Tag Archives: adwords_api

Changes to location targeting in Google Ads Search, Shopping, Display, and Performance Max campaigns

Starting on April 14, 2023, there will be changes made to the location targeting settings for Search, Shopping, Display, and Performance Max campaigns in the Google Ads API. We are making this change to simplify the location targeting portfolio and improve advertiser performance. All versions will throw errors if you try to set the location target settings to one of the values shown below.

Campaign.geo_target_type_setting fields
positive_geo_target_type can no longer be set to SEARCH_INTEREST for Search, Shopping, and Display campaigns. The default value is PRESENCE_OR_INTEREST.
negative_geo_target_type can no longer be set to PRESENCE_OR_INTEREST for Performance Max, Search, Shopping, and Display campaigns. The default value is PRESENCE.
The error returned if these values are used is SettingError.SETTING_VALUE_NOT_COMPATIBLE_WITH_CAMPAIGN.

On April 24, 2023, we will start performing any necessary auto-migration of fields to the new default values until no more invalid combinations exist. The auto-migration will occur on a per-campaign basis. You can confirm that the migration is complete for a Google Ads account by checking that these two queries return zero rows.


SELECT campaign.id, campaign.geo_target_type_setting.positive_geo_target_type, campaign.advertising_channel_type FROM campaign WHERE campaign.advertising_channel_type IN ('DISPLAY', 'SEARCH', 'SHOPPING') AND campaign.geo_target_type_setting.positive_geo_target_type = 'SEARCH_INTEREST' LIMIT 1
SELECT campaign.id, campaign.advertising_channel_type, campaign.geo_target_type_setting.negative_geo_target_type FROM campaign WHERE campaign.geo_target_type_setting.negative_geo_target_type = 'PRESENCE_OR_INTEREST' AND campaign.advertising_channel_type IN ('DISPLAY', 'PERFORMANCE_MAX', 'SEARCH', 'SHOPPING') LIMIT 1
Where can I get support?
If you have questions, please reach out to us on the forum or at [email protected].
Nadine Wang, Google Ads API Team

RSA Combination Report Policy Update for Google Ads

What is changing?
Beginning on January 15, 2023, advertisers will no longer be able to retrieve the Ad Group Ad Combination Report (ad_group_ad_asset_combination_view) for Responsive Search Ads for the entire time period that their ad was serving. Instead, the Ad Group Ad Combination Report will return data for a 12 month period ending with the current month on a rolling basis. At any given time, only the data for the twelve month window will be available, and any older combination data will be deleted.

Why is this changing?
To optimize the Ad Group Ad Combination Report for upcoming features.

What do I need to do?
If you want to retain combination data from January 2022 or before, we recommend that you download it before January 15, 2023.

After January 15, 2023, we recommend downloading the combinations report on an ongoing basis if you'd like to retain historical combinations.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us on the forum.
Bob Hancock, Google Ads API Team

AdWords API has Officially Sunset

As previously announced, the error rate for requests to the AdWords API will start increasing toward 100% beginning on May 31, 2022. If you are currently using the AdWords API, you need to upgrade to the Google Ads API now or your applications will experience an increased rate of errors per the schedule below:
Starting Date AdWords API Error Rate
June 1, 2022 50% errors
July 1, 2022 60% errors
July 8, 2022 70% errors
July 15, 2022 80% errors
July 22, 2022 90% errors
July 31, 2022 100% errors
Starting July 31, 2022 all requests to the AdWords API will fail.

Where do I start?
See the following resources to get started: Here are some tools to help you migrate: Where can I get support?
If you have questions while you’re upgrading, please reach out to us on the forum or at [email protected].
- Cory Liseno, Google Ads API Team

Google Ads Scripts, AdWords API and Google Ads API reporting issues on April 25 and 26, 2022

Between April 25th 2:32 PM PT and April 26th 12:24 PM PT, there was an issue which may have impacted some read report requests across Google Ads scripts, the AdWords API, and the Google Ads API. If you were using these products to request reporting data for your accounts, then a small percentage of report downloads may have been missing rows or may have had incorrect data in a given row. This issue has been resolved. As a precaution, we recommend running again any reports that you have executed during this period as the missing data has been restored.

