Living module. Bidding and budget news known as of 22 August 2026. Reviewed every month.
1 · Journey-aware bidding (in beta)
What changes: a strategy for Search campaigns with target CPA that learns from the lead's entire journey (calls, forms, sign-ups… all the way to the sale), including conversion goals that cannot be "completed" directly. Google presents it as seeing "the whole picture" so it can predict better.
Class: optional and relevant (beta).
What it means: it is Google's version of what module 6 (lead quality) does from the outside: hand the algorithm the funnel. The difference: with journey-aware bidding, Google needs you to upload the stages (offline conversions) and puts them to more use; with no stages uploaded there is no journey. It reinforces the value of Lead Rating, it doesn't replace it (the immediate score is still yours). Action: if you have stages uploaded, test it on one campaign with an experiment; if not, Measurement II first.
2 · Smart Bidding Exploration reaches PMax and Shopping
What changes: the feature that lets Smart Bidding explore auctions it would normally discard (with a more flexible target ROAS, to capture new queries and users) is expanding from Search to Performance Max with a feed (beta) and to Shopping. Google reports more unique converting users in the campaigns that use it.
Class: optional; watch out in case it becomes a default.
What it means: exploring means spending on the uncertain on purpose. Useful with clean value measurement and room to grow (the growth zone of the curve, module 9 of the Intermediate level); dangerous with a limited budget or a tight POAS. Your judge should treat the exploration period with a wider band. Action: switch it on only with an experiment, and in campaigns that are overdelivering on target with lost IS (budget).
3 · Demand-led pacing (coming soon)
What changes: a feature that automatically adjusts daily spend according to demand (more on peak days, less on quiet ones), respecting the monthly budget and the daily caps. For Search and Shopping, in the coming months.
Class: announced; probably on by default or optional when it lands.
What it means: Google is moving towards the logic of the "average daily budget" taken to its extreme: demand sets the pace. For spend control (module 9 of the Intermediate level), the running total and the projection still hold; the daily pace will stop being a straight line. For the split between campaigns, nothing changes. Action: when it lands, check that the monthly cap is respected and adjust your daily spend alerts (they will stop working as they were).
4 · Campaign total budgets (already available)
What changes: since 2025 you can set a total budget for a duration (days or weeks) instead of a daily one; Google does the allocation. Google cites fewer manual adjustments.
Class: optional.
What it means: for campaigns with an end date (promotions, events) it is cleaner than a daily budget; for always-on campaigns, the daily one is still the healthy choice. Your judge works the same way (it moves the total in steps). Action: use it for seasonal campaigns and tests.
5 · Performance Planner changes (March 2026)
What changes: the Planner stopped supporting Display and video, and plans with impression share metrics.
Class: mandatory (already in force).
What it means: planning for Display/video goes back to your own curves and to experiments (module 9 of the Intermediate level); brand plans by impression share are done by hand. Action: review any saved plans that used those campaigns.
6 · Brand recommendations in CPM/CPV
What changes: the Recommendations page now includes AI-generated suggestions for awareness and consideration campaigns.
Class: optional (reading).
What it means: same rules as module 7 of the Basic level: read, classify, never auto-apply.
Summary of actions (August 2026)
- Funnel stages uploaded (offline) before testing journey-aware bidding; experiment.
- Exploration only with an experiment, in campaigns with room to grow.
- Get spend alerts ready for demand-led pacing.
- Total budgets for seasonal campaigns.
- Review Planner plans that used Display/video/IS.
💡 Ninja trick: the first three changes all point the same way: Google wants more signal from the business (the full journey) and more freedom to explore. Both demand the same thing the whole of this course asks for: honest measurement with stages and values, and a judge of your own that decides when exploring pays off. SBNS will adapt to the exploration bands; Lead Rating already supplies the journey.
What you should remember
- Journey-aware bidding: Google uses whatever funnel you upload; it reinforces offline conversions and scoring.
- Exploration in PMax and Shopping: growing into the uncertain, only with an experiment and room to grow.
- Demand-led pacing: demand will set the daily pace; the running total and the projection still hold.
- Total budgets for seasonal campaigns; the Planner no longer plans Display/video or IS.