Hot off the heels of Google Marketing Live 2025, this month’s PPC landscape is buzzing with product rollouts, early feature tests, and new strategies aimed at redefining how advertisers engage audiences across search, video, and local surfaces.
GML 2025 set the tone for where paid media is heading, with announcements ranging from AI-powered measurement tools to shopping ads in AI Overviews and video features that bridge online and in-store. As expected, Google doubled down on AI, automation, and privacy-first measurement, three pillars shaping PPC strategies in the second half of the year.
Alongside the GML reveals, we’ve also seen fresh updates across the PPC world. Here’s everything you need to know this June.
Smart Bidding gets a major upgrade with Exploration mode
Google Ads has launched Smart Bidding Exploration, its biggest bidding update in over a decade. The feature allows campaigns to access untapped queries without changing audience targeting, ideal for expanding conversion volume while keeping segmentation intact.
This rollout is already improving performance for advertisers using Target ROAS or Maximise Conversions.
AI-powered measurement tools roll out
As announced at GML, Google is introducing AI-based measurement enhancements across Ads and GA4. These tools use predictive modelling and first-party data to improve conversion tracking, lift measurement, and attribution clarity, especially valuable in the post-cookie landscape.
Shopping Ads now appear in AI Overviews
Shopping Ads are now live in AI Overviews, Google's generative SERP results. Products can now be displayed alongside AI-generated summaries, combining organic and paid content into one seamless experience.
YouTube ads introduce Store Pickup tag
YouTube has added a Store Pickup tag for video ads, letting advertisers flag when products are available locally. This enhances omnichannel strategies and supports click-to-brick conversions directly from upper-funnel video content.
Promoted Pins for Demand Gen campaigns
Google Ads is beginning to roll out Promoted Pins within Demand Gen campaigns, giving brands visibility on Google Maps as part of their top-of-funnel activity. This ties brand discovery to local action, bridging awareness and conversion.
Google Tag Manager updated for enhanced conversions
A new conversion tag in GTM is now live, improving support for Enhanced Conversions and better integrating with Google’s measurement ecosystem. The move separates the main conversion tracking functionality from Enhanced Conversions, likely to streamline setup and reduce confusion. It's a must-have update for advertisers tracking leads or purchases.
Refreshed account switcher in Google Ads
Google Ads has introduced a new account switcher interface, making navigation faster and cleaner for users managing multiple accounts. A minor update, but a welcome UX improvement for agencies and large teams.
AI bot traffic is distorting PPC data
PPC Hero reports a growing concern around AI-generated bot traffic, which is inflating clicks and skewing key performance metrics like CPA and conversion rate. These sophisticated bots mimic real user behaviour, making detection increasingly difficult for advertisers.
If you haven’t already reviewed your fraud protection setup, now’s the time. For a deeper dive into this issue and how to combat it, read our blog on why click fraud is costing your business and how to stop it.
Wrapping up
June continues the industry’s shift toward intelligent automation, native commerce integrations, and new placement types. From Smart Bidding's expansion to shoppable YouTube and generative search ads, the PPC world is evolving fast, and now’s the time to adapt.
We'll be back in July with more key updates. Until then, keep testing and optimising.
