Google today notified advertisers of updates to its Terms of Service, scheduled to take effect on 1 July 2026. The notification, sent on June 1 via email to Google Ads account holders, outlines several substantive changes - ranging from how advertiser-supplied data can be used across AI-powered campaign features to modifications in arbitration language and payment terms for specific regions. Current terms expire on 30 June 2026.

According to Google, "The Google Ads Terms of Service provide a common understanding in basic areas like policy, payment and liability. As Google Ads grows to meet the needs of businesses around the world, we sometimes need to make updates." No further action is required from advertisers to accept the new terms; they take effect automatically.

The update arrives at a moment when the scope of automation inside Google Ads has expanded considerably. Understanding precisely what data advertisers are consenting to share - and for what purposes - has become a more consequential question than it was even two years ago.

What the new terms cover

The update touches four broad areas: how advertiser inputs are used within AI features, URL crawling permissions for automated campaign setup, the obligation to review automatically generated assets, arbitration agreement revisions, and payment language that now includes jurisdiction-specific fees.

Not all changes apply globally. Some amendments are confined to certain regions, and the arbitration revisions vary in nature - in some markets, the arbitration agreement has been modified; in others, it has been removed entirely. The distinction matters to advertisers considering their options in any future disputes with the platform.

Inputs into conversational and AI features

The most technically significant change concerns how Google can use information that advertisers supply during campaign creation. According to Google, the new terms address how "inputs can be used across various Google Ads features to improve campaign performance." That specifically includes "information or URLs that you enter into conversational experience and other similar Google Ads features."

This language directly references the conversational campaign creation workflow that Google introduced with Gemini in January 2024, which guides advertisers through building Search campaigns by prompting them for a landing page URL and then generating keywords, headlines, descriptions, and images based on that input. Advertisers type text, supply URLs, and interact through a dialogue interface - all of which now falls explicitly within the scope of data Google describes as usable for performance improvement.

The Gemini-powered conversational interface has expanded considerably since its initial rollout. Ads Advisor and Analytics Advisor, which reached all English-language accounts in December 2025, extended the conversational model further - allowing advertisers to ask questions about account performance, request new asset suggestions, and receive implemented changes through natural language dialogue. At Google Marketing Live 2026 in May, Google went further still with Ask Advisor, a single unified agent combining the functions of its earlier advisory tools. Each of these features takes advertiser inputs - typed queries, account descriptions, product information - and processes them to generate outputs or recommendations.

The new terms codify what happens to those inputs. That they "can be used across various Google Ads features to improve campaign performance" places advertiser-provided text and URLs in a pool of data that feeds the system more broadly, not just the single campaign being configured.

URL crawling and automated campaign setup

A second category of change addresses URLs or accounts that advertisers explicitly grant Google permission to access. According to Google, the new terms cover "URLs or accounts that you provide Google access to and authorise Google to crawl in connection with automated campaign setup."

This is technically distinct from a landing page URL entered into a conversational tool. It refers to a more deliberate grant of access - situations where an advertiser connects an account or provides explicit authorisation for Google's systems to index or crawl a web property. The language is consistent with how Google described similar permissions in its Local Services Ads terms, which were updated in March 2025 to specify that submitted URLs grant Google the right to "access, index, cache or crawl such URLs or Destinations and any available content."

The mechanism is relevant to features like Dynamic Search Ads and Performance Max, where Google's systems crawl advertiser websites to generate ad copy and match ads to relevant queries. Google completed the rollout of automatically created assets in early 2024, using advertiser landing pages as the primary source for AI-generated headlines and descriptions in responsive search ads. Dynamic Search Ads - which are scheduled to be retired and upgraded to AI Max for Search campaigns in September 2026 - operate almost entirely on website crawling data.

The clarification in the new terms means advertisers who enable these features are now working under explicit contractual language about what that access entails. Previously, the practice existed and was described in product documentation; the July 2026 terms make it part of the formal legal framework.

Advertiser review obligations reinforced

The third major change reinforces an obligation that already existed in practice but is now spelled out more clearly in the terms. According to Google, the new terms reinforce advertisers' "responsibility to ensure that you have the rights to your inputs and continued obligation to review, approve or remove all campaigns and ad assets generated automatically by Google Ads features."

This language is significant precisely because the volume of automatically generated content within Google Ads accounts has grown sharply. Advertisers using Gemini-generated assets increased 3x in 2025, with nearly 70 million creative assets generated in the fourth quarter of 2025 alone across AI Max and Performance Max campaigns. Automatically created assets, text variants generated by AI Max, Final URL Expansion, and Optimal Format Selection all produce ad content or targeting decisions without direct advertiser input at the moment of creation.

