are expanding eligibility criteria for promotions, offering merchants greater flexibility starting next year. This change is a game-changer for those of us looking to leverage newer promotional formats like subscriptions and localized payment incentives.
What brought this change? Google is enhancing its promotion guidelines to include more types like subscription discounts, common promotional abbreviations, and specific payment offers in Brazil. These updates aim to align better with current consumer purchasing behaviors.
Why it matters to me. Promotions are vital for standing out in Shopping results, impacting both visibility and conversion rates. With these updates, I now have the chance to use new promotion formats that resonate with today’s buyers, particularly for subscriptions and cashback deals. The expanded flexibility reduces the risk of disapproval and makes my Shopping ads far more compelling during critical decision-making moments.
If you’re like me and rely on subscriptions or local payment incentives, this policy update opens up new avenues for visibility and conversion on Google Shopping.
What’s new? Now, promotions can be linked to subscription fees, with possibilities for free trials or discounts on initial billing cycles. Setting these offers up is straightforward: select “Subscribe and save” in Merchant Center or use the subscribe_and_save redemption option in promotion feeds. Examples could be offering a free first month or a significant discount for the first few subscription periods.
Additionally, there’s a relaxation on language restrictions. I’m excited that common promotional abbreviations like BOGO, B1G1, MRP, and MSRP are now supported, making it easier to reflect real-world retail lingo without risking ad disapproval.
In Brazil only, Google is now accommodating promotions linked to specific payment methods, including cashback deals associated with digital wallets. Merchants need to opt for “Forms of payment” in the Merchant Center or use the forms_of_payment redemption restriction. As of now, there are no plans to expand this to other markets.
Reading between the lines. These policy changes indicate Google’s intent to better align promotional strategies with modern retail dynamics — particularly focusing on subscriptions and localized payment methods, thereby reducing hurdles for merchants like me.
In summary. By broadening the categories for promotions, Google allows us as advertisers to compete on added value, not just pricing, with upcoming Shopping policy updates set for January 2026.
I recently spoke with Anthony Higman, the CEO of AdSquire, on episode 336 of PPC Live The Podcast. Anthony’s remarkable journey took him from the mailroom of a law firm to the helm of his own company with a panoramic view of Philadelphia. His story exemplifies how dedication, learning from missteps, and perseverance can forge a successful career path.
Learning from Client Missteps
Anthony opened up about one of his early blunders with a client, where he allowed them to chase after quick-win promises in numerous emails. Though some were outright scams, others were genuine but unaligned with the client’s goals. His decision to let a client engage with an ineffective SEO agency resulted in subpar outcomes and a revolving door of agencies for the client.
The lesson learned was clear: building trust with clients is vital, but it’s equally important to provide them with strategic guidance. Striking a balance between educating them and respecting their autonomy is key.
A Career Lesson from ‘Cowboy Moves’
Recalling another early career incident at a large advertising agency managing car dealership accounts, Anthony described how he took independent action to correct widespread account mismanagement, considerably enhancing results. However, his proactive steps clashed with company norms, leading to his dismissal.
This taught him invaluable lessons: knowing one’s values and finding workplaces aligned with them is crucial. Moreover, balancing client success with company expectations is crucial. Today, at AdSquire, he emphasizes consistent account management and clear communication within his team.
Managing Client Expectations in a Complex Industry
Anthony highlighted the challenges of managing expectations in competitive industries like legal marketing. While clients often seek various services like SEO and social media, focusing on core strengths rather than spreading resources thin is essential for achieving the best results.
The Role of Mistakes in Growth
He believes that mistakes are fundamental to growth. At AdSquire, he encourages his team to learn from their errors without fear of losing their jobs, as long as they remain honest and aligned with the company’s vision. This approach cultivates a culture of learning, accountability, and innovation.
Common Mistakes in Modern Paid Search
With AI advancements in Google Ads, Anthony has noticed frequent mistakes such as improper search partner and location settings, automated assets misuse, and auto-apply recommendations. While AI can streamline processes, strategic oversight is essential to avoid undermining performance.
Key Takeaways from Anthony’s Stories
Anthony’s experiences offer two main insights:
Guide clients strategically, steering them away from scams while presenting genuine growth opportunities.
Understand your values and choose environments where your ethics and skills align. Never compromise on your principles.
His philosophy illustrates that mistakes can lead not to failure but to redemption, innovation, and enduring success.
