Google Display Campaigns Are Moving to Demand Gen: Timeline, Migration Tool and Checklist

Why are Google Display campaigns moving to Demand Gen?

Demand Gen is the Google Ads campaign type that combines YouTube, Discover, Gmail, Maps and Google Display Network inventory in one campaign. On 26 May 2026, Google announced that standalone Display campaigns will move into it, and a phased migration tool started rolling out in June 2026.

I have managed ad accounts since 2012, and for most of that time Display lived in its own world. It had its own bidding logic, its own reports and its own creative rules. Now Google is removing that separation. The network itself stays; what changes is the way you buy it. In this guide I summarise the announcement from official sources only. Then I walk you through what to check in your account and how to plan the switch.

One caveat first: Google has not confirmed every date yet. So I only quote what the official announcement and the Google Ads Help Center actually say, and I flag the parts that are still open.

What is the Demand Gen migration timeline?

Google is planning the change in three stages, not in a single day. Google's official announcement says it expects the migration to finish by 2027. The Help Center then lists the stages like this:

1. June 2026: A phased rollout of the migration tool begins. Eligible advertisers can move existing Display campaigns voluntarily.
2. Coming later: You will only be able to create new Display campaigns inside the new campaign type. Until then, you can still edit your existing campaigns.
3. Coming later: Google will move any remaining campaigns automatically, without waiting for advertiser action.

Google has not published firm dates for stages two and three. Some industry coverage points to January 2027, but that date does not appear on the official Help page. For that reason, I suggest you plan around the notifications in your own account rather than around rumours.

My advice is simple: do not wait for the automatic move. If you migrate on your own schedule, you decide how to handle unsupported settings. With the automatic move, you give that decision away.

What exactly is a Demand Gen campaign?

Demand Gen is a visual, video first campaign type that aims to create interest before someone starts searching. Search campaigns capture demand that already exists. Demand Gen, on the other hand, tries to build and nurture that demand. In other words, the job Display has always done stays the same; it simply gets a bigger shop window.

According to the Google Ads Help page on Demand Gen, these campaigns run on YouTube (including Shorts), Discover, Gmail, Maps and the Google Display Network. On the creative side you get images, videos, carousel ads with 2 to 10 cards and product feeds. For bidding, you can optimise for clicks, conversions or conversion value.

In practice, this means one thing. Previously you ran a Display campaign and a separate video campaign, then managed two budgets side by side. Now you can show the same message to the same audience as an image and as a video from a single campaign. You also read the results in one place. For small teams, that alone is a real simplification.

Is the Google Display Network going away?

No, the Google Display Network is not going away. Google's announcement states it clearly: advertisers will keep reaching audiences across more than 2 million sites, videos and apps through the new campaign type. The only thing that changes is the campaign type you use to access that inventory.

I did notice a small difference in the numbers, though. The blog post mentions 2 million sites, videos and apps. The Help page on the network integration, however, speaks of "more than 3 million sites and apps" and over 90% of the global internet population. Both figures come from internal data for different periods. So I never present either figure to clients as hard fact; I explain that both are Google's own measurements.

The key point is this: if you only want to show ads on the Display Network, you can still do that. Google's announcement specifically says Display advertisers can keep serving ads exclusively on the network. I explain how in the channel controls section below.

What new inventory do Display advertisers gain?

Old Display campaigns ran on Gmail, the Display Network and a limited slice of YouTube. According to Google's comparison, the new setup adds Discover, Maps (in beta), expanded YouTube inventory and YouTube Shorts.

You can read this expansion in two ways. On the plus side, you reach more touchpoints with the same budget, and Discover and Shorts are strong placements for people browsing on mobile. On the minus side, if your creative does not fit these placements, the system puts a weak ad in front of a brand new audience.

So my recommendation is to open inventory in line with your creative readiness. For example, if you have no vertical video yet, start with image heavy placements. Once you have a short video, add Shorts and YouTube. That way you see what each new channel contributes, instead of spreading the budget blindly.

What does the migration tool carry over?

Google built the migration tool so that you do not have to rebuild campaigns from scratch. According to Google's migration guide, the tool transfers these elements to the new campaign:

• Campaign settings and learning history: The tool carries over 42 days of performance history. Google says this cuts the learning period to roughly one to two days.
• Budget amount: Your budget moves across as it is. However, spend on the old campaign on migration day does not count towards the new one.
• Logo and business name: If one is missing, the tool adds a placeholder logo. Replace it with your real logo straight after the move.
• Campaign status: Paused campaigns stay paused and enabled campaigns stay enabled.
• Reporting data: The old campaign switches to "Removed" status but stays in your account for reporting for up to five years.

The new campaign takes the original name plus "#2", and Google adds labels that show the migration date. That makes it easy to filter for migrated campaigns later. Finally, keep one thing in mind: you cannot turn a migrated Demand Gen campaign back into a Display campaign.

Which settings does Demand Gen not support?