If you have any questions, please contact us via the Google Ads API forum or the Google Ads scripts forum.

- David Stevens, Google Ads API Product Manager

Reminder: Requests to the AdWords API will start failing April 27, 2022

As previously announced, if you are currently using the AdWords API, you need to upgrade to the Google Ads API as soon as possible. Starting on Wednesday, April 27, 2022 requests to the AdWords API will fail at a rate of 25% until May 31, 2022, increasing to 100% thereafter.

Where do I start?

See the following resources to get started:

Here are some tools to help you migrate:

Where can I get support?

If you have questions while you’re upgrading, please reach out to us on the forum or at [email protected].

- David Stevens, Google Ads API Product Manager

The AdWords API sunsets on April 27, 2022

As previously announced, if you are a developer currently using the AdWords API, you must upgrade to the Google Ads API by April 27, 2022. On that date, the AdWords API will sunset and requests to the AdWords API will fail.

Where do I start?
If you need some resources to get started, check out: Here are some tools to help you migrate: Where can I get support?
If you have questions while you’re upgrading, please reach out to us on the forum or at [email protected].
Nadine Wang, Google Ads API Team

Important changes to placement reporting for App Campaigns

On January 5, 2022, we removed all App campaign placement data from the following reports:

Google Ads API AdWords API / Google Ads scripts We made this change because the data provided didn’t fully represent the complete view of the placements that help developers monitor brand safety for their advertisers. If you use these reports, see the App Campaigns Brand Safety Placement report in the Google Ads UI.

If you have AdWords API or Google Ads API related questions about this change, please reach out to us on the API forum or at [email protected]. Note: AdWords API developers must migrate to Google Ads API by April 27, 2022

If you have any Google Ads scripts related questions, please reach out to us on the scripts forum.
Ian Ballantyne, Google Ads API Team

Google Ads API v10 RMF Update

Effective with Google Ads API version 10, we updated the Required Minimum Functionality (RMF) to use the Google Ads API. This is to reflect the evolution of the Google Ads platform, including the upgrade of Smart Shopping and Local Campaigns to Performance Max. We also published the requirements for Standard Shopping, Hotel-only and App Promotion-only tools.

There is a new product specific RMF for Smart Campaigns. This is not a requirement for all tools, only those that implement Smart Campaigns. If you use Smart Campaigns, this defines the minimum set of features that are required.

The minimum set of features for Performance Max campaigns are now available.

These changes will affect the following tools:
  • Shopping-only, Smart Shopping-only API tools
  • Special purpose tools that offer campaign creation or management functionality
These changes will not affect full-service, Hotel-only, App Promotion-only or reporting-only tools.

For precise details, see the updated Google Ads API Required Minimum Functionality.

Requirements for the AdWords API remain unchanged.

Standard Shopping Campaigns
With the release of Google Ads API v9, we simplified RMF requirements for Full-service tools. We are now making the same changes to Standard Shopping Campaigns.

The following features are still required but simplified or reduced in scope:
Item Number Functionality Change
C.190 Create ad group Optional: ability to create multiple ad groups
C.525 Add first (root) product partition This is a required step for creating a shopping campaign and it is done automatically. It is not separately invoked by the merchant. A new campaign should have a root partition otherwise it would not serve.
M.10 Edit campaign settings Only settings required at creation time would be required at change time (e.g. NetworkSettings would not be required to edit, since C.50 is no longer a requirement).
R.10 Customer Optional if only implementing one campaign.

The following features are no longer required. Developers may continue to use these features (unless already sunset), but they are no longer required in order to maintain compliance with the Terms & Conditions of using the Google Ads API. All these features, unless already sunset, are considered optional.

