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Google Ads drops Search language targeting; Manual CPC new-customer bidding reported
Google Ads has removed campaign language targeting from Search, with an uneven rollout, and Manual CPC campaigns reportedly gain a new-customer-only option. Digiday reports advertisers now tie creator deals to lead and conversion costs.
Google Ads removes campaign language targeting from Search, with an uneven rollout
According to PPC Land, Google Ads has taken the campaign-level language setting out of Search campaigns, and practitioners reported it missing from live accounts in early November. Google says Search ads will now be matched using the language their ads are written in, plus query language and user settings.
In Performance Max, the setting reportedly no longer affects Search Network placements but still governs YouTube, Display, Discover and Gmail. The rollout looks uneven, and one advertiser said the setting was still visible in Google Ads Editor.
Why it matters
Check that ad copy and landing pages for each market are written in the intended language, and watch multilingual campaigns or ads mixing brand terms from another language for shifts in who gets served.
Source: PPC Land: Google Ads drops language targeting from Search campaigns · Nov 8, 2026
Manual CPC campaigns reportedly get a new-customer-only bidding option in Google Ads
A LinkedIn post by agency founder Anthony Higman, covered by PPC Land, shows Google Ads offering Manual CPC campaigns a way to target only new customers without switching to Smart Bidding. Google's main help page still lists the mode only for automated strategies, and the scope of the rollout is unconfirmed.
Higman says a customer list is still needed to define existing buyers, and Google warns existing customers may sometimes see the ads anyway.
Why it matters
If you keep manual bids for cost control, check whether the option appears in your account, keep customer lists current, and expect some spend to reach existing buyers, since Google publishes no leakage rate.
Source: PPC Land: Google Ads gains new-customer-only bidding for Manual CPC campaigns · Nov 8, 2026
Advertisers tie creator deals to lead and conversion costs, Digiday reports
According to Digiday, advertisers weighing creator deals now request earned media value, cost per conversion, cost per lead and similar performance figures before signing, and some brands want Instagram link-click data and engaged YouTube view figures before committing. Separately, creator campaigns are increasingly judged on conversion cost, lead cost and return on ad spend.
Agencies cited include HYDP, which reviews a creator's recent 30-day content while leaving out viral posts, and Blue Hour, which asks for engaged views after YouTube changed how views are counted in August.
Why it matters
Vendors and affiliates using creators may want to request past click and conversion data before paying, set a cost per conversion benchmark, and check how YouTube's revised view counting affects any view-based pricing.
Source: Digiday: How performance metrics are rewriting creator rate cards · Nov 9, 2026
How this brief is made: every morning we scan official marketplace and ad platform blogs, regulators and trade press, pick the stories that matter for direct response, and summarize them with AI. Each summary is checked against its source before publishing. Always read the original before acting. Editorial policy.