The new terms make explicit that accountability for those outputs rests with the advertiser. If an automatically generated headline contains a claim that violates policy, or if an asset uses content the advertiser does not own, the responsibility to catch and remove it falls on the account holder. The phrase "continued obligation" suggests this is an ongoing duty rather than a one-time approval step - which is practically demanding given that AI Max and Performance Max campaigns can generate and serve new asset combinations on an ongoing basis.

For agencies managing client accounts, this clause has particular implications. If a client provides a landing page URL and an agency enables automated asset generation, both the question of input rights and the review obligation apply. The terms do not carve out an exemption for intermediaries.

Arbitration agreement revisions

In certain regions, the new terms include modifications to arbitration language. According to Google, these involve "modifications to the language in our arbitration agreement to reflect updated best practices or removal of the arbitration agreement."

The dual outcome - modification in some places, removal in others - reflects a varied regulatory and legal environment. The arbitration clause in advertising platform agreements has faced increased scrutiny in recent years. Reddit's updated advertising terms from August 2025 introduced binding arbitration and class action waivers. The Google terms update moves partially in the opposite direction by removing the arbitration requirement in unspecified markets.

The timing is relevant. A mass arbitration campaign launched on May 11, 2026 by law firm Keller Postman is targeting thousands of US businesses that purchased Google advertising since 2016, citing two federal antitrust rulings and an estimated $728 billion in US ad spend over the past decade. The firm's claims rest on the existence of arbitration as a mechanism for individual business disputes - a mechanism that Google is now revising in at least some markets. The update to the terms does not itself close off the pending arbitration actions, which are governed by prior agreements. What it signals, however, is that Google is reviewing the design of its dispute resolution framework.

No specific markets are named in the email notification as having the arbitration agreement removed. Advertisers in markets where removal applies would need to consult the new terms document directly to understand what dispute resolution mechanisms replace it.

Payment language and regulatory fees

The payment section of the new terms has been updated to include references to regulatory operating fees. According to Google, "Our payment language now includes references to regulatory operating fees or other jurisdiction-specific fees (where applicable to ads served in certain countries)."

This change formalises the possibility that advertisers may be billed for fees beyond the cost of their ads, specifically where local regulations impose operating costs on digital advertising platforms. Google's consent mode and data handling overhaul from April 2026 already signalled the company's adaptation to a more complex regulatory environment across European markets. Payment-level adjustments follow the same logic: if a regulator imposes a fee on advertising delivered in a particular country, Google's updated terms create the contractual basis to pass some or all of that cost to advertisers.

The EU's Digital Markets Act, Digital Services Act, and ongoing GDPR enforcement actions have created a layered cost environment for large digital platforms. Similar regulatory frameworks are emerging in other jurisdictions. The updated payment language anticipates that this cost structure may continue to expand. Advertisers running campaigns in regulated markets should review the new terms to understand under what conditions additional fees might appear in their invoices.

Brazil: a distinct entity structure

The Brazil-specific update stands apart from the other changes both in its nature and in its implications. According to Google, the new terms for Brazil include "updates to the language to reflect Google BR's role as the entity authorised to exploit commercially and monetise Google LLC's advertising spaces."

This formalises the commercial and legal role of Google BR - the Brazilian subsidiary - as the contracting entity for advertising served in Brazil. Under this structure, Brazilian advertisers are contracting with a local entity rather than directly with Google LLC in the United States. The distinction matters for tax purposes, for regulatory compliance under Brazilian law, and for the applicable legal jurisdiction in any dispute.

Brazil has been a persistent focus of Google's regional policy adaptations. Google aligned its gambling advertising policies with Brazilian Ministry of Finance requirements in September 2024. Before that, Google updated its political content policy for Brazil in April 2024 in response to a ruling by the country's Superior Electoral Court. The July 2026 terms update continues this pattern of formalising Google's operational structure in the country to match its regulatory obligations.

Brazil's advertising market is substantial, and the shift to Google BR as the explicit monetisation entity reflects a maturation of the company's legal infrastructure in the country. For Brazilian agencies and advertisers, the change means their contractual relationship is now explicitly with the local entity.

Why this matters for the marketing community

Changes to advertising platform terms are often procedural, addressing edge cases or updating language to match existing practice. The July 2026 Google Ads terms update is partly that - but several clauses carry practical weight for active advertisers.

The input data provisions arrive as Google has built a dense ecosystem of AI tools that depend on advertiser-supplied content. The Ask Advisor agent unveiled at Google Marketing Live in May 2026, the conversational campaign creation workflow, the Ads Advisor rollout from late 2025 - each of these tools processes advertiser information in real time to generate outputs. Knowing the contractual basis on which that processing occurs is relevant to any advertiser making decisions about how much proprietary information to share during campaign setup.

