In 2026, Google Discovery Ads have gone through major upgrades focused on artificial intelligence (AI). The major new thing is Conversational Discovery ads, a brand-new format that answers a person’s particular question directly inside Google’s AI Mode in Search. This is different from old Discovery ads that just showed regular images and headlines in feeds
There has been a considerable improvement in the algorithms with which it works. For this reason, more and more agencies and companies are betting on this type of advertising, which allows for coverage and reach that was previously unimaginable.
What are Discovery Campaigns in Google Ads?
Google Discovery Ads campaigns are a type of advertising campaign designed to show relevant, visual ads to users as they browse their feeds on platforms like YouTube, Gmail, and the Google app. Unlike search campaigns, these are based on user behaviour and interests, actively showing ads without users performing specific searches, maximizing reach and impact on broader audiences.
They reach up to 2.9 billion people as they scroll through their favorite feeds and look for inspiration. These ads are meant to catch attention when people are ready to discover new products and services, not when they’re actively searching for something.
New Feature: Conversational Discovery Ads (2026)
The most important new thing in 2026 is Conversational Discovery ads:
When someone asks Google AI Mode a conversational question like “I want my house to smell like a fancy spa or a rainy forest. What are low-maintenance ways to make my home smell amazing?” The ad doesn’t show a generic headline. Instead, Google’s Gemini AI model builds creatively, specifically tailored to that exact question. The ad highlights specific relevant features of the product that match what the person asked.
The ad also includes something new called an independent AI explainer. This is text written by Gemini that evaluates and summarizes product information alongside the advertiser’s message.
This makes the ad more transparent and builds trust because it shows helpful information, not just sales talk. The ad is still clearly labeled as “Sponsored” so people know it’s an advertisement.
Other New AI-Powered Features in 2026
Highlighted Answers is another new format. When Google’s AI Mode gives a list of recommendations (like the best language apps for a trip), highly relevant ads can appear in that list as a “Highlighted Answer.”
AI-powered shopping ads are also coming. If someone searches for something like an espresso machine, Gemini will pull up relevant products and instantly write a custom explainer highlighting why that product might be the right choice.
Business Agent for Leads puts a smart chat agent inside the ad. Instead of filling out a static form, a person can click “Chat” to get instant answers based on the company’s website.
Google also rolled out its first-ever Discover-specific core update in February 2026. This update affects how content is shown in the Discover feed where Discovery ads appear. The update focuses on locally relevant and expert content, minimizes clickbait headlines, and rewards original, in-depth content. This means ads that match high-quality content will perform more effectively.
Difference between Google Discovery Ads and Display Ads
The main difference is that Discovery Ads are specially designed to show up on three Google-owned mobile apps, YouTube, Gmail, and Discover, with a tailored aesthetic. Display Ads, on the other hand, allow you to reach a much wider network that includes millions of websites, apps, and other Google properties, such as YouTube.
Advantages of Google Ads Discovery campaigns
Among the main advantages of opting for a Discovery campaign on Google Ads, we find:
- Greater coverage: Google estimates that more than 3 billion users use the different feeds (or platforms) it owns on a daily basis, making the reach of this type of campaign much broader than the traditional search or display network.
- Economical: In this type of campaign, you do not pay per click but rather per impression and reach, so the costs they generate are much lower.
- Brand Visibility: These types of ads help boost your brand, as they are visually appealing ads with the potential to reach a large number of users.
- Easy to create: When launching Discovery campaigns on Google Ads, you don’t need to have elaborate content. All you need to do is enter the basic components of your ads, such as titles, high-quality representative images, and logos.
- Automatic optimization: The default bidding strategies are CPA or target ROAS, that is, they optimize based on the cost per acquisition. However, for good results, it is necessary to have a considerable number of conversions in the account, so they are not recommended from the start of the online strategy.
- Learning strategies: As time goes by and the amount of data increases, your campaign will improve its costs, and the results will be better, since the algorithm will learn from the activity generated and will focus on the users, locations, and moments where profitability is greater.
- Delivery Personalization: Discovery ads are designed to reach your potential customers while they are viewing their favourite content and browsing across Google networks. They also do so at the optimal time so that they are more likely to interact with your business.
Disadvantages of Discovery Campaigns in Google Ads
Of course, not everything could be positive, and there would have to be some negative aspects when choosing this type of campaign.
Firstly, it does not provide some of the most basic features of Google Ads, such as manual bidding strategies, delivery method, device and placement targeting, or frequency capping; you may feel a little lost and not fully in control of your campaign.
On the other hand, in discovery campaigns, it is necessary to carry out very good segmentation by audiences to obtain good results since these are not people who are already looking for the service, as in the case of traditional search ads, but rather, we must reach them indirectly through interests, custom search audiences, or customer lists.
How do you set up a Google Discovery Ads campaign?
Setting up a Google Discovery Ads campaign is a simple process, but it requires strategic planning to maximize results. This format allows you to show ads to users as they browse Google Discover, YouTube, or Gmail, targeting not specific searches but rather user interests and behaviours. Here’s how to set up your campaign effectively:
- Access Google Ads
Sign in to your Google Ads account and click on “New campaign.” Choose one of the available objectives: “Sales,” “Leads,” or “Website traffic.”
- Select the type of campaign
The next step is to choose “Discovery” as the campaign type. This format will allow you to reach an audience that is in the discovery phase rather than actively searching for products or services. Additionally, the ads will appear in various Google feeds, including the YouTube homepage and the social and promotion tabs in Gmail.
- Set up audience segmentation
Targeting is one of the key factors in Discovery Ads campaigns. You should define your audiences based on interests, previous behaviour on YouTube, or visits to websites on the Display Network.
- Create the ad
Discovery Ads offer a very visually appealing format, so you’ll need to upload several high-quality images. You can add up to 15 images, plus titles (maximum 5), descriptions, logos, and the destination URL. Google will use machine learning to test the best combinations and optimize your ad results in real-time.
- Define the bidding strategy
Google Discovery Ads only allows automated bidding strategies. The two main options are “maximize conversions” or set a “target CPA.” It is recommended that your daily budget be at least 10 times your target CPA to maximize performance.
- Launch and monitor the campaign
Once your campaign is set up, click “Publish.” From there, it’s crucial to track performance through Google Ads metrics like impressions, cost per conversion, and user interactions. If necessary, adjust images, text, or targeting to improve performance.
FAQ
Google Discovery ads are visually rich ads with images or carousels, a headline, description, business name, and logo. Here are some real-time Examples include a travel agency showing beach photos with a “Book Your Dream Vacation” headline or a fashion brand displaying outfit images with “New Summer Collection” text. They appear as single images or multiple-image carousels in Google feeds.
Headlines have a limit of 40 characters, and descriptions allow up to 90 characters. You also need to provide a business name and upload logos and images.
Discovery ads support three image sizes: landscape (1200 × 628), square (1200 × 1200), and portrait (960 × 1200). Minimum sizes are 600 × 314 (landscape), 300 × 300 (square), and 480 × 600 (portrait).