Google Ads to end manual language targeting in Search campaigns

 

Search campaigns will soon drop manual language settings, leaving AI to automatically detect and target user languages.

Google Ads will remove manual language targeting for Search campaigns and shift fully to AI-driven language detection by the end of this year.

Details:

• What’s changing. Manual language targeting in Search campaigns will disappear; AI handles it automatically.
• What’s not changing. Non-Search campaigns (e.g., Display, YouTube) keep their existing language targeting settings.

Why we care. Advertisers will no longer choose languages for targeting. Instead, Google AI will determine language based on user signals. This change simplifies setup, but reduces direct control. Google’s AI could simplify campaign setup and improve detection, but this also poses risks (e.g., ads being shown in the wrong markets or missing key audiences). Marketers will need to watch performance closely and adjust strategies since AI will now fully dictate how language targeting works.

First seen. This update was brought to our attention by PPC News Feed, who credited Ezra Sackett for spotting it.

The big picture. This marks another step in Google Ads’ broader shift toward automation, leaning on AI to optimize campaign delivery while limiting advertiser controls