Looking Ahead: AI and the Future of Google Ads
Anthony envisions continued AI integration in Google Ads by 2026. While some tools may falter or conflict with specific needs, maintaining strategic oversight and adding a personal touch will remain crucial. Misguided use of AI, such as automated video inventory creation, can yield inconsistent results and demands vigilant monitoring.
Conclusion: F-Ups Lead to Redemption
Reflecting on his career, Anthony draws parallels with The Shawshank Redemption. Every misstep contributed to future opportunities, eventually enabling him to establish AdSquire and earn recognition as a top PPC influencer. The overarching lesson: embrace your mistakes, learn from them, and let them serve as pathways to success.
I’ve noticed that Google is testing a new feature in their Performance Max campaigns that could really shake things up for us as advertisers. It seems they’re considering raising the limit on video assets from 5 to as many as 15 per Asset Group. This change could open up a whole new level of creative freedom without needing to fragment our campaigns.
Why does this matter to us? Well, video content is becoming crucial for the success of Performance Max. The current five-video limit forces us to make tough choices between different formats and ratios, which in turn restricts our reach across platforms like YouTube, Discover, and others. This new limit could lift those restrictions considerably.
With this potential update, we could include up to 15 videos per Asset Group. This means we can cover all major video ratios and formats without having to duplicate efforts or fragment campaigns. It’s an opportunity for richer, more versatile campaigns.
For those of us managing multiple video versions, this change could mean significantly streamlined campaign management. We could test more creative ideas without losing out on reach or complicating our campaign structures.
It’s still early days, with Google not yet making a formal announcement about this update. It could be in testing, or maybe it’s slowly being rolled out. Keep an eye on any new developments in this area.
This update first came to light when Growth Marketing Manager Molly Pritchard shared the new option on her LinkedIn profile. It sure caught my attention!
Bottom line? This may seem like a small tweak, but for those of us utilizing Performance Max, increasing the video cap could greatly enhance our creative strategies with minimal trade-offs.
Google has rolled out a new Beta feature that allows us, Performance Max advertisers, to A/B test asset sets. This expansion takes last year’s retail experiment to an exciting new level, now available for all campaigns.
With this update, I can compare two sets of assets while keeping the ‘common assets’ steady across both versions. By accessing the Experiments page under the Assets sub-menu, I can determine which creative combinations yield the best results.
I saw a similar experiment rolled out for retail campaigns last year, and I’m thrilled to see it expand to all Performance Max campaigns.
Why it matters to me. Performance Max campaigns rely heavily on automation, often making it difficult for me to test specific creative assets. This new capability gives us more control over asset-level performance without compromising the integrity of the entire campaign.
The big picture. From my perspective, tests must run for at least four weeks to consider the learning phase of P-Max and ad delivery stabilization. While the results aren’t immediate, they’ll allow me to make more informed choices about which images, headlines, and videos drive engagement.
Between the lines. Asset-level A/B testing could be a pivotal factor in enhancing my Performance Max ROI, particularly when managing diverse creative and asset formats.
First seen. This update caught my attention when web marketer Dario Zannoni highlighted it on LinkedIn.
The bottom line. Although still in Beta, this experiment type offers a new degree of transparency and control over automated campaigns, potentially transforming how I approach asset strategies in Performance Max.
Looking to expand your reach beyond Google Search? Demand Gen campaigns push your ads to ideal audiences across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail.
As someone deeply involved with Google Ads, I spend most of my time optimizing Search, Shopping, or Performance Max campaigns. It’s understandable, as the Google SERP is foundational to Google Ads. But there’s a significant opportunity within your Google Ads account that many overlook.
I firmly believe Demand Gen is the most undervalued campaign type in Google Ads, and this needs to change.
If you’ve been cautious about trying Demand Gen or have written it off due to past failures, consider this your nudge to incorporate it into your 2026 strategy. Demand Gen offers a transformative approach to using Google’s ecosystem for growth through paid advertising.
To understand Demand Gen, move away from a keyword-centric mindset. Think of it as running Meta (Facebook or Instagram) ads but leveraging Google’s platforms instead.
Where traditional Search campaigns react to a user’s query, Demand Gen focuses on the user themselves, distributing creative content—images or videos—based on user characteristics rather than their immediate actions or searches.
Demand Gen can place your ads on Google’s various “owned and operated” properties, including:
YouTube (Shorts, In-stream, In-feed)
Gmail
Discover
Google Maps (coming soon!)
