Google Display Ads campaigns have a new home as Google Display Network (GDN) in Demand Gen. This means that while the campaign creation workflow is different, your ability to serve ads on the Google Display Network remains the same. You will have access to the same network that helps you expand and diversify your marketing strategies across more than 2 million sites and apps.
Customers looking to buy Display only campaigns can continue to do so, and this unification introduces new innovation from Demand Gen to your toolkit. Customers interested in maximizing performance across all of Google’s visual surfaces can now access Google Display Network (GDN) inventory alongside YouTube, Discover, Gmail, and Maps (in Beta) in a single campaign type.
Key dates
- June 2026: Google is launching a phased rollout of our migration tool. Eligible advertisers can begin moving existing Google Display Ads campaigns to Google Display Network on Demand Gen using a migration tool accessible in their Google Ads account.
- Coming later: New Google Display Ads campaigns can only be created within Demand Gen. Advertisers can continue to access and edit existing Google Display Ads campaigns until they are migrated.
- Coming later: Remaining eligible Google Display Ads campaigns will be automatically migrated to GDN on Demand Gen campaigns without any advertiser action.
Learn more in the Google Blog post about this update .
On this page
- How to migrate to Demand Gen
- What to expect during migration
- Features you gain by migrating to Demand Gen
- How are Demand Gen and Google Display Ads different?
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
How to migrate to Demand Gen
There are 2 ways to transition your Google Display Ads campaigns into GDN on Demand Gen:
- Use the migration tool [Recommended]: This tool allows you to update live campaigns with performance history (dating back to 42 days) ported over. This minimizes learning time to approximately 1-2 days and avoids a "cold start."
- Transition your budgets manually: After you're ready to start moving budgets to Demand Gen, you can decrease the budgets on your Google Display Ads campaigns while proportionally increasing your budgets on your Demand Gen campaigns.
Using the migration tool
Migrate your Google Display Ads Campaigns to Demand Gen
Use the following steps to migrate your Google Display Ads campaigns to Demand Gen:
- Go to Campaigns
within the Campaignsmenu
.
- Select the filter button
above the "Campaigns" table, then open the Attributesdropdown.
- Select Campaign type, choose the box next to “Display”, and select Apply.
- Choose the box next to each campaign you’re choosing to migrate.
- Open the Editdropdown, then select Upgrade to Demand Gen.
- You’ll find an alert telling you the following:
- Settings and learning are transferred to the new campaign.
- Your budget will be transferred, but campaign spend on the same day of migration will not be taken into account.
- You’ll find an alert telling you the following:
- Select Apply.
- Note: The migration may take a few minutes.
- You can migrate multiple campaigns at the same time, however migrating more than 100 campaigns in a single batch isn't recommended.
View your changed campaigns
After you've migrated your campaigns, you can view these campaigns on the “Bulk actions” page. Use the following steps to view your changed campaigns:
- Go to All bulk actions
within the Toolsmenu
.
- You’ll find the email of the user who initiated the migration, the status, and a description of the action.
- To view which campaigns were migrated, select View changed campaignswithin the “Actions” column. You’ll find a note indicating that some campaigns may not be shown because they’ve been modified or removed.
- Select View campaigns.
- You’ll be taken to the campaigns page to the list of migrated campaigns. Under the “Campaign type” column, you’ll find “Demand Gen.”
Migration tool troubleshooting
Here are some of the most common reasons for errors, and ways to solve:
Eligibility error messages
As you migrate, you may see error messages for features that aren't supported yet. These features will be available in the future. Affected campaigns were not migrated via the tool, and no additional action is needed. For errors that do require your attention, the table below outlines the specific steps you can take to resolve them and proceed with your migration.
