What's happening to Display campaigns
Display campaigns are the banner style ads that show on websites and apps across the Google Display Network. For a lot of small businesses, they're mainly used for remarketing. That means showing ads to people who visited your site but didn't get in touch.
Google is now moving all of this into a campaign type called Demand Gen. Demand Gen already runs ads on YouTube, Gmail, Discover and Google Maps. Display is being added to that list, rather than living in its own campaign type.
The ads themselves aren't going anywhere. Your banners can still show on the same websites and apps. What changes is the campaign they live in, and some of the settings you can use.
The timeline so far
Google started rolling out a migration tool in June 2026. Eligible advertisers can use it to move existing Display campaigns into Demand Gen from inside their Google Ads account.
Here's where things stand:
- New Display campaigns can now only be created inside Demand Gen.
- Your existing Display campaigns keep running, and you can still edit them until they're moved.
- Anything you don't move yourself will be moved automatically later. Google hasn't given a fixed date and says it will send notices in your account as key dates get closer.
- Uploaded HTML5 ads aren't supported in Demand Gen yet. Google says that's planned for late 2026.
Good news first: Your Search campaigns aren't affected by this at all. If you only run Search ads, you can skip this one. This is only about Display and remarketing campaigns.
What comes across with you
If you use Google's migration tool, a lot of your setup carries over. According to Google's help page, that includes:
- Your budget and most settings, plus up to 42 days of performance history. Google says this cuts the learning period to about one to two days, instead of starting from scratch.
- Your audiences, including remarketing lists, customer lists and custom audiences.
- Placement and topic exclusions, so the sites you've blocked stay blocked.
- Responsive display ads and static image ads.
- Display only targeting. The Display Network is switched on by default. YouTube, Gmail and the others stay off unless you choose to add them.
That last point matters. If you want your remarketing to keep running only on websites and apps, you can. Your budget won't suddenly start going on YouTube unless you switch it on.
What doesn't come across
This is the part to check carefully. Google lists several settings that aren't supported in Demand Gen, and some have to be changed before you're allowed to migrate.
Manual CPC bidding
Plenty of small remarketing campaigns still run on manual cost per click. That isn't supported in Demand Gen. Google's suggested swap is target CPC, where you set the average you want to pay and Google adjusts bids around it. Viewable impression bidding and paying per conversion also go. If you're unsure which strategy fits, my post on which bidding strategy fits your account walks through the options.
Bid adjustments
Raising or lowering bids by device, location or time of day isn't supported. Neither are seasonality adjustments or portfolio bid strategies. If you've leaned on these to control costs, you'll need another way. That usually means tighter targeting or separate campaigns.
Shared budgets
If your Display campaign shares a budget with other campaigns, you'll need to give it its own budget before you can move it.
Click to call assets
These need removing before migration. Google suggests a call to action instead. For trades that rely on phone calls, it's worth checking how you'll track calls from these ads afterwards.
Some exclusions and audience settings
Content suitability exclusions set at campaign level aren't supported. They need moving to account level instead. Combined audiences aren't supported either, and household income and parental status become soft signals rather than hard targeting.
Five checks before you migrate
Google is clear that once a campaign is moved, it can't be reverted. So it's worth twenty minutes of checking first.
- Check your bidding. If you're on manual CPC, decide what target CPC you're comfortable with. Google suggests starting near your current Display bid levels.
- Note your bid adjustments. Write down any device, location or schedule adjustments so you know what you're losing, and plan how to replace the important ones.
- Sort shared budgets and click to call assets. Give the campaign its own budget and swap click to call for a call to action.
- Move your exclusions. Shift campaign level content exclusions up to account level so your ads don't drift onto sites you've worked to avoid.
- Check your tracking. Demand Gen leans on conversion data to make decisions. If your tracking has gaps, fix those first. My post on conversion tracking and first party data covers the basics.
Once it's moved, give it time. Google advises keeping bid changes to 15% or less and waiting a week between them. Expect some ups and downs in spend for the first few days too.
A word on budgets
Demand Gen was built for bigger budgets than many small businesses use for remarketing. Google's own guidance has been coming down. Its most recent bidding guidance suggests a daily budget of at least 10 times your target cost per lead, down from 15 times. Some of its help pages still quote higher figures.
Either way, if your remarketing runs on a few pounds a day, don't be surprised if it behaves differently after the move. A low budget can mean slow learning and patchy delivery. The same rule applies here as with Smart Bidding on low volume accounts. Fewer changes, cleaner data and a bit of patience go a long way.
Should you migrate now or wait?
Most of the time, I'd move it yourself rather than wait for Google to do it. Doing it yourself means you choose the timing, check the settings first, and keep an eye on it in the days after. When Google moves it automatically, you get whatever it picks, on whatever day it picks.
The exception is if you rely on uploaded HTML5 banners. Those aren't supported yet, so it may be worth waiting for Google to add them.
It's also a good time to ask whether the campaign is earning its keep. If your Display campaign hasn't brought in a lead in months, this might be the push to pause it and put that money into Search. If the account has got messy over the years, an account restructure can sort that out in one go.
Common questions
Is Google getting rid of Display ads?
No. Display ads will still show on the same websites and apps. Google is retiring standalone Display campaigns, and the Display Network is moving inside Demand Gen campaigns instead.
When will my Display campaigns be moved to Demand Gen?
The migration tool started rolling out in June 2026, so you can move them yourself now. Google will move any remaining campaigns automatically later. It hasn't set a fixed date and says it will notify you in your account.
Can I undo the migration to Demand Gen?
No. Google says a migrated campaign can't be reverted, so check your bidding, budgets and exclusions before you move it.
Can I still run Display only remarketing?
Yes. The Display Network is switched on by default when you migrate, and other channels like YouTube and Gmail stay off unless you add them.
The bottom line
If you only run Search ads, this doesn't touch you. If you run Display or remarketing, it does, and the move can't be undone. Check your bidding, bid adjustments, shared budgets and exclusions first, then use the migration tool yourself rather than waiting for Google to do it for you. If you'd rather have someone handle it, that's part of ongoing account management, or a free audit will flag anything that needs sorting first.