This Month in Paid Media: September 2026

September was about Google reshaping where ads live and how much say advertisers get over them. Ads are moving into AI results, formats are getting more interactive, and one of PMax’s biggest blind spots is finally getting a lever.

Here are three updates that stood out to us in September.

1. Shopping ads now show in AI Mode

Google has started displaying Shopping ads within AI Mode, spotted in two formats: a product carousel and a single product unit.

In practice, this means:

• Traditional ad formats are being folded into AI-powered search, not kept separate from it
• Product feed quality now matters in a new place, because the same data is feeding results in AI Mode

2. Performance Max adds channel prioritisation controls

A new alpha feature lets advertisers set Low-to-High priority sliders for individual channels within PMax campaigns using tCPA bidding. The channels covered are Search, YouTube, Gmail, Display, Maps, Discover and Search Partners.

The implications are clear:

• Advertisers can steer where PMax leans, rather than accepting whatever mix the algorithm picks
• It’s still alpha, but it’s one of the first real levers back inside a campaign type that has been largely a black box

Control is slowly returning to automation-heavy campaigns. This one is worth testing as soon as it’s available.

3. Swipeable categories tested in Google Search ads

Google is testing a swipeable category carousel inside paid text ads. Users can swipe between tabs (such as “Featured”, “Cheap” or “For college”) to see different sponsored results underneath. We’d seen similar units on US shopping results a few weeks earlier, and now it’s showing up in text ads.

In practice, this means:

• A single text ad could become an interactive mini-journey rather than a one-line click
• Advertisers may need to think about how their offer reads across different intent tabs, not just one headline

Search ads are becoming more like browsable units, and the way users filter within the ad could shape who wins the click.

What this tells us

Looking across these updates, a few themes stand out:

• Google is bringing ads into AI experiences faster than many advertisers are preparing for
• Automated campaign types are slowly handing some control back
• Ad formats are becoming more interactive, which changes how creative and offers need to be built

For advertisers, the opportunity lies in testing early, keeping feeds clean, and staying close to the levers Google is reopening.

If you’d like to chat about how these updates could impact your paid media strategy, get in touch with our team or explore more Insights below.