Digital Marketing Platform Updates: 6 July 2026
Two major changes landed on July 1 this week: Google's updated Terms of Service and Meta's new location fees. Plus, Google's June spam update wrapped up with a bigger impact than usual. Here's what actually matters for your business.
Google Ads
New Terms of Service Are Now Live
Google updated its Ads Terms of Service on July 1 for the first time in eight years. The big shift: Google now has explicit permission to use your campaign inputs (keywords, URLs, creative assets, conversational tool interactions) across its AI and automation features.
Why it matters: Google is covering itself legally as it pushes further into AI-generated ads. The new terms also make one thing very clear: you are responsible for reviewing and approving anything Google's AI creates on your behalf. If an automated headline says something inaccurate or off-brand, that's on you. What to do:- Review any AI-generated assets in your account (headlines, descriptions, images) at least weekly
- If you use Performance Max or AI Max, check the "Automatically created assets" section for anything that doesn't represent your brand correctly
- Note that Google also added language about "local regulatory fees" on ad spend, which could apply as Australia considers digital services legislation
DSA to AI Max Migration Delayed
Google pushed back the automatic upgrade of Dynamic Search Ads campaigns to AI Max from September 2026 to February 2027. If you're still running DSA campaigns, you have more time, but the direction is clear.
What to do: Start testing AI Max on your own terms rather than waiting for a forced migration. Campaigns using the full AI Max feature suite (search term matching, text customisation, and final URL expansion) are seeing around 7% more conversions at similar CPA compared to partial adoption.Google Search
June Spam Update Wrapped Up Hard
Google's June 2026 spam update rolled out June 24-26 and hit significantly harder than typical spam updates. Many sites reported organic traffic drops of 25% or more. Notably, this update specifically targets attempts to manipulate AI-generated search responses, not just traditional search results.
Why it matters: Google is now actively policing content designed to game AI Overviews and other generative search features. If your SEO strategy involves creating content primarily to appear in AI-generated answers rather than genuinely serving users, that approach just got riskier. What to do: Check your Google Search Console performance data from June 24 onwards. If you saw a drop, review Google's spam policies. If your traffic held steady, you're likely fine.FAQ Rich Results Are Gone
Google officially stopped displaying FAQ rich results on May 7, and the associated Search Console reporting tools were removed in June. The final piece (API support) goes in August.
Why it matters: If you've been relying on FAQ schema markup to grab extra SERP real estate, that strategy no longer works for visibility. However, Google still parses FAQ markup to understand your content, so don't rush to remove it. What to do: Check your click-through rates on pages that previously showed FAQ dropdowns. If CTR dropped, consider whether those pages need stronger title tags and meta descriptions to compensate. Keep useful FAQ content on the page for users; just stop treating the markup as a ranking lever.Meta Ads
Location Fees Took Effect July 1
Meta is now charging location-based fees on ads delivered in six countries: Austria (5%), France (3%), Italy (3%), Spain (3%), Turkey (5%), and the United Kingdom (2%). These are Digital Services Tax pass-throughs.
Why it matters for Australian businesses: If all your ads target Australian audiences, nothing changes. But if you run any campaigns targeting the UK or Europe, you're now paying 2-5% on top of your ad spend in those regions. The fee is based on where your ad is shown, not where your business is located. And it's charged on top of your budget (not deducted from it), then GST is applied to the combined total. What to do: If you target international audiences, check which countries your ads are reaching and factor the additional costs into your ROAS calculations. For most Australian SMEs running local campaigns, no action needed.Advantage+ Creative Is Now the Default
All new Sales, Leads, and App Promotion campaigns now launch with every Advantage+ Creative enhancement turned on by default. This means Meta's AI will automatically modify your creative (background generation, text overlays, aspect ratio adjustments) unless you manually turn it off.
Why it matters: Meta reports 8 million advertisers are now using these tools, double the figure from a year ago. The results can be good, but they can also produce creative that doesn't match your brand guidelines. The "opt-out" approach (rather than opt-in) means many advertisers won't realise their ads are being modified. What to do: When creating new campaigns, review the Advantage+ Creative settings before publishing. Decide deliberately which enhancements you want active. Check your ad previews in different placements to make sure AI modifications haven't distorted your brand presentation.The Takeaway
The theme this week is clear: platforms are making AI the default, then putting the responsibility for oversight on you. Review your automated assets in Google Ads, check your Advantage+ Creative settings in Meta, and treat AI-generated anything as a draft that needs human approval before it represents your brand.
Further Reading
- Google Ads Terms of Service Update - Search Engine Land's breakdown of the July 1 changes
- Google Ads TOS: AI Automation Changes - Common Thread Collective's analysis for ecommerce
- Google June 2026 Spam Update - Search Engine Land coverage of the update
- Meta Location Fees for Aussie Advertisers - Australian-specific breakdown of the new fees
- FAQ Rich Results Deprecated - What to do now that FAQ dropdowns are gone
Dream Outcome is an Australian digital marketing agency helping SMEs grow through Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Email Marketing.