I advise starting with all these channels activated but opting in or out of specific channels as desired.
While the Google Display Network is an option, it’s wise to prioritize Google-owned properties where intent signals are more robust.
In Demand Gen, targeting moves away from content and instead utilizes Google’s extensive audience targeting capabilities:
Lookalikes: Build audiences mirroring your converters, similar to Meta.
Remarketing: Re-engage past visitors or customers.
In-Market, Life Events & Affinity segments: Reach people based on interests or behaviors.
Detailed demographics: Target based on user demographics.
Custom Segments: Focus on search terms or websites/apps users frequent.
However, combined segments aren’t compatible with Demand Gen; you can only exclude your data segments.
Demand Gen supports a versatile range of ads: standard image ads, carousel image ads, and video ads. If you’re in ecommerce, integrate your Google Merchant Center feed for product-based ads.
Unlike Video campaigns, which aim for impressions or views, Demand Gen targets clicks or conversions using these bid strategies:
Maximize Clicks
Maximize Conversions
Maximize Conversion Value
Target CPC
Target CPA
Target ROAS
You must choose a conversion category, whether it’s a purchase or another action like a YouTube subscription.
What’s more, Demand Gen uniquely permits the Target CPC strategy, allowing control over CPC in a space dominated by AI-driven bidding. This manual control is beneficial for tightly managed budgets.
Demand Gen surpasses standard Display campaigns in several ways:
1. Inventory Quality:
It primarily serves on authenticated Google-owned properties, ensuring higher engagement compared to random web placements typical in Display campaigns.
2. Spam Reduction:
Higher audience and inventory quality reduce the likelihood of spam leads, a crucial factor for lead generation.
3. The Cost Reality:
While CPCs in Demand Gen often exceed Display, the quality justifies the price. Plus, it remains cheaper than Search campaigns, with CPCs typically between $0.50 to $2.00.
Demand Gen isn’t a black box; it provides transparent reporting similar to Performance Max:
Asset-level reporting: Analyze text, image, and video performance.
Audience insights: Understand who engages with your ads.
Channel segmentation: Control where ads appear (YouTube, Discover, Gmail) and tailor placements accordingly.
Placement reporting: Inspect YouTube placements to refine targeting.
Feeling ready to launch a Demand Gen campaign? Here’s my advice for structuring a test:
For smaller businesses:
With a tight budget ($5-40/day), go simple.
Targeting: Use your “Google Engaged” remarketing audience and a Custom Segment of top-performing search terms.
Why: Capture high-intent users yet to convert with Demand Gen’s cost-effective inventory.
For ecommerce businesses:
Creative reigns supreme! Run one Demand Gen campaign with and one without your product feed.
Why: Test whether product ads or lifestyle visuals better drive engagement. Results will reveal optimal strategy.
For larger businesses:
If budget allows, Demand Gen should be a strategic staple, not just a test. Treat it as an “always-on” layer for targeting specific audiences.
Targeting: In-Market, Life Events, Detailed demographics, Affinities.
Why: This approach keeps your brand visible and top-of-mind among your target audience.
In conclusion, Demand Gen stands out by bridging high-intent Search with social storytelling, offering superior quality over Display and cost-efficiency compared to Search. Will Demand Gen make it into your strategy this year? If growth beyond the search bar is your goal, it absolutely should.
This article is a part of Search Engine Land’s ongoing series, Everything you need to know about Google Ads in less than 3 minutes. Each edition, curated by Jyll, highlights a different Google Ads feature to maximize your results swiftly.
Operating in niche markets with Google Ads presents unique challenges, and it’s something I’m navigating in 2026. While the search volume might be low, the potential for opportunity is significant.
I’ve noticed that in targeted markets, people might only search a handful of times each month for my solutions. It’s a stark contrast to other advertisers who can test a plethora of headline variations with ease.
Many niche advertisers mistakenly apply high-volume strategies to their ads. In my experience, without sufficient data, Google’s automation struggles, which can dampen or entirely stall results.
Through this guide, I’ve found out what actually works when dealing with low search volumes and extended conversion timelines.
Why Low-Volume Markets Challenge Google Ads
There are a couple of scenarios I’ve encountered:
I own my brand space: My distinctive brand ensures that when people search for my company, I appear prominently with unique industry terms.
I get washed out: Sometimes, my keywords compete with those of larger brands, making it tough to stand out. Here, I battle consistent keyword pollution.