This is the part that needs the most preparation. Some older Display settings have no equivalent in Demand Gen, and Google asks you to change or remove them before you migrate. I built the table below from the list in the Help Center:

The row I watch most closely is ad group level exclusions. Many accounts have years of placement and topic exclusions sitting at that level. Export them before you delete anything, because you may need to rebuild them at campaign or account level afterwards.

How does bidding change after the move?

The bidding change continues a message Google has been sending for years: less manual control, more automated bidding. Target CPA, Maximise Conversions, Maximise Conversion Value, Target ROAS and Maximise Clicks all carry over without trouble.

There are also two new options. The first is Target CPC, which is the natural replacement for accounts on manual CPC. The second is a campaign total budget for a fixed flight, so you set one total amount for a defined period. For short campaigns, such as a seasonal sale, that is often more practical than juggling daily budgets.

One recommendation on the Demand Gen Help page matters a lot. If you use Target CPA, Google recommends a daily budget of at least 10 times your target. So a 20 dollar target CPA needs a daily budget of at least 200 dollars. For small accounts, that threshold can be a real barrier. In that case, I usually start with Maximise Conversions or a click based strategy to collect data first.

To check quickly whether your budget clears that bar, use our Google Ads budget calculator. If you plan to set a ROAS target, the ROAS calculator helps you pick a realistic figure.

How does Demand Gen affect audience targeting?

On audiences, the news is mostly good. Lookalike segments, Customer Match, remarketing lists, contextual targeting, topic exclusions and placement exclusions all move across. Google notes that the old Similar Audiences feature lives on in a stronger form as lookalike segments.

Two things do not carry over, though. The first is combined audiences; you need to rebuild them in the audience builder. The second is the observation setting for non demographic audiences. That means you can no longer track an audience for reporting only without targeting it.

For accounts that rely on remarketing, the move can be an opportunity. You can now show both image and video ads to the same visitor list from one campaign. I cover the wider strategy in my guide on strengthening your sales funnel with remarketing. And if you want to define your audience from scratch, my target audience analysis guide is a good place to start.

Which ad formats can you keep using?

Responsive display ads, carousel ads, uploaded static image ads and product feeds all work in the new campaign type. As a result, most creatives from a standard Display account move across without issues.

Two formats are missing for now: HTML5 ads and third party ad serving tags. Google says they will arrive towards the end of 2026. Brands that depend on animated HTML5 banners or an external ad server may want to hold off until then. Of course, if Google announces the automatic migration date, you will need to revisit that plan.

On creative, my advice is not to treat the move as a purely technical task. The new campaign type also reaches vertical video and Shorts inventory. If all you have are landscape banners, the campaign will look weak in those placements. So I recommend preparing at least one square image, one 4:5 portrait image and one short vertical video before you migrate.

Can you keep ads on the Display Network only with channel controls?

Yes, you can. Since March 2025, Google has offered channel controls in Demand Gen. They let you choose where ads appear across YouTube, Discover, Gmail and the Google Display Network. Better still, they work at ad group level rather than at campaign level.

That flexibility is very useful in practice. For example, you can open one ad group to the Display Network only and another to YouTube only. That way you keep a structure close to your old setup and compare performance channel by channel.

Still, Google's direction is clear: it wants you to keep all channels on. The Help page on the Display Network integration reports a statistically significant 16% lift in conversions for advertisers who added the network to Demand Gen. My own approach is to keep the old channel split for the first weeks and collect clean comparison data. Then I open channels step by step.

What changes in reporting and measurement?

The core reporting needs are covered. The "Where ads showed" placement report, channel reporting and Conversion Lift studies all exist in Demand Gen. You can also segment results by format, for example in feed, skippable in stream and Shorts.

However, two studies are not available for the Display Network: Brand Lift and Search Lift. Brands that measure awareness campaigns this way need an alternative plan. For instance, you can compare branded search trends in Search Console and Google Ads before and after launch.

The foundation, as always, is conversion tracking. Because the new campaign type relies on automated bidding, weak conversion data means the system shows ads to the wrong people. Before you migrate, I suggest checking your enhanced conversions setup. Also use consistent tags from the UTM builder so that analytics separates campaign traffic cleanly.

Should you use the migration tool or shift budget manually?

Google offers two paths. The first is the migration tool, which Google calls the recommended method. The second is to build a fresh campaign and move budget over from the old one gradually. Here is how the two compare:

In most cases I prefer the tool, because learning history has real value. However, if a campaign structure has drifted over the years, treat the switch as a clean up opportunity and build a fresh structure instead.

What should you check in your account before migrating?

Before you press the button, run through a short checklist. This is the one I use on client accounts:

1. Export and back up all Display campaigns, ad groups and exclusions.
2. Find manual CPC and viewable impression bids, and decide on the replacement strategy in advance.
3. List bid adjustments, shared budgets and ad group level exclusions.
4. Check for lead form assets, click to call assets and custom promotional text.
5. Make sure every campaign has a real logo and business name.
6. Confirm that conversion actions fire correctly and that your primary goals are right.
7. Put any campaign that uses HTML5 or third party ads on a separate list.

To speed this up, try our Google Ads audit tool. It shows the main structural issues in your account in one report. Also note that Google recommends selecting no more than 100 campaigns per batch in the migration tool, so split large accounts into groups.

