Automated Promotions in Google Ads

Starting October 12 in 2026, Google can automatically find promotions on your website and display them as promotion assets in eligible Search and Performance Max campaigns. The feature, called automated promotions, will be enabled by default.

That sounds convenient, especially if you frequently run sales. But my recommendation is to turn it off initially, then test it once we have more real-world performance data. Here’s why.

1. You Lose Control Over What Gets Promoted

With a manual promotion asset, you choose the offer, dates, landing page, and where it runs. With automated promotions, Google identifies offers on your website and decides what to show alongside your ads.

Not every offer on your website belongs in an advertisement. A coupon intended for your social media followers might not be something you want to share with every potential customer. And a sale on a small selection of products could create confusion if the promotional language doesn’t clearly explain its limitations.

2. Your Website Might Not Reflect Your Current Offers

Promotions change, and website updates don’t always happen immediately. You might end a sale early because of inventory constraints, or leave a sale banner live until the morning after an offer expires.

Google says its system is designed to identify valid, high-quality promotions and avoid expired offers. Still, I would be cautious about letting website messaging automatically become advertising without reviewing it first.

How to Turn Off Automated Promotions

1. Open Assets in Google Ads.
2. Select Account-level automated assets.
3. Open Advanced settings.
4. Find Automated promotions and turn them off.

Start With Control, Then Test Automation

I’m not saying you should never use automated promotions. For now, I recommend creating manual promotion assets for offers you specifically want to advertise. That keeps the offer, timing, landing page, and campaign placement in your hands.

Once we have more information about how automated promotions work in practice, you can re-enable the feature and test whether it makes sense for your account.