Google Ads automated promotions switch on by default starting Monday, October 12, 2026, for Search and Performance Max campaigns that have linked location assets. Google will read offers from your website and add them to your ads as promotion assets, with no setup on your part.
That date comes from an email Google sent to some advertisers, as reported by Search Engine Roundtable on October 5. Google’s own help page describes how the feature works, how to find the promotions it creates and how to turn it off. This post covers what Google has confirmed, where it touches nonprofit and association accounts, and what to check before Monday.
The short version: if any of your client accounts run Search or Performance Max with location assets, Google may soon show a discount from the client’s website in their ads. For a member-based organization, that could be an early-bird rate that ended last month, a member-only price or an old join discount. Clean up the website, decide whether to keep the setting on, and look for promotions marked "Google AI" next week.
What Google says automated promotions do
Google’s help page, About Automated promotions, says the feature "highlights valid, high-quality deals and offers directly within your ads to drive both online and offline conversion discovery."
In practice, Google scans your landing pages for offers. Its own example is a page that advertises "20% off on black sweaters." Google pulls that offer out and attaches it to eligible campaigns as a promotion asset.
Three details on the page matter most:
- Short serving window. The page says each automated promotion “is eligible to serve for a limited time (less than 24 hours).” Google may re-enable it if its systems can still see the offer on your website.
- Wider reach than Search. The page says sourced promotions “may serve alongside your ads on Google Search or across Google’s broader ad inventory.”
- Labeled in the account. Promotions created this way show “Google AI” in the Added by column.
Google’s account-level automated assets page describes the same feature a little more broadly. It says automated promotions source deals "from your website and other sources." The dedicated help page only names your website. Google does not say what the other sources are.
Which campaigns are eligible
Google’s help page lists three conditions. A campaign is eligible when all three are true:
- It is an active Search or Performance Max campaign with location assets attached.
- It does not already have manual promotions running.
- It complies with Google Ads policies.
Location assets show your address, directions and phone number with your ads. According to Google’s location assets page, most advertisers set them up by linking a Google Business Profile. Many nonprofits and associations have done exactly that for a headquarters office, a museum, a campus or a training center. If that link exists, those campaigns are likely in scope.
The email quoted by Search Engine Roundtable says the same thing in plainer terms. The feature "currently only applies to Search and Performance Max campaigns with linked location assets that don’t already have promotion assets attached."
Google’s pages do not mention Google Ad Grants. We could not confirm whether Grants accounts received the email or will get automated promotions. If you manage a Grants account, check the setting there too. It takes a minute.
The timeline for Google Ads automated promotions
The feature is not brand new. It appeared in Google’s help center in early September. What changes on October 12 is that Google turns it on for accounts that have not opted out.
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| September 2, 2026 | PPC News Feed reports a new account-level automated asset called Automated promotions | PPC News Feed |
| September 7, 2026 | Search Engine Roundtable covers the new help page and notes accounts were pre-opted in | Search Engine Roundtable |
| October 5, 2026 | Search Engine Roundtable publishes Google’s email naming October 12 as the start date | Search Engine Roundtable |
| October 12, 2026 | Google starts applying automated promotions to eligible campaigns | Google email, as reported |
According to Search Engine Roundtable’s October 5 report, the email reads: "Starting October 12, 2026, Google Ads will automatically identify and extract high-quality promotions, such as coupons and deals, from your website and apply them directly to your campaigns." Barry Schwartz added, "This is opt out." Google’s help page does not give the October 12 date itself, so treat it as reported.
Why automated promotions are a risk for member-based organizations
Google says only active, non-expired offers are shown. Its test, as the help page describes it, is whether the offer is still visible on your website. That is the gap for most nonprofit and association sites.
Member-based websites carry a lot of pricing that is true for some people and not for others. They also keep old pricing pages live for a long time. Here is where we would look first.
| What is on the site | How it could show up in an ad | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| An early-bird conference rate that ended, still on the registration page | An ad offers a rate the cart no longer honors | Remove or clearly mark expired rates |
| Member pricing next to nonmember pricing | The member price reads as a discount anyone can get | Review how price tables are worded on landing pages |
| A “join now and save” or first-year discount from a past campaign | An old join offer returns in Search ads | Unpublish or redirect old campaign pages |
| Bookstore or store coupon codes | A code shows in an ad after it stopped working | Expire codes on the site the day they end |
| A partner or sponsor discount for members | Another company’s offer appears in your ad | Keep partner offers behind login or off landing pages |
Each of these starts as a website problem. Automated promotions can carry it into an ad.
There is a second issue for associations. A member-only price is a benefit of joining. If it appears in a public ad, it can confuse nonmembers at checkout, and it can create questions from members about what they are paying for.
How to turn off automated promotions
Google’s help page gives one documented way to turn the feature off, and it works at the account level:
- In Google Ads, open Campaigns, then Assets.
