Google Ads News: January 2025

Last Updated on: 7th February 2025, 04:10 pm
Happy 2025! January’s here to remind us that Google Ads doesn’t rest, and neither should we. From what I’ve seen, this month’s changes are setting the tone for a year that promises to be anything but ordinary.
In the first roundup of the year, I’ll walk you through the updates shaping Google Ads this January and explain what they mean for your campaigns.
Let’s dive right in!
Big Google Ads Change: Barcodes and QR Codes
Google Ads just made life easier for advertisers running cross-channel promotions. With new barcode and QR code formats now available for Promotion Assets, you can connect your digital campaigns to in-shop experiences:
- Barcodes for in-shop redemption: Google supports multiple formats like Aztec, Data Matrix, and EAN-8, so you can integrate offers directly with PoS systems.
- QR codes for mobile: QR codes allow up to 720 characters to guide users to your promotions. While they don’t yet support links, the flexibility is still nice!
Here’s a look at the new option, first spotted by Thomas Eccel on LinkedIn:
How Do I Set up Barcodes and QR Codes in Google Ads?
When you create a Promotion Asset in Google Ads, you’ll now see options to add either barcodes or QR codes.
Simply enter your promo details, making sure your barcode numbers are valid for easy setup.
Barcodes make in-shop redemptions frictionless, while QR codes bring mobile simplicity into the mix. Both options make things easier for the customers and give you better insights into how promotions perform across channels.
So, if you’re running campaigns with heavy promotional activity, these updates are incredible. Now’s the time to experiment and test how mobile-friendly QR codes or POS-ready barcodes impact your conversion rates.
Heads up! Protect Your Google Ads Account from Phishing Scams
Recently, a sophisticated scheme has been targeting Google Ads users, exploiting their login credentials and wreaking havoc on their campaigns and budgets. If you’re in PPC, this is a wake-up call to tighten up your account security and stay ahead of fraudsters.
Here’s how these scammers operate:
- Hackers create sponsored links that mimic legitimate Google Ads login pages, tricking unsuspecting users.
- When you enter your login details, they’re swiped right into the hands of fraudsters.
- Once inside, hackers set up fraudulent campaigns, draining your budget and damaging your reputation.
The worst part is that the bad actors are part of criminal rings with a global reach, including groups suspected to be in Brazil, Asia, and Eastern Europe.
The fallout is serious. These breaches leave your brand exposed, fraudulent ads can tarnish your reputation, and the clean-up process can be slow and costly. To top it off, victims are often left to figure out the breach themselves, as Google’s response can lag behind.
Here are the steps you should take to protect your Google Ads account:
- Don’t use Google Search to access your Google Ads account. Always type the URL directly into your browser.
- Add an extra layer of security like 2FA (two-factor authentication) to make it harder for criminals to gain access, both to your Google Ads account and to your payment methods.
- Regularly monitor your campaigns for unusual activity. If something feels off, investigate immediately.
- Remove unnecessary users and permissions – not every contributor to your Google Ads account needs to be an Admin. A team member left? Remove them from the Google Ads account.
Google Ads Changes to Performance Max (PMax) Budget Experiments
Google is giving advertisers a new way to experiment with PMax by reallocating budgets from Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) or Display campaigns.
At first glance, it sounds like a win for advertisers, but as with anything PMax-related, there’s more beneath the surface.
Google’s update allows you to run controlled experiments to test how reallocating budgets to PMax stacks up against your existing DSA or Display campaigns.
Here’s how you set it up:
- Head to the Campaigns section in Google Ads and find the “Experiments” tab. (Campaigns > Campaigns > Experiments)
- Select “Performance Max experiments”, then “+ New Experiment”. Next, choose “Test vs. Search or Display campaign.”
- Pick a DSA or Display campaign with enough data.
- Define how much traffic is split between the control campaign and the new PMax experiment.
- Build your treatment campaign, aligning assets, bidding, and budget with your goals.