Each situation requires a distinct approach to effectively manage my advertising strategies.
Smart Bidding strategies, like Target ROAS, require substantial conversions that niche environments often don’t produce solely from search traffic.
If my campaigns do hit those numbers, it’s usually due to a budget burn collecting low-quality data. It’s unsustainable for many, including myself.
However, I’ve found that automation remains viable by feeding Google the right signals differently.
Relying solely on Search campaigns has proven ineffective for me, especially as Google’s AI Overviews account for a significant percentage of queries.
Start with Search, then Move to Performance Max
Performance Max requires solid conversion data, focusing on qualified leads or paying customers to truly optimize results.
Audience signals guide me in allocating budgets wisely, ensuring I’m not wasting resources.
Performance Max has served me well once I’ve accumulated sufficient data. However, dealing with keyword pollution requires aggressive negative tactics.
Use Demand Gen for Awareness
Introducing Demand Gen has allowed me to reach users across YouTube and Gmail before they actively engage in search for my offerings.
This strategy builds awareness, paving the way for future branded searches.
Protect Your Brand Terms
While organic rankings are important, I maintain a dedicated budget to safeguard my brand’s terms, especially when keywords overlap with the competition.
Even during slower periods, maintaining control over brand terms remains a priority.
Based on my data from a niche B2B SaaS client, exact match keywords consistently deliver leads at a lower cost, showcasing the benefits of targeted campaigns.
Adopting a broad match approach without sufficient data may lead to unnecessary spending on low-converting searches.
After solidifying my match strategies, I start tight and carefully expand:
Initiate with exact match keywords on strong intent terms.
Incorporate phrase matches for variation while being wary of broad match until robust data guides me.
Broaden match scope after accumulating 30+ conversions.
Critical Search Term Mining
With niche volumes, Google may not always show which search terms directed traffic, but when available, these insights are invaluable for market comprehension.
The terms that do surface offer significant insights:
Valid searches leading to clicks but not conversions (adjust bids or landing pages).
Wasteful, irrelevant searches depleting budget (add instantly as negatives).
Incorporating new keyword variations identified.
Handling early funnel searches strategically.
In scenarios where brand terms are unique, I find broad match approaches more forgiving.
Conversely, with competitive keywords, a robust list of negative keywords is imperative before considering broader matches.
Full Utilization of Headline and Description Slots
With limited ad runs, maximizing headline and description slots provides ample opportunity for optimization and engagement.
Targeted Landing Page Design
Landing pages I design don’t just capture leads; they guide prospects through seamless self-qualification, emphasizing detailed specs or clear differentiation as necessary.
My pages prioritize standing out, expecting that visitors have explored competitor offerings.
Precision in demand gen campaigns is necessary, targeting custom market segments instead of industry-wide interests.
Immediate differentiation is crucial on landing pages, so prospects understand value quicker than with competing alternatives.
Strategies for Niche Advertising Success in 2026
In 2026, small budget advertisers win not by spending, but by leveraging quality signals, focusing on visibility and precision.
My focus remains on signal quality surpassing search volume expectations.
Visibility across multiple platforms ensures stronger engagement than singular strategies.
Precise audience targeting outweighs the advantages of simply broader reach.
Feeding Google automation with strategic, tailored data is essential to unlocking potential in niche advertising.
The key to success in niche markets is knowing which automation to implement at the right time, the patience to accumulate sufficient data, and the foresight to disregard outdated strategies.
Making adjustments to a Google Ads budget mid-flight triggers a variety of changes and forecasts. It can be complex, but I’ve found that understanding how these work helps in modeling the impact of budget changes and staying clear of unexpected outcomes.
Managing budgets in paid search isn’t simply about setting a daily figure. I need to grasp how different platforms pace spending, handle exceptions, and what shifts when budgets are tweaked mid-month.
Most PPC advertisers, including myself, adjust budgets throughout the month and are curious about how these changes influence performance.
The challenge increases in enterprise scenarios, where fiscal calendars and promotional campaigns rarely sync perfectly with calendar months.
A frequent assumption is that spends will be evenly distributed, but that’s not always the case—resulting in either overspending one week or underspending another, both of which can be costly.
Overspending eats into profit, while underspending can leave potential conversions untapped and reduce future budget allocations.
It’s about more than just doing the math. Budgeting is crucial to the performance of paid search strategies, and without understanding pacing, I risk squandering budget, missing opportunities, and damaging credibility.
