Google Ads announced they will "now allow relevant Search ads from advertisers who showed amongst top ads to also participate in the bottom ads auction." Honestly, I thought this update happened last month when they started to allow double serving ads (well, Google now says it is not double serving, so maybe that is the announcement here...).
Google said, "This means a user scrolling lower down the page might see a highly relevant ad from the same advertiser, but not necessarily the exact same content they saw earlier."
Why is this being done? Well, Google said because it is better and their data says it is better. Google said they "tested this for several months and found that allowing advertisers who showed amongst top ads to also compete in the bottom auction increased rates of highly relevant ads by about 10% and increased bottom ad conversions by about 14%, improving both the user experience and advertiser value lower down the page." So it is better.
For some history, as a reminder, on April 14, 2025 Google updated its Unfair advantage policy to say it is allowed to show the same ad, from the same company, going to the same page, as long as the ad is in a different ad location. Google was just experimenting with double serving ads earlier and now it is officially going to be allowed. This is how Google does its new thing with showing ads in different ad locations. Google changed its definition of top ads and began mixing ads with organic results last year.
The issue is, the different ad locations drive different CTR and impression rates and how can advertisers measure that? Currently, they cannot. Julie Bacchini wrote, "how, if at all, will this be reflected in data advertisers can access? In other words, how/will advertisers see if their ads showed in more than one slot in a SERP?"
The way metrics such as impressions, clicks and conversions are counted and reported is not changing.
— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) April 22, 2025
Correct, there is not new reporting to show if ads show in both top and bottom locations.
— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) April 22, 2025
Thanks for the questions @NeptuneMoon.
— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) April 22, 2025
There isn’t new reporting to indicate if your ads show in both top and bottom ad locations. However, segmenting your metrics by “Top vs. other” can help you understand performance for top and bottom ad locations https://t.co/pWN55YpK9O.
Ad Rank is still used to determine whether an ad is eligible to show and in which location it appears relative to other eligible advertisers’ ads (https://t.co/fERMWM5XCw).
— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) April 22, 2025
The only thing that is changing “behind the curtain” is that advertisers who have ads that show in the top…
Anyway, here is the FAQs Google posted on this change - note, Google said this change is not considered double serving:
1. Is Google Ads changing its policy around double serving for Search Ads?No. The unfair advantage policy for Search ads applies to ads that compete with each other to show in a single ad location and we recently updated our language to make this clearer. With this change, we are allowing advertisers who show up in the top ad location to also be eligible for ad locations further down the page. However, within a single ad location (either top or bottom), we will continue to apply and enforce the existing policy.
2. How will this change affect the Search ads auction?
With this change, we will now allow relevant Search ads from advertisers who showed amongst top ads to also participate in the bottom ads auction. There are no changes to the auction that we run for top ads. Advertisers will continue to never bid against themselves with this change either in the top or bottom auction.
3. Will the same ad always appear at both the top and bottom of the search results?
No. We show the most relevant Search ad for each specific placement on the Search results page, whether it's at the top or the bottom. The specific ad content shown to the user may be similar or different from the top to best suit the context of the bottom placement.
4. Does this change loosen query matching or ad load constraints?
No, our query matching systems and controls remain the same, as do our guidelines around the number of top ads we show on the page. This change is solely focused on the bottom of the page.
5. How can I understand the impact of this change?
This change, which will provide more opportunities for relevant Search ads at the bottom of the page, may impact your overall metrics. To understand the impact on your campaigns, we recommend that you segment your metrics by “Top vs. other” if you’re interested in understanding performance for different ad locations. The search terms report will continue to show query-level clicks, whether your ads are clicked on in top or bottom locations.
6. How do I best prepare for this change?
Since this update provides more opportunities for relevant Search ads to be seen, ensure your keywords, ad copy, and landing pages are well-themed with what users are searching for. As more opportunities become available at the bottom of the page, you will likely see higher conversion volume at your current targets. We recommend using bid simulator tools to explore potential performance changes and adjust your bids or targets strategically.
We believe this update will lead to a better experience for both users and advertisers by connecting people with more relevant information, regardless of where they are looking on the Search results page. As always, we will continue to monitor performance and gather feedback.
Forum discussion at X.
