Google Ads API v18 introduces new features for Performance Max and reporting
Latest update brings enhanced reporting capabilities, budget recommendations, and audience targeting improvements for advertisers.
On October 16, 2024, Google announced the release of version 18 of its Google Ads API, introducing several new features and improvements for advertisers and developers. The update focuses on enhancing Performance Max campaigns, expanding reporting capabilities, and refining audience targeting options.
A key addition in v18 is the new performance_max_placement_view report. This feature allows advertisers to gain insights into where their Performance Max ads are being displayed, whether on websites, mobile apps, or YouTube. This report provides more detailed placement data compared to the previous detail_placement_view, offering advertisers better visibility into their ad performance across different platforms.
Expanded Reporting Capabilities
The latest version introduces several new metrics to help advertisers measure campaign performance more effectively:
- Store visits last click model attributed conversions: This metric, available when querying the campaign resource, aligns with the information shown in the Google Ads UI for measuring store visit performance.
- Results_conversions_purchase: This new metric provides data on purchase conversions for campaigns.
- Video view rate metrics: Three new metrics offer granular information about video view rates on YouTube, specifically for feed, in-stream, and Shorts placements.
- Invalid click metrics: Two new metrics provide aggregate measurements of clicks considered invalid, helping advertisers better understand their campaigns' click and conversion performance.
Additionally, a new network type called GOOGLE_OWNED_CHANNELS has been introduced for Demand Gen campaigns. This allows advertisers to specifically analyze traffic served on Google-owned platforms such as the Discover feed, Gmail, and YouTube.
Budget Recommendations During Campaign Creation
Version 18 enhances the Recommendations service by allowing advertisers to generate budget recommendations during the campaign creation process. By using the GenerateRecommendations method with the campaign budget recommendation type, advertisers can now receive optimized budget suggestions for new Search and Performance Max campaigns.
Improved Audience Targeting
The Audience Insights Service has been upgraded with a new feature that translates free-form text audience descriptions into targeted audience resources. This enhancement allows advertisers to more easily create targeted audiences based on descriptive text, such as "women in their 30s who love to travel."
Additional Updates
While these features represent the highlights of the v18 release, Google has implemented numerous other updates and improvements. Advertisers and developers are encouraged to review the complete release notes for a comprehensive list of changes.
Matteo, a developer relations engineer on the Google Ads API team, emphasized the importance of these updates in a video announcement. He urged users to subscribe to the Google Ads Developers YouTube channel for ongoing updates and information about the API.
For developers and advertisers looking to leverage these new features, Google recommends upgrading client libraries and code to access the v18 capabilities. The updated client libraries and code examples are expected to be published in the week following the announcement.
Key Facts
- Release Date: October 16, 2024
- Version: Google Ads API v18
- Major Updates: Performance Max reporting, expanded metrics, budget recommendations, audience targeting improvements
- Availability: Client libraries and code examples to be published within a week of the announcement