| Campaign setting / Feature | Error message in UI | How to solve |
|---|---|---|
|
Responsive Display Ad with disclaimer
|
Current disclaimer format not supported | Pause your campaign and remove the current disclaimers. Once removed, you can migrate your campaign. After migrating, add your disclaimers in the new format and resume your campaign. |
|
Responsive Display Ad missing a logo
|
Responsive Display Ad missing a logo | Be sure to add a logo to the campaign (the migration flow will help you add one). |
|
Custom promo text
|
Custom promo text not supported | Remove the price prefix or custom promo text from your ads, then migrate your campaign. Once migrated, you can update your ads to use Demand Gen’s supported promo text options |
|
Click-to-call asset
|
Click-to-call assets not supported | Add an additional call-to-action (CTA) to the campaign so it can serve on Demand Gen. |
|
Lead form asset
|
Lead form assets not supported | Please remove the lead form asset before migrating your campaign. |
|
Ad group bid modifier
|
Ad group bid modifiers not currently supported | Please remove any ad group bid modifiers before migrating your campaign. |
|
Product Filter
|
Product filters not supported | Remove the product filters from your campaign before migrating. After migrating, you can use Demand Gen’s product scopes or listing groups instead. |
|
Shared Budget
|
Campaigns with shared budgets not supported | Please set up a dedicated budget for the campaign before migrating. |
|
Ad Group Exclusions
|
Some ad group exclusions are not supported | Please remove any ad group level bid modifiers or exclusions before migrating your campaign. |
What to expect as your Google Display Ads are migrated to Demand Gen
- Campaign naming: Migrated campaigns will follow the naming convention "[Original campaign name] #2."
- Performance continuity: Campaigns can see performance fluctuations within the first several days. Monitoring campaigns after migration is recommended to ensure performance and delivery meet your expectations.
- Budget handling: Please be aware that when migrating your campaigns from Google Display Ads to Demand Gen, any budget spent earlier in the day will not be recognized by the new campaign. For example, if your Google Display Ads campaign spent $10 USD of a $50 USD daily budget before the migration, the new Demand Gen campaign will reset and start with a fresh $50 USD daily budget for the remainder of that day. This budget reset should only impact spend for the day of the migration, though temporary underdelivery or overdelivery is possible within the first 24 hours.
Campaign defaults
Transitioning from Google Display Ads to Demand Gen campaigns involves a shift in functionality. While some familiar tools may change or be retired, new features are introduced to enhance performance.
To help you prepare, here is a high-level overview of how your settings will be handled during the migration process:
- Unavailable features in Demand Gen: These functionalities will no longer be accessible after shifting over to Demand Gen.
- Existing features in Demand Gen: Your current configurations will remain unchanged.
- Current features in Demand Gen with expanded functionality: Your settings will default to the closest equivalent from your previous campaign. Review the full feature availability list below.
- New features: By default your campaign will be opted out of this new setting.
Full feature availability on Demand Gen
**Timelines and feature availability subject to change.
Confirm campaign migrations
Migrated campaigns will have the naming convention “[Original campaign name] #2” and will be the Demand Gen campaign type. This should be one way to verify. Additionally, labels can help you confirm in the campaigns table:
- Go to Campaigns
within the Campaigns
- Select the Columnsicon
above the campaigns table.
- Select Modify columnsif the “Modify column for campaigns” doesn’t show up.
- Select the All columnsdropdown.
- Check the box next to Label within the "Attributes" dropdown.
- You can drag the columns up on the right hand panel so the "Labels" column appears on the left hand side in your campaigns table.
- Select Apply.
- Select Add filter
- Select Labelwithin the Attributes dropdown.
- You will view 2 different types of labels related to this migration:
- "Pasted as Demand Gen"
- "Pasted as Demand Gen on [Date]"
Features you gain by updating to Demand Gen
Inventory
- Expand your reach beyond the Google Display Network by leveraging channel controls to access diverse inventory across platforms like Discover and YouTube.
Creatives
- More formats: You will be able to upload a wider variety of video ads on Demand Gen.
Campaign settings
- Lookalike targeting: Similar Audiences are evolving into Lookalike segments, allowing you to reach new, qualified audiences who share characteristics with your existing customers.
Reporting
- Format segmentation reporting: Gain transparency into insights broken out by format level, including In-Feed, Skippable In-Stream, and Shorts.