- Select the three-dot menu and choose Account level automated assets.
- Select the three-dot menu again and choose Advanced settings.
- Set the Automated promotions drop-down to Off, and give a reason if asked.
The account-level automated assets page lists automated promotions next to dynamic sitelinks, dynamic callouts, dynamic images and the rest. While you are in that menu, it is worth a look at the others. For another recent change that reaches every Google Ads account, see our post on limited ad serving.
Google does not document a campaign-level switch for automated promotions. Two campaign-level facts from its pages do apply:
- Manual promotions block it. A campaign that already has a promotion asset is skipped. If a campaign has a real, current offer, adding it yourself gives you exact control over the wording.
- Location assets can be removed per campaign. Google’s location assets page lets you choose “No location asset” for a campaign or ad group. That removes eligibility, but it also removes the address and call details, which may cost you more than it saves.
How to review what Google creates
If you leave automated promotions on, check what they produce. Google’s help page gives these steps:
- Go to Campaigns, then Assets.
- Filter by asset type: Promotion.
- Look for Google AI in the Added by column.
- Hover over each one to see where Google sourced it.
The sourcing detail is the useful part. It tells you which page on the site the offer came from. If the offer is wrong, the fix is on that page.
Google’s pages do not describe removing a single automated promotion. The documented controls are the account setting, a manual promotion on the campaign, and the website itself. Because each one serves for less than 24 hours before Google checks again, fixing the page should stop it soon after.
For reporting, Google suggests segmenting campaign reports by click type. The account-level automated assets page also points to an automated assets report with clicks and impressions. Google advises judging the whole campaign, not only clicks on the promotion. That is a fair test, and it needs a baseline from before October 12.
What to check before Monday, October 12
This is the list we would work through for each client account this weekend or first thing Monday.
- Find the eligible campaigns. List every Search and Performance Max campaign with location assets.
- Make the call on the setting. Decide on or off for each account, and write down why. If the client has no real public offers, off is the simple answer.
- Clean the landing pages. Remove expired early-bird rates, old coupon codes and past join discounts from every page those campaigns send traffic to.
- Check member pricing. Make sure member-only prices are clearly labeled as member prices.
- Add real promotions by hand. If a campaign has a current offer, set it up as a manual promotion asset so you control the dates and wording.
- Note your baseline. Save last week’s campaign numbers so you can compare after October 12.
- Check again next week. Filter assets for Promotion and look for Google AI entries.
Steps 3 and 4 involve the website team, not only the ads team. If an agency runs the ads and someone else runs the site, send the list across today.
Google often ships settings like this switched on, and the account owner decides whether to keep them. For the wider question of when to hand work to automation, see our post on whether marketing automation is the right move.
What we do not know yet
Several things are still unclear as of October 9, 2026:
- Whether Ad Grants accounts are included. Google’s pages do not say.
- What “other sources” means on the account-level automated assets page.
- Whether every eligible account received the email. Search Engine Roundtable said it went to “some advertisers.”
- How Google decides an offer is “high-quality” or “valid” beyond seeing it on the page.
If Google updates its help page, we will add a dated note to this post. For other recent changes to how Google handles account data, see our posts on Google Consent Mode v2 and the Content API for Shopping shutdown.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Google Ads automated promotions?
They are promotion assets that Google creates for you. Google reads offers from your website, such as discounts or coupon codes, and adds them to eligible Search and Performance Max ads.
When do automated promotions start?
According to Google’s email, as reported by Search Engine Roundtable on October 5, 2026, they start on October 12, 2026. Google’s help page describes the feature but does not give that date.
Which campaigns get automated promotions?
Active Search and Performance Max campaigns with location assets attached, as long as they do not already run manual promotions and follow Google Ads policies.
Are automated promotions on by default?
Yes, according to the email reported by Search Engine Roundtable. Accounts that do not turn the setting off are opted in starting October 12.
How do I turn off automated promotions?
Go to Campaigns, then Assets. Open the three-dot menu, choose Account level automated assets, then Advanced settings. Set Automated promotions to Off.
Can I turn it off for one campaign only?
Google does not document a campaign-level switch. A campaign with its own manual promotion asset is skipped, and removing location assets from a campaign also makes it ineligible.
Are Google Ad Grants accounts affected?
Google’s help pages do not mention Ad Grants, and we could not confirm either way. Check the automated assets setting in Grants accounts too.
How do I see which promotions Google created?
In Assets, filter by asset type Promotion and look for Google AI in the Added by column. Hover over an entry to see where Google found the offer.
Could Google show an expired offer?
Google says it shows only active, non-expired offers, and it checks whether the offer is still visible on your website. If an old offer is still on the page, that check may not catch it, so remove expired offers from the site.
How long does an automated promotion run?
Google says each one is eligible to serve for less than 24 hours. It may be re-enabled if Google can still see the offer on your website.