How budgets work in Google Ads
In Google Ads, I set a daily budget at the campaign level. Ideally, this budget is evenly spread over the month.
The monthly rule: A $100 daily budget becomes $3,004 monthly.
The promise: Google ensures charges won’t exceed this monthly cap.
The busy day rule (overdelivery): Google may spend up to double the daily budget on high-traffic days but maintains the monthly cap.
If my daily limit is reached, ads may stop appearing. This “Limited by budget” notice shows a demand that surpasses my spend capacity.
What happens when you change your budget mid-month
Changing a budget, say on the 8th of the month, recalculates everything moving forward from that date.
Step change in monthly limit: The system merges the old budget for days 1-7 with the new budget from day 8 onward, which adjusts the monthly cap.
Daily limit adjusts immediately: It recalibrates to twice the new daily budget as soon as changes happen.
Pacing re-optimized: Google modifies how it allocates the spend over the remaining days.
Visual indicators: A gray triangle in reports highlights the date of change with an apparent ‘step’ in the monthly spend line.
When opting for a campaign total budget, rules slightly differ. It’s less flexible, more rigid, without a daily cap, ideal for promotional or video campaigns.
Campaign totals, akin to a project fee, aim to spend evenly by the end date instead of on a daily basis, making it less adaptable during the running campaign.
The real challenge for paid search managers
PPC budgets interact with other factors like targeting and ROAS goals, often leading to underspending, as unused budgets can’t be reclaimed, directly affecting future spend capabilities.
Senior PPC managers, including myself, often rely on spreadsheets and continuous tracking to balance spending, targeting dynamics, and campaign performance.
Thankfully, Google Ads provides tools that simplify managing these changing budgets.
How to project spend and impact before adjusting budgets
When facing mid-month budget cuts, like trimming $2,000, understanding and utilizing available tools is essential for visualizing potential impacts.
1. The budget report (spend projection)
The budget report is my key tool for visualizing mid-month budget impacts on the final bill.
Where to find it: Navigate to Campaigns in Google Ads, locate the campaign, hover over the Budget column, and select View budget report.
This report marks changes clearly and is instrumental in understanding spending shifts and confirming if the projected savings align with goals.
2. Performance planner (results projection)
The performance planner aids in understanding how different budget levels impact key metrics like clicks and conversions.
Inputting new budget scenarios allows me to communicate the expected results of changes, not just the monetary savings but also the trade-offs like lost conversions.
3. Manual calculation (logic check)
Sometimes a manual check is necessary to ensure accuracy in budget planning, aligning with monthly and promotional periods.
Subtract the month-to-date spend from the new monthly goal, divide by remaining days.
Where paid search performance and financial planning intersect
I compare these tools to various aspects of driving for better understanding. Like choosing speed for gas savings, budget reports and performance planners elucidate impacts in real-time.
It underlines that paid search requires ongoing management, where budgets adapt to business needs, separating the best managers from the rest.
Here’s how LinkedIn professional attributes enhance intent, automation, and creative decisions in Microsoft Advertising.
Using LinkedIn targeting within Microsoft Advertising allows me to align creative strategies with the perfect audience. By engaging with this thoughtfully, I can apply professional insights to intent-driven inventory without breaking the bank.
The key is understanding how these targeting methods collaborate across different campaign types. In this guide, I’ll walk you through leveraging LinkedIn data within Microsoft Advertising, including:
LinkedIn in Search campaigns, including Multimedia ads.
Using LinkedIn insights for an enhanced audience strategy.
Performance Max targeting signals.
Audience reach and composition insights via Audience Planner.
Disclosure: As a Microsoft employee, I’ve kept this article objective, focusing on LinkedIn targeting mechanisms, targeting action items, reporting, and message mapping strategies.
LinkedIn Profile Targeting in Search
Microsoft Advertising search campaigns fully support LinkedIn profile targeting, allowing me to layer professional attributes on top of keyword targeting. The supported attributes include:
Company
Industry
Job function
These audiences can be utilized across Microsoft‑owned environments, such as Bing Search, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Start, and other eligible search surfaces, provided users are signed in.
In search, LinkedIn targeting works as a contextual guide rather than a standalone target. Keywords carry the main weight, while LinkedIn data helps me adjust my response when professional relevance is present.
