From Visibility to Conversion: 3 Google Ads Changes You Can’t Ignore in 2025
As April closes, Google Ads has announced a series of pivotal updates that signal a clear evolution in how paid media strategies will function in 2025. These changes are not simply surface-level improvements—they redefine the way marketers approach visibility, user journey optimization, creative storytelling, and ROI measurement. In this week’s edition, we break down each change and explain what it means for performance marketers, campaign planners, and mobile-first advertisers in India and beyond.
1. Same Ad Placement at Top and Bottom of Search Results
One of the most attention-grabbing changes is that Google now allows the same ad to appear at both the top and bottom of a single search results page. Traditionally, Google Ads ensured that only one ad from an advertiser appeared per page, typically giving preference to either the top or the bottom, depending on bid strength and quality score. That rule has changed.
What’s New:
- Google now conducts separate auctions for top-of-page and bottom-of-page placements.
- If your ad performs well in both, it can now serve twice on the same search page without being penalized for "double serving."
- This is not a policy exception, but a deliberate strategic update aimed at increasing page-level visibility for brands.
Why It Matters:
- You now have twice the real estate to capture user attention in high-intent search moments.
- This also creates an opportunity for creative sequencing—you can test different headlines and CTAs at the top and bottom positions for more nuanced messaging.
- Especially useful in competitive verticals where share of voice is critical and every scroll matters.
Pro Tip: Ensure your creatives are varied and context-aware. Don’t just duplicate the same ad copy—use bottom placements for retargeting messages, discounts, or urgency-driven prompts.
2. “Checkout on Merchant” Now Available for Demand Gen Campaigns
Originally available through Google Shopping Ads, the "Checkout on Merchant" feature is now being rolled out to YouTube Demand Gen campaigns. This is a game changer, particularly for mobile-first eCommerce brands.
What It Does:
- Allows users to click through directly to a merchant’s checkout page from an ad without navigating through multiple pages or product listings.
- Currently live for YouTube in-stream formats within Demand Gen.
- Activated via your Google Merchant Center by submitting a dynamic checkout URL template.
Performance Uplift:
- According to Google’s early test cases, brands using this feature saw up to 11% lift in conversion value, with no increase in cost-per-acquisition.
- Reduces drop-off points by compressing the funnel—from interest to purchase in fewer steps.
Why This Matters:
- For performance marketers, fewer steps = higher conversion rate.
- Greatly improves performance on mobile devices, where excessive redirects and page loads can kill purchase intent.
- Complements video-led discovery journeys that are becoming the new norm.
3. Performance Max Campaigns: Now With 90-Character Headlines
Performance Max (PMax), Google’s flagship cross-channel campaign type, has just expanded headline lengths. Advertisers can now submit up to five headlines with 90 characters each (previously limited to 60 for short descriptions).
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What’s New:
- This isn’t just an aesthetic upgrade—it’s a signal of Google’s increasing emphasis on narrative-driven ads.
- You can now craft stronger value propositions, emphasize urgency or incentives, and deliver context in a more complete way.
How to Use It:
- Create headline variants that target different purchase intents—awareness, consideration, and urgency.
- Align each long-form headline with asset groups that represent specific audience personas or funnel stages.
- Combine with rich descriptions and visual creatives for a 360° narrative experience.
Why This Matters:
- More space = more storytelling. This directly influences click-through rates, particularly for complex products and services.
- Better headline clarity helps Google’s AI better match your ads with searcher intent across platforms like Discover, Gmail, and YouTube.
What Should Marketers Do Right Now?
The digital ad landscape is shifting beneath our feet. If you're still optimizing for strategies that worked in 2023 or early 2024, it's time to realign. These changes are not optional—they’re performance levers waiting to be pulled.
Immediate Actions:
- Split-Test Dual Placements: Run variant testing with top and bottom placement combinations—track differences in engagement and funnel movement.
- Upgrade Your Merchant Center: Implement Checkout on Merchant and monitor its impact on shopping cart abandonment and CPA.
- Rewrite Your Headlines: Audit existing PMax campaigns and rewrite your short headlines to take full advantage of the new 90-character limit.
Strategic Moves:
- Reframe your funnel thinking around shorter paths to conversion and contextual storytelling.
- Incorporate sequential creative frameworks into search—guide the user from discovery to decision with intelligently sequenced messaging.
- Stay agile and monitor campaign performance weekly—these updates may shift how the budget should be allocated across networks.
Partner With Appraise for Smarter Google Ads Campaigns
At Appraise, we work with high-growth brands to re-engineer their paid media strategies for today's realities and tomorrow's innovations. Whether it's adapting to new Google Ads features, scaling PMax campaigns, or driving ROI through video-led performance, we help mobile-first businesses dominate the digital funnel.
📩 Contact Us: partner@appraisemedia.com
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See you in next week’s edition.
— Team Appraise