Digital Marketing Platform Updates: 7 September 2026
This was a big week for forced changes. Google started auto-upgrading Search campaigns to AI Max, Meta is stripping out placement controls, and the August core update is still settling. Here is what changed, why it matters, and what to do about it.
Google Ads
AI Max Auto-Upgrades Are Live
What changed: As of 1 September, Google began automatically upgrading Search campaigns that use Automatically Created Assets (ACA) or the campaign-level broad match setting to AI Max for Search. This is not optional. If your campaigns have either feature turned on, they are in the upgrade queue.AI Max bundles three features together: expanded search term matching (broader than broad match), AI text customisation (Google rewrites your ad copy), and final URL expansion (Google can send clicks to pages you did not specify).
Why it matters: Google says AI Max delivers an average 7% more conversions at a similar CPA/ROAS when all three features are active. That sounds good on paper, but the "at a similar CPA" caveat is doing heavy lifting. If your conversion tracking is incomplete, AI Max will optimise toward incomplete data. Google's own advice is to feed it server-side conversion data first, because browser-based tracking misses 30 to 60% of conversions.For Australian SMEs running lean Search campaigns, the bigger risk is the final URL expansion feature sending traffic to pages you have not optimised for conversion. A plumber's ad could end up landing on their blog post about pipe maintenance instead of their quote request page.
What to do:- Open each Search campaign's settings and check whether campaign-level broad match or Automatically Created Assets is turned on. If either is, you are being migrated.
- Review your negative keyword lists. AI Max casts a wider net on search terms, so your existing negatives may not cover the new territory.
- If you are not comfortable with Google choosing your landing pages, turn off final URL expansion in the AI Max settings once the upgrade happens. You can keep the other features active.
- Make sure your conversion tracking is solid before this change beds in. If it is not, AI Max will optimise blindly.
Language Targeting Is Being Removed from Search
What changed: Starting in late September, Google will remove the campaign-level language targeting setting from Search and AI Max for Search campaigns entirely. Instead of you choosing which languages to target, Google will automatically match ads based on the language of your ad copy, your landing page, and its understanding of the languages a user speaks.For Performance Max, language targeting will still apply on non-Search channels (Display, YouTube, etc.), but on Search inventory within PMax, it will work the same way as Search campaigns.
Why it matters: If you only run English-language ads in Australia, the practical impact is minimal. Google says this is about eliminating setup errors and simplifying the system, and for most single-language Australian advertisers, that is probably true.Where it gets interesting is for businesses targeting multilingual audiences or running campaigns in multiple languages. Google's AI will now decide which language version of your ad to show, rather than you segmenting by language at the campaign level.
What to do: If you only advertise in English, no action needed. If you run multilingual campaigns, review your campaign structure now. You may need to rethink how you segment audiences that were previously separated by language targeting.Display Campaigns Moving into Demand Gen
What changed: Google confirmed that standalone Display campaigns are being deprecated. Display Network inventory is not going away, but the campaign type is. Going forward, display ads will live inside Demand Gen campaigns alongside YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps. Voluntary migration started in June for eligible advertisers, and remaining campaigns will be auto-migrated into 2027. Why it matters: This is a "not urgent but worth knowing" change. If you run Display campaigns for remarketing or brand awareness, start planning your transition to Demand Gen. The targeting and creative requirements are slightly different, and Demand Gen leans harder into AI-driven audience selection. What to do: No immediate rush, but if you are building new display campaigns, consider creating them as Demand Gen from the start. Familiarise yourself with the Demand Gen format if you have not already.Google Search
August Core Update Still Rolling Out
What changed: Google launched the August 2026 core update on 26 August, and it is expected to take about 26 days to fully roll out, meaning it will not finish until around 21 September. A separate August spam update ran from 18 to 21 August and is already complete. Why it matters: If your organic rankings have been volatile over the past two weeks, this is likely why. Core updates can take weeks to settle, and making reactive changes during the rollout is usually counterproductive. Rankings can shift in one direction early in the rollout and then correct as the update finishes. What to do: Monitor your Search Console performance data but resist the urge to make major changes to your site until the rollout completes after 21 September. If you see significant drops once it has fully settled, that is when to assess whether content quality, E-E-A-T signals, or technical issues need attention.Meta Ads
Placement Controls Are Disappearing
What changed: Meta has started removing the ability to exclude individual ad placements from ad sets. Some advertisers noticed on 25 August that their placement checkboxes had vanished entirely, replaced by a "value rules" mechanism that caps bid reductions at 90%. In plain terms: you can tell Meta to bid 90% less on a placement you do not want, but you can no longer switch it off completely.This is currently being tested on Sales and Leads objectives, with sensitive verticals excluded. Meta has not published an official announcement.
Why it matters: This is a significant shift for advertisers who carefully controlled where their ads appeared. If you were excluding Audience Network or specific placements for brand safety or performance reasons, those exclusions are becoming 90% bid discounts instead. A 90% discount is not zero. Your ads can still show on placements you previously blocked, just at a much lower bid.For most SME advertisers running Advantage+ or broad placement strategies, this probably changes nothing. But if you had specific placements excluded for good reason (brand safety, poor conversion rates, inappropriate context), you will want to pay attention.
What to do:- Check your ad sets for any placement exclusions you have in place. Document what you were excluding and why.
- Look into account-level placement controls under Advertising Settings > Account Controls > Placement Controls. This is now the more reliable way to block placements entirely.
- Monitor delivery reports over the coming weeks to see if spend is leaking into placements you previously excluded.
"Engagement" Metric Renamed to "Interactions"
What changed: Meta is renaming the "Engagement" metric to "Interactions" across Facebook and Instagram. The change is not just cosmetic: the new "Interactions" metric excludes clicks, which means reported numbers may drop even though actual content performance has not changed. Why it matters: If you report on engagement metrics to clients or stakeholders, this will cause confusion unless you flag it proactively. A drop in "Interactions" versus last month's "Engagement" is a metric definition change, not a performance decline. What to do: Update any reporting templates or dashboards that reference "Engagement" to use "Interactions" and add a note explaining the definition change. If you track clicks separately (and you should), your overall picture stays the same.The Takeaway
The AI Max auto-upgrade is the one to watch this week. If you are running Google Search campaigns, check your settings now. The upgrade is happening whether you are ready or not, and the difference between it working well and wasting budget comes down to how clean your conversion tracking is and whether you have your negative keywords in order.
Further Reading
- Google to auto-upgrade some Search campaigns to AI Max - Search Engine Land's coverage of the September AI Max rollout
- Google Ads is removing language targeting from Search campaigns - Details on the late-September language targeting change
- Google is retiring standalone Display campaigns in favour of Demand Gen - Search Engine Journal on the Display-to-Demand-Gen migration
- Meta removes ad placement controls as bid cuts get capped at 90% - PPC Land on Meta's placement changes
- Meta Ads September 2026 changelog - AdMake AI's full September changelog
- August 2026 Google core update - Brafton's guide to the August core update
Dream Outcome is an Australian digital marketing agency helping SMEs grow through Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Email Marketing.