How to Approach It
Start with keywords that already convert: LinkedIn targeting enhances existing intent with proven keywords. I apply bid adjustments to campaigns or ad groups where search terms already demonstrate business value, potentially increasing bids by 10%-15% for aggressive bidding or more aggressive adjustments when impression share is lost to rank.
Choose one professional dimension first: I begin with either company, industry, or job function instead of applying all three simultaneously. This approach prevents double-bidding on potential customers.
Use bid-only mode to establish a baseline: Observation mode provides performance clarity before I make delivery decisions. This acts as audience research to identify who engages profitably.
LinkedIn Professional Demographics in Audience Ads
Audience Ads leverage LinkedIn Professional Demographics as both a targeting and observation layer, introducing professional context into native, display, and video formats tailored for scalable reach.
Audience Ads aren’t driven by keyword intent; however, Professional Demographics anchor delivery and insights in real-world business contexts, bridging broad reach with professional relevance.
These ads let me apply company, industry, and job function as professional audience layers, which I can use to observe performance trends or influence delivery, depending on campaign objectives.
How to Approach It
Start in observation to understand natural performance: By observing performance trends in Professional Demographics, I learn which industries, job functions, or company types naturally engage with Audience Ads before imposing delivery constraints.
Let LinkedIn data inform creative, not just delivery: In content-rich environments, creative matters more than targeting alone. I use insights from high-performing professional segments to shape tone, examples, and value framing in my messaging.
Align format choice with professional mindset: Different formats perform distinct roles. For example, native and display formats excel in awareness and education within professional segments, while video supports storytelling and industry-specific narratives. Professional Demographic insights guide the most suitable formats for varied business audiences.
LinkedIn Data in Performance Max: Guiding Automation with Purpose
LinkedIn profile targeting is available within Performance Max campaigns, where it functions as an audience signal. These signals help the system identify professional profiles most likely to yield profit for my business and influence budget allocation.
Within Performance Max, professional signals are most effective when representative and directional, rather than exhaustive, providing the system a strong starting point.
How to Approach It
Select signals that reflect your best customers, not every customer: Using LinkedIn attributes to describe my most valuable segments is crucial, especially if different personas represent varying ROAS/CPA goals, as this affects PMax campaign asset groups’ shared ROAS/CPA bidding.
Pair LinkedIn signals with strong conversion definitions: Automation improves when reinforced by clear success metrics. Ensuring at least 30 conversions over a 30-day period is vital for autobidding effectiveness.
Allow time for learning: Audience signals need sufficient volume to influence delivery, so I avoid frequent changes during the initial learning period (two weeks). Afterward, budget adjustments up to 15% can be made without triggering learning period fluctuations.
Aggregated LinkedIn audience reporting is divided by company, industry, and job function, letting me analyze how professional segments contribute to campaign performance. This reporting, found under Reporting > Professional demographics, includes LinkedIn targeting or audiences applied through predictive targeting.
How to Approach It
Look for consistency across time, not single spikes: Patterns emerging over weeks or months are more actionable than short-term anomalies. I allow “observation” audiences ample time to prove themselves or use Audience Planner for informed decisions at scale.
Use reporting to inform creative and bids together: Upon identifying outperforming professional segments, I scrutinize messaging and bidding before initiating changes. It’s crucial to confirm creative resonance without overbidding.
Avoid over-segmentation early: Excessive audience segmentation can weaken signal strength, especially when conversion scarcity is a concern.
Bidding with LinkedIn Audiences
In Microsoft Advertising, I use bid adjustments alongside automated strategies, enabling flexibility in how LinkedIn audiences influence auctions. Overlapping audiences can amplify bid adjustments, necessitating overlap awareness as part of my bid strategy.
Effective bidding adjustments should be incremental and reversible, aiming for calibration rather than acceleration.
Creative Strategy: Professional Relevance Without Narrow Assumptions
LinkedIn targeting controls ad visibility, but creative determines engagement. Professional cohorts encompass a variety of experiences, identities, and viewpoints. My aim is effective creative that respects diversity while remaining relevant to shared contexts.
Effective creative exhibits professional empathy, addressing challenges, goals, and constraints without reliance on stereotypes.
How to Approach It
Anchor creative in shared problems, not titles: I focus on challenges common to roles and seniority levels within a LinkedIn targeting segment.
Keep language inclusive and adaptable: I avoid assumptions about background, experience, or decision-making authority.
Use AI tools to localize, not homogenize: Adapting tone or examples by region or industry while preserving message intent is crucial.