The review obligation clause is perhaps the most operationally demanding. AI Max for Shopping campaigns, launched on April 30, 2026, added text customisation - AI-generated ad copy drawn from Merchant Center feed attributes - and Optimal Format Selection to Shopping campaigns. Combined with existing automated asset generation in Performance Max and AI Max for Search, the practical effect is that a large portion of the ad content actually served to users is never individually approved by a human before serving. The terms now make explicit that the review obligation persists regardless.

The arbitration and payment changes are more regional in their immediate impact, but they are directionally significant. The arbitration revision - partial removal in certain markets - is a structural change in how Google defines the dispute resolution relationship with advertisers. The regulatory fee language reflects a cost environment that is likely to affect markets beyond those currently covered.

Timeline

  • January 24, 2024 - Google introduces Gemini conversational campaign creation tool in Google Ads for US and UK advertisers, allowing inputs of landing page URLs to generate AI-powered ad assets (PPC Land)
  • February 12, 2024 - Google Ads fully rolls out automatically created assets using generative AI for all English-language US and UK advertisers across responsive search ads and Performance Max (PPC Land)
  • September 28, 2024 - Google updates Google Ads betting and gambling policy for Brazil, effective September 30, 2024, aligning with Brazilian Ministry of Finance regulatory requirements (PPC Land)
  • March 20, 2025 - Google updates Local Services Ads terms, granting itself an "irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license" to use submitted data and the right to crawl URLs provided in connection with the programme (PPC Land)
  • July 8, 2025 - Reddit introduces binding arbitration and class action waivers in its updated advertising terms, effective August 7, 2025, illustrating a divergent direction from Google's latest terms revisions (PPC Land)
  • November 12, 2025 - Google announces Ads Advisor and Analytics Advisor for rollout to all English-language accounts in December 2025, extending the conversational AI workflow to account-level query and optimisation tasks (PPC Land)
  • April 16, 2026 - Google announces overhaul of consent mode and data handling in Google Analytics, transferring control of encrypted IP addresses to Google Ads settings (PPC Land)
  • April 30, 2026 - Google extends AI Max to standard Shopping campaigns, adding AI-generated text customisation drawn from Merchant Center feed attributes and Optimal Format Selection (PPC Land)
  • May 11, 2026 - Law firm Keller Postman launches mass arbitration targeting thousands of US businesses that purchased Google advertising since 2016, citing $728 billion in ad spend and two federal antitrust rulings (PPC Land)
  • May 20, 2026 - Google Marketing Live 2026 introduces Ask Advisor, unifying Ads Advisor and Analytics Advisor into a single Gemini agent, alongside new AI search ad formats and expanded automation across campaign types (PPC Land)
  • June 1, 2026 - Google Ads sends mandatory service announcement to advertisers notifying them of updated Terms of Service effective July 1, 2026, covering input data usage, URL crawling, review obligations, arbitration revisions, and regional payment changes
  • June 30, 2026 - Current Google Ads Terms of Service expire
  • July 1, 2026 - New Google Ads Terms of Service take effect

Summary

Who: Google LLC, operating through the Google Ads platform, with a Brazil-specific entity Google BR named as the commercially authorised party for advertising spaces in that market. The changes affect all Google Ads account holders globally, with certain clauses applying only in specific regions.

What: Google Ads is updating its Terms of Service across several areas: formal contractual language covering how advertiser inputs and authorised URLs are used within AI-powered campaign features; reinforced obligations for advertisers to own their inputs and review all automatically generated ad assets; modified or removed arbitration agreements depending on the region; updated payment language that includes regulatory operating fees or jurisdiction-specific fees; and a Brazil-specific clause formalising Google BR's role as the entity authorised to commercially monetise Google LLC's advertising spaces in that country.

When: The notification was sent on June 1, 2026. The new Terms of Service take effect on 1 July 2026. Current terms expire on 30 June 2026.

Where: The terms apply globally to all Google Ads accounts. Regional changes to arbitration and payment language apply only in specified markets. The Brazil entity clause applies exclusively to advertising served in Brazil.

Why: According to Google, updates are made as the platform "grows to meet the needs of businesses around the world." The practical driver is the significant expansion of AI-powered features - conversational campaign creation, automated asset generation, AI Max, Performance Max - that now process advertiser-supplied data at scale. Formalising data usage, crawling permissions, and review obligations in the terms of service aligns the legal framework with the operational reality of how these tools function. Regional changes reflect an increasingly complex regulatory and legal landscape across multiple jurisdictions.