How do the migration steps work in the Google Ads interface?

The Help Center lists the steps clearly. Here is the short version:

• Open the Campaigns page and filter the campaign type to Display.
• Tick the boxes next to the campaigns you want to move.
• Open the Edit drop down and choose "Upgrade to Demand Gen".
• Apply the change; the process usually takes a few minutes.

After the move, your ads go back into review. Google says new campaigns need approval whichever method you choose. So avoid migrating right before a big sales day. I usually pick a quiet weekday early in the week, when traffic is stable and the team has time to watch the first results.

How should you monitor the first two weeks after the switch?

Google states openly that performance may fluctuate during the first few days. That is normal. The real danger is panicking and changing settings, because every change restarts learning.

My monitoring routine for the first two weeks looks like this:

• Days one to three: I only check spend, impressions and approval status. Are ads live, and is the budget pacing as expected?
• Days four to seven: I compare cost per conversion with the old campaign's 30 day average.
• Week two: I open the channel and placement reports and look for spend in unexpected places.

Also remember that the budget resets on migration day. According to Google, unused daily budget refreshes for the new campaign that day. So total spend on migration day may run higher than usual. Do not mistake that one day blip for a performance problem.

How should you read the figures Google published?

The announcement contains two eye catching numbers. First, advertisers who added the Display Network to Demand Gen saw an average 9.5% increase in ROI. Google cites its own global internal data from August 2025 as the source. Second, one case study reports a 24% lower CPA and 19% more conversions.

When you read these figures, keep two things in mind. First, they are averages and selected examples, so your account may behave differently. Second, the party measuring the results is also the party selling the product. That does not make the numbers wrong; it does mean they are not independent proof.

The only measure I trust in my own work is a before and after comparison on the same account. Compare equal time windows, the same conversion definition and, ideally, a similar season. In short, Google's average gives you a direction, but your own data should make the call.

What should lead gen advertisers use instead of lead forms?

Many service businesses collect enquiries through lead form assets on Display. Because you must delete those assets before migrating, your lead flow could stop overnight. That is why you need a backup plan in place first.

The most reliable route is a short, focused landing page on your website. Give the page one goal only: submit the form or book a call. Keep form fields to a minimum; name, phone and a short note are often enough. Then mark the thank you page as a conversion, because automated bidding cannot find the right people without that signal.

Also check page speed and the mobile layout. Visitors from the ad will no longer get the one tap convenience of a lead form. So the landing page has to make up for it. You can compare conversion rates before and after the switch with our conversion rate calculator.

Which businesses feel the Demand Gen change most?

The impact depends on how far you customised your Display campaigns. For an account on standard settings, the switch takes a few minutes. Some account types, however, need more preparation:

• Accounts on manual bidding: They need to rethink their bidding logic from the ground up.
• Service businesses using lead forms: They must move lead capture to their website.
• Brands built on HTML5 banners: They need a different creative plan until the format arrives.
• Companies measuring awareness with Brand Lift: They need a new way to measure the Display Network side.

Online shops often come out ahead, because product feeds and vertical video inventory work well together. Still, that is not a rule, so test before you assume.

How do you choose between Demand Gen, Performance Max and AI Max?

The switch naturally raises another question: should visual inventory sit in Demand Gen or in Performance Max, which covers every channel? My short answer is this. Demand Gen gives you more control over creative and audiences, while Performance Max leans harder on automation.

For example, if you want to reach a specific audience with a specific message, Demand Gen fits better. If instead you want conversions across all Google inventory and you are happy to hand control to the system, Performance Max stands out. On the search side, I cover the new query matching features in my AI Max guide.

I do not see these three campaign types as rivals. In a well built account, each one works at a different stage of the funnel. What matters is that you do not bid against yourself for the same audience with three campaigns at once.

How do my team and I handle the Demand Gen migration?

On the accounts we manage, we treat this switch as a small restructuring project rather than a technical chore. First we export the account and list unsupported settings. Then we decide which campaigns move with the tool and which we rebuild.

Before the move, my team and I verify conversion tracking and fill any creative gaps. After the move, we watch the account daily for the first two weeks. I remain responsible for strategy and results, while experienced colleagues handle the hands on work.

If you would like to plan this switch together, reach us through our Google Ads management page. As a first step, we review your current Display campaigns and draw up a realistic migration schedule.

Where should you start?

Google's message is clear: Display is not disappearing, it is moving under the Demand Gen roof. The migration tool is live, and the creation cut off and automatic move are next. So waiting does not buy you time; it only reduces your control.

There are three things you can do today. First, list your Display campaigns and every unsupported setting. Second, get conversion tracking and your creative set ready for the new placements. Third, migrate your cleanest campaign as a small test and watch it for two weeks.

These three steps keep you from getting caught off guard when Google announces the automatic migration date. They also give you a chance to test the new inventory before your competitors do.

A final note: I compiled this guide from Google's official pages as of September 2026. As Google updates the timeline, keep an eye on your account notifications and the Help Center, and adjust your plan when a new date appears.