Test creative alongside audience layers: I evaluate messaging performance within LinkedIn segments to refine both together.
Extending LinkedIn Insights Across B2B Campaigns
LinkedIn targeting in Microsoft Advertising provides an opportunity to combine professional expertise with intent-driven media scalably, in a privacy-conscious and economical manner.
Teams already using LinkedIn Ads can leverage this strategy to extend learnings into additional inventory via automation, amplifying reach and efficiency.
The value lies not in complexity, but in alignment – aligning data, mechanics, and human behavior enhances results.
Key takeaways:
LinkedIn profile targeting is fully accessible in Search and Performance Max on Microsoft surfaces.
Professional attributes act as targeting layers in search and optimization signals in Performance Max.
An observation-first approach fosters understanding before commitment.
Aggregated reporting aids informed optimization without revealing individual data.
Empathy-anchored creative fosters professional relevance.
When I use LinkedIn data with curiosity and care, it offers a way to view audiences more clearly rather than control them more tightly. For B2B advertisers navigating complex buying journeys, such clarity often becomes the most valuable optimization.
This past year, PPC has been anything but static – it has evolved. As I explored the insights from 2025, I found these articles resonated deeply. They addressed crucial questions like maintaining a competitive edge, eliminating wasteful spending, collaborating with automation, and gearing up for the future.
Join me as I take you through the links to the top 10 most-read PPC columns on Search Engine Land from 2025, crafted by our incredible experts.
Though it might seem challenging, even the smallest businesses can carve out their niche and captivate customers. Discover the strategies that make this possible. (By Sophie Logan. Published Sept. 16.)
Update your optimization techniques for 2025 with innovative approaches to keywords, Performance Max, and audience targeting. (By Pauline Jakober. Published Feb. 6.)
With increasing CPCs, understanding the pace of this inflation and comparing it to the consumer price index is essential for shaping your ad strategies. (By Mark Meyerson. Published April 16.)
AI is bridging the gap between organic and paid search. Learn how integrating SEO and PPC can enhance your visibility and brand presence. (By Jen Cornwell. Published Oct. 6.)
PPC scripts have limitations, but with vibe coding, you can remove obstacles and transform complex seasonal data into practical planning tools. (By Frederick Vallaeys. Published Aug. 21.)
Streamline your ad creation process without losing your core message. Leveraging generative AI can help craft engaging, personalized copy that truly connects. (By Jason Tabeling. Published Aug. 1.)
Discover filtering techniques that refine targeting, reduce unnecessary clicks, and reveal new keyword opportunities. (By Menachem Ani. Published July 22.)
Enhance your campaign management with Google Ads scripts. Uncover insights, actionable tips, and use cases for leveraging automation to improve performance. (By Frederick Vallaeys. Published Jan. 9.)
As clicks become scarcer, maintaining visibility requires precise targeting and value-based bidding. Achieving this ensures your prominence in both paid and organic searches. (By Sarah Stemen. Published Oct. 7.)
With Google’s environment becoming more automated, some PPC tactics are now obsolete. Discover what to eliminate and what to focus on for the coming year. (By Sarah Vlietstra. Published Nov. 4.)
I recently learned that Google has made a significant change by lowering the minimum audience size requirement for its Ads platform to just 100 active users. This adjustment now makes it far easier for advertisers, both large and small, to harness the power of remarketing and customer lists without the previous constraints.
What’s new: Now, advertisers can utilize audience segments with as few as 100 users across platforms like Search, Display, and YouTube. This includes both remarketing lists and customer lists. Excitingly, this same 100-user limit also applies to Audience Insights, slashing the previous threshold from 1,000.
Catch up: The shift toward these smaller audience thresholds began in May. At that time, Google had already reduced the minimum user requirement for Customer Lists in Search campaigns from 1,000 to just 100 users. This marks a clear trend towards making audience targeting more inclusive.
Why this matters: Smaller accounts and niche advertisers now have the opportunity to implement audience strategies that were once unattainable due to those larger size thresholds. By bridging this gap, Google removes a longstanding barrier to advanced targeting and personalization within Ads.
What to watch: I’m curious to see how advertisers will leverage these more precise, smaller segments and whether performance or privacy safeguards will evolve to align with this broader access.
First seen: This update first caught the eye of Web Marketing Consultant, Dario Zannoni, who shared the news on LinkedIn.
