Imagine you’re playing a video game, and suddenly your character’s outfit changes without you doing anything. That’s kind of what’s happening with Google Ads right now. Some advertisers are seeing their Demand Gen campaigns show up as Display Network placements, even though that’s not where they are!
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What’s the Big Deal?
This mix-up is like getting the wrong score in a game. It makes it hard for advertisers to know how well their ads are doing. About 80% of businesses use online advertising, so this problem could affect a lot of people.
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Google Says: “Our Bad!”
Ginny Marvin, who works for Google, told everyone it was just a mistake in the system. It’s not a new feature or a change they meant to make. It’s like when your computer glitches and shows the wrong picture – it’s not supposed to happen.
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When Did This Start?
The problem began in the week of July 8, 2024. That’s pretty recent! It’s only affecting the reports for Demand Gen campaigns.
First seen: We were initially alerted to this inaccuracy by Leslie Drechsler’s X:
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The final result
Advertisers running Demand Gen campaigns should be aware of the reporting mistake and wait for further updates from Google before making significant campaign changes based on current data.
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What’s Next?
Google is working on fixing the problem. They’re like the doctors for computers, trying to make everything better. While they’re at it, they’re also fixing some other issues with product listings.
Fun Fact: Did you know that online advertising is expected to reach $626 billion worldwide in 2024? That’s a lot of ads!
Remember, if you’re using Google Ads, don’t worry too much about this mix-up. Google knows about it and is working to fix it. Just keep an eye out for updates, and maybe double-check your campaign reports until everything’s back to normal.
Source: SearchEngineLand
