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    Google Ads News Week 39: Learning Period Redefined

    8 min read
    Quick Answer

    On September 22, 2026, Google changed its description of the Smart Bidding learning period: the benchmark is now around 50 conversion events instead of a time frame. On September 17, 2026, and September 18, 2026, free product listings and product carousels disappeared from Google Search in the European Economic Area. AI Brief is coming in German. For advertisers, this means setting up conversion counting correctly and accounting for the loss of free Shopping reach.

    At a Glance

    NewsWhat's ChangingWho It AffectsAction NeededSource + Date
    Learning period tied to 50 conversionsGoogle cites around 50 conversion events or three conversion cycles instead of a time frameAll accounts using target CPA or target ROAS, especially small onesReview campaign structure and conversion countingSearch Engine Land, September 22, 2026
    Free Shopping listings removed in the EEAFree product listings and product carousels removed on September 17, 2026, and September 18, 2026; decline of 90 to 100 percentAll online stores with a Merchant Center feedImmediate: recalculate channel mix and budgetPPC Land, September 19, 2026
    AI Brief is coming in GermanBusiness context can soon be provided in German; new unified AI Max reporting announcedAccounts using AI Max in Search campaignsKeep on your radar; launch date unknownGoogle Ads & Commerce Blog, September 23, 2026
    Target ROAS locked during Promotion ModeChanges to target ROAS are blocked while Promotion Mode is active; only ROAS tolerance remains availableStores with promotional periods in Q4Set targets before promotions startSearch Engine Roundtable, September 25, 2026

    Smart Bidding: Learning Period Now Tied to Around 50 Conversions

    Search Engine Land reported on September 22, 2026, that Google had reworded its help documentation on the learning period. Previously, the focus was on elapsed time. Google now specifies a volume: calibration can take “up to roughly 50 conversion events or three conversion cycles”—in other words, up to about 50 conversion events or three conversion cycles. Campaigns with sufficient conversion history learn faster.

    Smart Bidding refers to the automated bid strategies in Google Ads: Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions, and Maximize Conversion Value. A conversion cycle is the typical time between a click and a conversion in your account. According to Search Engine Land, the new guidance applies to Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns. Performance Max may take longer if most traffic comes from channels other than Search and Shopping.

    This is not a product change, but a clarification. However, it changes the question you should ask about your account. Instead of “has the campaign been running long enough,” the question is now “has the bidding system seen enough conversions.”

    What Does This Mean for Your Business?

    Apply that number to your account. At five inquiries per week, 50 events are around ten weeks away. This is exactly why many small accounts remain stuck in the learning period. Effective steps: consolidate your budget instead of splitting campaigns into five versions, measure micro-conversions such as call clicks and form starts as secondary actions, and adjust targets no more often than every two to three weeks. At Stroe Media, before every target change, we decide when it will be evaluated.

    Free Shopping Listings Removed in the European Economic Area

    PPC Land reported on September 19, 2026, that Google removed free product listings and product carousels from search results in the European Economic Area on September 17, 2026, and September 18, 2026. Tracking tools show declines of around 90 to 100 percent in Germany, France, Belgium, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Search Engine Roundtable and Search Engine Watch also reported on the change.

    Free product listings were the unpaid version of Shopping placements: retailers supplied a product feed through Google Merchant Center and appeared in Shopping placements without bidding. According to PPC Land, these placements are going to comparison shopping services, meaning external portals, some of which resell Google Shopping ads themselves.

    The reason is the Digital Markets Act's ban on self-preferencing. According to PPC Land, the compliance deadline in the proceeding with case number DMA.100193 was September 21, 2026, just a few days after the change. Google has not yet issued its own announcement or explanation. This assessment therefore relies on third-party measurements, not an official statement.

    What Does This Mean for Your Business?

    If you run an online store with a Merchant Center feed, a previously free channel has disappeared. Check Google Analytics and Search Console to see how many sessions came from unpaid Shopping placements, and compare the periods before and after September 17, 2026. If volume is missing, you need to decide whether to buy additional traffic through Shopping ads, test comparison shopping services, or strengthen product pages organically. The feed itself remains the foundation in any case, so now is a good time to check the quality of titles, images, and attributes.

    AI Max: AI Brief Coming in German, New Reporting Announced

    On September 23, 2026, Google announced two additions to AI Max on its Ads & Commerce Blog. AI Max is the AI-powered feature suite for Search campaigns that combines campaign-wide broad match, automatically generated ad assets, and final URL expansion.

    First, AI Brief is coming to more languages: German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and Japanese. AI Brief is the field where advertisers provide context about their business so that automatically generated text does not misrepresent their offerings. Previously, it was in closed beta.

    Second, Google announced new reporting that brings together the search term, the ad asset served, and the landing page in a single view. Search Engine Land covered the announcement on September 24, 2026. Google does not provide an availability date for either addition, instead pointing to more details later in the year.