Key feature comparison
Please note that green text indicates features available in Demand Gen, while red text indicates features that are not. We will continue to introduce even more new features to GDN on Demand Gen campaigns.
| Feature | Google Display Ads | Google Display Network (GDN) in Demand Gen |
|---|---|---|
|
Inventory
|
Google Display Network (GDN), YouTube, Gmail | GDN, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, Maps |
|
Creatives formats
|
Responsive Display Ads, Uploaded Display Ads (Image Ads, HTML5, Gif), Feeds (GMC & BDF) | Responsive Display Ads, Uploaded Display Ads (Image Ads, HTML5**), Product feeds, Carousel ads, Generative image tools, and a wider variety of Video ads |
|
Audience
|
Optimized targeting, RMKT list, Custom segments, 1p data-CM, Interest, Demographics, Contextual targeting | Optimized targeting, RMKT list, Custom segments, 1p data-CM, Interest, Demographics, Contextual targeting, Lookalike segments |
|
Bidding
|
Max conversions, Max conv. value, tCPA, tROAS, Manual CPC , Max clicks, Viewable Impressions, Pay for Conversions | Max conversions, Max conv. value, tCPA, tROAS, Max clicks, tCPC, Flighted Campaign Total Budgets |
|
Measurement
|
Data-driven attribution, Conversion Lift, Third-party verification | Data-driven attribution, Conversion Lift, Third-party verification |
** HTML5 format coming soon to GDN in Demand Gen
How are Demand Gen and Google Display Ads different?
Campaigns migrating to Demand Gen retain many of the settings you’re familiar with but benefit from added features and the ability to optimize performance across expanded dimensions.
Demand Gen inventory includes YouTube, Discover, Gmail, Maps, and the Google Display Network.
| Where ads show | Discover | Gmail | YouTube (image only) | YouTube (video) | YouTube Shorts | Maps | Google Display Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Demand Gen
|
|||||||
|
Google Display Ads
|
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Will there be any alerts about this migration?
Where can I find the Google Display Ads campaigns in my account?
You can use a combination of filters to identify Google Display Ads campaigns in your account.
In the "Campaigns" tab:
- Go to Campaigns
within the Campaignsmenu
- Select the filter button
- Select Campaign typeand then choose the box next to “Display” and select Apply.
You may consider including the "Status" filter and selecting all except "Removed."
“Removed” Google Display Ads campaigns will not be migrated to Demand Gen. "Paused" and "Enabled" campaigns may be migrated, depending on how recently any Google Display Ads campaigns have accrued spend in your account.
What are best practices when migrating to Demand Gen?
| Channel | We recommend keeping GDN-only in channel controls to ensure a proper campaign setting transfer. |
| Setup | Use our migration tool to create your Demand Gen campaign. We will automatically transfer your existing Google Display Ads campaign goals and settings. Please ensure you review your updated settings to confirm everything is configured to your preference. |
| Audience | Replicate your audience approach from comparable Google Display Ads campaigns and try testing Lookalikes . To best match existing campaign performance, it is recommended that you target the same audiences. |
| Bidding | Try similar bid levels to your Google Display Ads campaigns, and set your conversion attribution window to >28 days. If you need to optimize the campaign, limit bid changes to only +/- 15% and wait a week between changes. |
| Creative | We recommend expanding the number of assets including a business logo and video assets. This allows your ads to scale across the widest possible range of inventory slots, which typically leads to stronger overall performance |
| Evaluation benchmark | Evaluate your Demand Gen performance against campaign specific KPIs aligned to your marketing goals and your bidding strategy. |
Tips
- Ensure there is clear alignment on the campaign goals to measure success, ramp time, and budget.
- Have a consolidated campaign structure for effective learning – consolidate ad groups by combining similar audience themes whenever possible, and consider merging ad groups with fewer than ~30 conversions in 30 days.
- Limit bid changes to +/- 15% to avoid performance volatility.
- Utilize campaign optimization recommendations and performance readouts throughout the campaign flight.
Why should I use the migration tool?
Will my historical data be preserved?
What happens to my pay for conversions campaigns?
If I create identical campaigns in Google Display Ads and Demand Gen, will they compete?
Do I need a new business logo?
Will my ads need to be re-approved upon creating new campaigns?
Where can I learn more about Demand Gen?
What status will my campaign have upon being migrated? For example, "Paused", "Enabled"?
