The news: Beginning March 1, Google Ads will adjust delivery to help campaigns reach their full monthly budget target (up to 30.4 times the set daily budget) even when ad schedules limit when ads can run.

• The system will increase pacing and bid pressure during the hours ads are eligible to serve, reducing the risk of underdelivery caused by restricted schedules.
• The change doesn’t expand when ads appear; it intensifies delivery within the approved windows so campaigns can still meet monthly spend goals.

News of the update first appeared on February 19 through emails sent to select advertisers, per Search Engine Roundtable. “We’re making this change to better align budget pacing functionality when ad scheduling is place [sic] with advertisers’ expectations for monthly spending limits,” Google Ads liaison Ginny Marvin said on X.

Why it’s worth watching: The pacing update mirrors where Google’s ad revenue momentum is concentrating. Search growth has re-accelerated, while YouTube’s expansion has normalized and the network business continues to shrink, per Alphabet’s Q4 2025 earnings data.

• Boosting spend within scheduled windows improves efficiency in high-intent environments—primarily search—where signals are strongest and demand is most predictable.
• This update refines Google’s shift within automated campaigns—Demand Gen, Performance Max, AI Max for Search, Smart Bidding—to favor higher-signal owned inventory like Search, YouTube, Shopping, and Discover, per Yahoo.

Increased delivery during active hours may boost auction pressure in search while pushing video campaigns, including YouTube, to operate more efficiently as growth moderates.

Search’s steady growth over the past year suggests advertisers are prioritizing measurable outcomes under uncertain conditions like measurement disruption and channel fragmentation. Meanwhile, YouTube’s softening growth reflects intensifying competition from TikTok, retail media video, and connected TV (CTV).

Implications for marketers: Under the new pacing change, expect Google ad budgets to concentrate faster in high-performing windows, especially in search-heavy campaigns.

The automation changes aren’t isolated product tweaks—they reflect where platform economics are heading—toward intent, signal density, and owned inventory over third-party options.

To optimize brand campaigns:

• Align daily budgets with true monthly intent targets, not legacy pacing assumptions.
• Monitor intra-month spend velocity and auction costs as pacing tightens. Test creative and bidding on YouTube to sustain efficiency as growth normalizes.