Google has expanded its AI-powered Product Studio to 15 new countries, bringing the total to 30. The new countries include Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, and Ukraine. Key features include generating lifestyle images, enhancing resolution, and background editing. The service is available through Merchant Center and the Google & YouTube app on Shopify.
YouTube is testing a multiplayer gaming feature on its YouTube Playables platform, allowing real-time multiplayer experiences. The initial phase includes two games: Ludo Club and Magic Tiles 3, available on desktop and mobile. This launch is the first step in expanding YouTube's gaming capabilities, with plans for future updates. The testing will be limited to specific games to refine the experience based on user feedback before a wider rollout.
Google has announced an administrative update to its Personalized advertising policy, effective December 6, 2024. This update is purely administrative, with no substantive changes to the policy or its enforcement. The core rules for advertisers remain unchanged. The goal is to improve the organization, clarity, and readability of the policy documentation, helping advertisers better understand and comply with existing requirements.
Google has raised the row limit for Connected Sheets for Looker pivot tables to 100,000, allowing for analysis of larger datasets in Google Sheets. This update is available to all Google Workspace customers, including individual and personal users. The integration supports over 60 databases, enabling users to combine Looker data with Sheets data and analyze large datasets directly. Users need access to their Looker instance URL to connect.
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Google Analytics 4 has introduced two recommendations for key event tracking: 'Mark as Key Event' allows users to designate existing events for closer tracking, while 'Create Key Event' suggests new events from specific page views and marks them automatically. These features enhance insights, reporting, Google Ads performance measurement, and conversion tracking. Recommendations are accessible on the Home page and Insights hub, based on property history and settings.
In March 2025, Google will introduce a new Dating and Companionship Ads policy requiring advertiser certification for dating-related ads. The policy bans ads promoting underage dating, exploitative practices, and deceptive services. It also restricts certain categories like hookup sites and racy content. Enforcement begins on March 4, 2025, and advertisers must comply by completing certification or removing non-compliant ads before this date.
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) now requires a valid config command or an installed Google tag for custom events to ensure proper event attribution and eliminate (not set) values in reports. This update prevents custom events from being transmitted independently of tag configuration, addressing reporting issues and improving data quality. Users should verify their current configuration to ensure continuous custom event tracking.
Google updated its Business Profiles guidelines: businesses with age-restricted products or services cannot be service-area businesses without a storefront. Service-area businesses need one profile for the central office with a designated service area and cannot list a virtual office unless staffed during business hours. Hybrid businesses, like auto repair shops, can show their storefront address and designate a service area.
Google is simplifying its advertising policy structure by merging Demand Gen campaign requirements into existing YouTube ad policies, effective January 2025. This consolidation will integrate all image, text, and video policies into YouTube's standards, affecting advertisers running Demand Gen or Performance Max campaigns. The unified framework will apply to YouTube, Discover feed surfaces, Gmail placements, and Google Ads platforms.