Item Number Functionality
C.14 Set mobile platform bid adjustment
C.15 Set tablet and desktop platform bid adjustments
C.21 Enable distance targeting
C.25 Set geo bid adjustment
C.50 Opt in/out of networks
C.90 Set bidding option: Manual CPC
C.95 Set bidding option: Enhanced CPC
C.101 Set bidding option: Maximize clicks (Portfolio)
C.140 Set delivery method
C.191 Set ad group max CPC bid
C.192 Set ad group max CPA
C.193 Set ad group target ROAS
C.320 Account-level tracking template
C.321 Campaign-level tracking template
C.325 Campaign-level custom parameters
C.326 Ad group-level custom parameters
C.328 Account-level final URL suffix
C.329 Campaign-level final URL suffix
C.700 Create ad group/campaign criterion that targets/excludes user list
C.710 Set userlist targeting bid adjustment for search network campaigns and ad groups
M.15 Edit mobile, tablet, and desktop platform bid adjustments
M.20 Edit ad group settings (all ad group-related required settings in Creation Functionality)
M.25 Edit geo bid adjustment
M.101 Edit bidding option: Maximize clicks (Standard)
M.120 Pause / enable / remove ad group
M.180 Edit product partition max CPC*
M.320 Manage all tracking templates in creation functionality
M.325 Manage all custom parameters in creation functionality
M.328 Manage all final URL suffixes in creation functionality
M.700 Edit ad group/campaign criterion that targets/excludes user list
M.710 Edit userlist targeting bid adjustment for search network campaigns and ad groups
R.30 Ad Group
R.80 Geographic View
R.150 Campaign Audience View
Ad Group Audience View

For more information
If you have questions specific to RMF, please contact the Google Ads API Compliance team at https://services.google.com/fb/forms/apicontact/.

If you have any questions or need additional help with the API, contact us via the forum.
, Google Ads API Team

Announcing v10 of the Google Ads API

Today we’re announcing the v10 release of the Google Ads API. To use some of the v10 features, you’ll need to upgrade your client libraries and client code. The updated client libraries and code examples will be published next week.

Note: Developers must migrate from the legacy AdWords API to Google Ads API by April 27, 2022. Here are the highlights of v10:
Where can I learn more?
The following resources can help you get started: If you have any questions or need additional help, contact us via the forum.
Thanet Knack Praneenararat, on behalf of the Google Ads API Team

Revised Schedule for the Auto-migration of Feeds

We previously announced schedules for migrating feeds to assets. If you’re still using legacy feeds, your API calls will start to fail after the auto-migration is complete.

Please migrate to assets as soon as possible.

The following table indicates the current status of each feed sub-type. After the auto-migration is complete, you will no longer be able to mutate or remove your feeds.
Legacy Type Subtype Status Auto Migration Starts
Extensions Promotion, Callout, Sitelink, Structured Snippet AUTO MIGRATION IN PROGRESS 10 January 2021
Extensions App, Call, Hotel Callout, Price Developers can start migrating on 25 January 2022 8 April 2022
Dynamic Search Ads & Dynamic Remarketing Page Feed, Education Feed Developers started migrating on 3 November 2021 27 April 2022
Dynamic Remarketing Custom, Flight, Hotel, Real Estate, Travel, Job, Local Deals Developers can start migrating on 27 April 2022 5 October 2022
Extensions Image Developers can start migrating in Q3 2022 ETA January 2023
Extensions Location Developers can start migrating in Q3 2022 ETA January 2023

What do I need to do?
You need to support the new asset types as soon as possible.

If you would like to keep a record of feed IDs to asset IDs, then you need to migrate these manually and save that ID mapping locally. The auto-migration does not keep a mapping of feed IDs to asset IDs.

See the following migration guides for details: What happens after the auto-migration?
Accounts that have been migrated will reject mutate calls for feed-based entities. Reporting metrics will be removed for the legacy feed-based entities in 2023. Equivalent reporting data will be available for assets, as described in the preceding migration guides.

Can I opt-out of the auto-migration?
No. We offered an opt-out for the first batch of auto-migration, but this isn’t available for future migrations.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us on the forum.
Bob Hancock, Google Ads API Team