- Name your experiment, pick start and end dates, and let it run.
Why Does This Matter?
If you’re juggling multiple campaign types, this tool can help you understand if PMax can outperform traditional formats.
That said, I’ve seen business owners dive headfirst into Performance Max, trusting Google to handle everything, only to find their budgets drained with little to show for it.
I mean, Google isn’t going to stop you. Complete automation is its endgame, after all. That’s why experiments like these are useful, but only if you know what you’re looking for.
So, if you’re considering reallocating your budget, PMax works best when you’ve done the legwork to understand your audience and can give Google the right signals.
For example, fine-tune your audience lists, assets, and conversion tracking before letting the AI loose.
You should use this experiment to identify inefficiencies before committing to a full-scale budget shift. And when in doubt, always work with a PPC expert for the right guidance.
New Rules to Google Crypto Ads in the UK
Google has updated its cryptocurrency ad policy, and if you’re targeting the UK market, this is your moment.
Starting January 15, Google will only allow crypto ads in the UK if advertisers meet some pretty strict conditions:
- You’ll need Google’s stamp of approval to run ads.
- Advertisers promoting crypto exchanges and wallets must be registered with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). No FCA? No ads.
- Ads for hardware wallets are still fair game, but only if they’re just for storage. No trading, selling, or exchanging allowed.
The UK has always had a stiff upper lip when it comes to financial advertising, and for good reason. With crypto being one of the riskiest industries, these rules aim to put a stop to the bad actors.
For advertisers who are actually compliant, this opens up new opportunities to target audiences in the UK. However, non-compliance could mean ad disapprovals or even account suspension.
As someone from the UK, I love policy updates that keep things organised, especially in spaces like crypto where “rug pulls” can ruin it for everyone else.
2025: The Year for a “Major AI Push”
Google Ads is gearing up for what the VP of global search ads, Brendon Kraham, is calling a seismic shift. And the driving force is, of course, AI.
With promises to reshape search marketing in ways that go beyond keywords, this is a whole reinvention. But what’s changing?
Google’s AI-driven transformation revolves around three major areas:
- Search experiences that feel more natural, intuitive, and multimodal. Things like images, voice, and text working together to guide users.
- AI-powered creative tools that promise to take your input and generate engaging creatives relevant to your audience.
- With smarter measurement across channels, you’ll get a clearer picture of what’s working on YouTube, Display, or Search.
In short, Google’s vision is a search experience that’s less about hunting for information and more about the information finding you.
I’ll be honest, I’ve heard grand promises before. This massive AI push ties into Google’s broader ambitions with Gemini, its AI platform that powers tools like their brand-new Notebook LM. It’s clear Google is placing all its bets on the AI transformation to retain its edge.
However, we’ve seen plenty of promises about automation, AI-generated creatives, and such. Yet, we still don’t have the fundamental ways to assess algorithm-driven performance. For example, it’s still difficult to easily access the best combinations in RSAs.
Google is blackboxing again, so keep an eye on your campaigns and retain control.
Test AI carefully!
What Do These Google Ads Changes Tell Us?
Google wants us to trust the systems they’re building. And while that trust can’t be blind (I’ve seen firsthand what unchecked automation can do), it does mean we’re moving into a space where the balance between human expertise and machine learning matters more than ever.
So, as we move forward into 2025, let’s keep our strategies sharp and our data clean. As for AI, it’s here, and it’s not going away. Instead, make it part of your skill set.
When you truly understand how to use AI or how it works, at the very least, it’s much harder to let it take over the reins of your campaigns. Plus, mastering AI adds another sought-after skill to your belt!
Oh, and speaking of keeping your strategies sharp, don’t forget to pick up a copy of my book, Rapid Google Ads Success. It’s perfect for those of you who want your campaigns to perform at their best, backed by up-to-date advice I’ve gathered from my 17+ years of PPC expertise. And if you ever need a hand with your Google Ads campaigns, my team and I are only a message away!