    What Does This Mean for Your Business?

    For German-language accounts, AI Brief is the more relevant of the two announcements because providing business context in English has been a source of errors. Start collecting bullet points on what the automation needs to know about you: service area, services you do not offer, price range, and unique selling proposition. This text takes ten minutes to write and can be used as soon as the feature appears in your account. You cannot plan anything beyond that until Google provides a date.

    Target ROAS Can No Longer Be Changed While Promotion Mode Is Active

    On September 25, 2026, Search Engine Roundtable documented a new restriction in Google Ads. While Promotion Mode is active in a campaign, target ROAS cannot be edited. Google displays a notice explaining this and points to ROAS tolerance instead. The change was discovered by Arpan Banerjee and publicly discussed by Adrian Dekker.

    Promotion Mode is the promotional setting for periods of heightened purchase interest, such as Black Friday or clearance sales. It allows the bidding system to operate differently during that period than it does under normal conditions.

    What Does This Mean for Your Business?

    This is a planning issue, not a technical problem. Set target ROAS before turning on Promotion Mode, and rely only on ROAS tolerance for adjustments during the promotion. Anyone running multiple promotions in the fourth quarter should document the targets for each promotional period in advance. Changing course afterward is no longer possible.

    Specific Actions to Take This Week

    1. 1Count the conversions from the last 30 days for every campaign using target CPA or target ROAS. If a campaign is below 50, check whether it can be merged with another.
    2. 2Open the conversion settings and make sure exactly one primary conversion action is counted per goal. Double-counted inquiries distort calibration.
    3. 3In Google Analytics, compare sessions from unpaid Shopping placements for September 1, 2026, through September 16, 2026, with September 19, 2026, through September 24, 2026, and quantify the loss in sessions.
    4. 4Write an AI Brief in German: service area, services, excluded services, price range, and unique selling proposition. Save it so it is ready to use as soon as the feature appears.
    5. 5Document target ROAS now for each planned Q4 promotion, because it can no longer be edited while Promotion Mode is active.
    6. 6Add two reminders for October 1, 2026: Local Services Ads will start charging for missed calls over 20 seconds, and Microsoft Advertising will remove the Max CPC field for new campaigns without a portfolio strategy.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Google has changed its guidance from elapsed time to data volume. According to Search Engine Land on September 22, 2026, Google now cites around 50 conversion events or three conversion cycles as the benchmark for calibration. Campaigns with sufficient conversion history learn faster. The guidance applies to Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns.

    It makes the math clear. A campaign with five conversions per week needs around ten weeks for the bidding system to see 50 events. A campaign with 50 conversions per day achieves that in one day. If you have low volume, you should consolidate conversion actions, avoid unnecessarily splitting up campaigns, and change goals less frequently, because every change sets calibration back.

    Google removed free product listings and product carousels in the European Economic Area on September 17, 2026, and September 18, 2026. On September 19, 2026, PPC Land reported declines of around 90 to 100 percent in Germany, France, Belgium, Sweden, and the Netherlands, as measured by tracking tools. The reason is the Digital Markets Act's ban on self-preferencing. The placements are going to comparison shopping services.

    Yes. On September 23, 2026, Google announced on its Ads & Commerce Blog that it would bring AI Brief to more languages, including German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and Japanese. Previously, the feature was in closed beta. Google does not provide a specific launch date, instead pointing to more details later in the year.

    Because Promotion Mode is active in the campaign. On September 25, 2026, Search Engine Roundtable documented the notice in Google Ads stating that target ROAS cannot be changed while Promotion Mode is active. Google points to ROAS tolerance instead. In practice, this means setting target ROAS before the promotion starts, not during it.

    Two. Starting October 1, 2026, Google will also charge for missed calls in Local Services Ads if the caller stayed on the line for more than 20 seconds during business hours, according to PPC Land on August 25, 2026. Also starting October 1, 2026, Microsoft Advertising will remove the Max CPC field for new campaigns without a portfolio bid strategy.

    Conclusion

    The week's most important news is also its least conspicuous. Google's decision to tie the learning period to around 50 conversions explains why small accounts using automated bid strategies often struggle to perform consistently, and provides a clear criterion for account structure and conversion counting. The loss of free Shopping listings in the European Economic Area directly affects retailers' revenue and is so far supported only by third-party measurements. AI Brief in German is good news without a date. The ROAS restriction in Promotion Mode costs nothing if you plan ahead.

    If you want someone to check whether your campaigns are generating enough conversions for stable bidding and how you can offset the loss of Shopping traffic, explore our Google Ads services or contact us directly. Stroe Media GbR is an owner-managed web design and online marketing agency based in Geretsried, Bavaria, south of Munich, Germany. You can find what has changed in organic search in our SEO services and in the SEO article for Week 39. The previous paid search recap is Google Ads News Week 33/2026.

    Sources

    Author: Stroe Media Editorial Team, Updated: September 25, 2026

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