Missed these 8 mid-June updates? Your ads might already be affected🚨

From real-time video insights to a subtle new PMax setting that could quietly derail your best creative, the second half of June brought several changes across Google Ads and YouTube.

Below is a quick breakdown of the most relevant updates we’ve seen — and what they actually mean if you’re managing performance-focused campaigns.

Let’s break it down:

1. 📊 Real-time video insights, without leaving Google Ads

Google quietly rolled out a Video Analytics panel inside the UI, offering direct access to retention graphs and audience interaction data, without opening YouTube Studio.

It’s live for video ads in Performance Max, Video campaigns, and Demand Gen, and includes:

• Views by quartile

• Retention over time

• Device breakdowns

• Interaction reports (e.g. likes, subscribes)

Why it matters: You can now see where people drop off and which creative hooks perform, directly from the ad view. No more exporting to YouTube or GA4 just to diagnose ad fatigue.

▶ Read the full post → New Video Analysis Tool in Google Ads

2. 🧪 A/B test broad match — without duplicating campaigns

Google is testing a cleaner way to run experiments: a toggle inside Campaign Experiments that lets you A/B test broad match vs exact/phrase in the same campaign setup.

This change means you:

• No longer need to duplicate and manually sync campaigns

• Can cleanly test impact on conversions, CPA, and ROAS

• Keep learning isolated to match type instead of creative/ad copy shifts

▶ Read the full post → Google Ads Experiment: A/B Test Broad Match Without Duplicating Campaigns

3. 📺 YouTube Ads on TVs just got clickable (literally)

We’re now seeing Google automatically add QR code overlays to Video Action campaigns running on Connected TVs (CTV).

How it works:

• A scannable QR code + “Send to phone” prompt appears after the skip button

• Viewers can scan with a phone and complete the journey on mobile

Why it matters: For advertisers who used to exclude CTV due to poor performance, this is a big deal. And yes — it’s already boosting CPAs for brands running manual QR overlays in their creative.

▶ Read the full post → YouTube Ads on TVs Just Got a Lot More Clickable (Literally)

4. 📉 YouTube analytics just got a UX overhaul

Small but meaningful changes inside YouTube Analytics rolled out in June:

• Simplified interface for top-performing videos

• Cleaner traffic source and audience tabs

• More visibility into Shorts vs Long-form performance

For marketers using organic YouTube to fuel paid campaigns or to test hooks, the new view helps you spot what's worth scaling.

▶ Read the full post → YouTube Analytics Just Got Easier to Use – Here's What's New

5. 🚚 Shipping updates in Merchant Center next

Google added automatic shipping updates based on signals from your website (like tracking pages or structured data). This applies to Merchant Center Next accounts in the U.S.

Why it’s helpful:

• Reduces the risk of disapproval for inconsistent shipping times

• Ensures your PMax or Shopping campaigns stay eligible

• Boosts trust in ads by keeping delivery promises accurate

▶ Read the full post → Google Adds Automatic Shipping Updates to Merchant Center Next

6. 🏷️ Promotion preview tool in Google Search ads

Another quiet test: Google is experimenting with a promotion preview tool that lets you see how sale extensions will appear in live Search ads — before your campaign launches.

For e-commerce brands and seasonal advertisers, this means:

• No more guessing how promo text looks on different devices

• More control over how your discounts appear

• Faster iterations on promos that actually drive clicks

▶ Read the full post → Google Tests Promotion Preview Tool in Search Ads

7. 🎭 New PMax setting could hurt your creative control

Heads up: Google is testing a “Create new video” toggle in Performance Max that auto-generates new ad videos using your assets, even if you’ve uploaded your own creative.

What we know:

• It’s opt-out by default (check your settings!)

• The generated videos may replace or compete with your uploaded ones

• The setting shows up under the “Videos” section in asset groups

Why it matters: If you're serious about brand control or testing custom hooks, this auto-generated video could dilute performance or confuse attribution.

▶ Read the full post → New PMax Setting Could Jeopardize Your Creative Control — Here's What to Do

8. 📈 Local Services Ads get a new reporting feature

Google is testing post-call survey data reporting in Local Services Ads (LSAs). This includes:

• Whether the lead was a booked job

• Quality of the interaction

• Relevance of the match

Why it’s interesting: This is the first signal that Google may start factoring conversion quality into LSA ranking, not just lead volume.

▶ Read the full post → Google Testing New LSA Reporting Feature

🧠 Final thoughts

June closed out with a string of subtle but important updates across Google and YouTube Ads — the kind that might not make headlines, but can absolutely affect your performance if you miss them. Whether it’s unlocking real creative insights, reclaiming control from AI-generated assets, or quietly testing new placements like CTV, now’s the time to dig into your account settings and make sure you're not leaving easy wins on the table.

Keep testing. Keep tweaking. And if you ever want a second opinion or fresh eyes on your campaigns, we’re just one call away.

Until next time,

The Inceptly Team

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