Measured: One Week Until Q4. Here Is What Just Changed in Google Ads and What to Do About It

Описание: October is a week away. Q4 is here. And Google Ads is quietly changing in three specific ways right now that affect how much you spend, how you show up, and how you plan for the biggest advertising quarter of the year.

In this episode of Measured, we break down what is changing, what to do about it, and what the rest of your Q4 prep should look like this week.

Change one: Local Services Ads are transitioning into Performance Max. US accounts started migrating in August. Historical LSA reports will not transfer to the new format. If you want to keep your historical performance data, you need to export it before the migration completes.

Change two: Campaign-level language setting is being removed. Starting late September, Google is removing the campaign-level language setting from Search and AI Max campaigns. Google will now decide which ad to show based on the language the ad copy is written in and what Google knows about the searcher.

Change three: Performance Max added a new destination option. You can now choose between sending traffic to your website or sending traffic to your Google Business Profile. For local businesses focused on calls or store visits, that is a meaningful new option worth testing.

We also cover the Q4 cost climb. Meta ad costs typically jump 30% to 80% during Q4, doubling or tripling during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Google Search costs rose 12% year over year in 2026 with another 8% to 10% projected through Q4. The businesses that do best in Q4 do not spend more in November. They spend earlier, warm audiences at lower cost, and use November to convert.

In this episode we cover:
The Local Services Ads to Performance Max transition and what to export before it completes
The campaign-level language setting removal in late September
The new Performance Max destination option and when to use it
The Q4 cost climb and what it means for your budget
What you should actually do this week before October 1

Key idea from the episode: You have about one week before Q4 rules change and Q4 costs climb. Everything you do this week is easier and cheaper than what you will try to do in three weeks.

Customer question: How long does SEO actually take to work?

Featured project: State Bank & Insurance
https://statebank-spencer.com/

State Bank & Insurance is a family-owned community bank serving northwest Iowa since 1980, with locations in Spencer, Everly, and Peterson and $75 million in assets built on local decisions and long-term customer relationships. From personal checking, savings, and mortgages to business and agricultural lending and a fully independent insurance agency that shops 25+ carriers, State Bank offers the full range of banking and insurance services with the difference of a lender who knows your name, an agent who already works across the lobby, and decisions made in days instead of weeks.

#GoogleAds #Q4Planning #PerformanceMax #LocalServicesAds #PaidMedia #HolidayMarketing #SmallBusinessMarketing #DigitalMarketing #MarketingStrategy #Measured