The short version
Diwali falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026, as per the central government's list of gazetted holidays. Before your festive campaigns peak, check three settings that changed in October:
- Google's automated promotions, which have been on by default for some campaigns since 12 October
- The new channel priority controls in Google Ads, announced on 14 October
- Meta's product browsing, which is switched on for existing ads from 28 October
None of these is a disaster on its own. Each one, though, can quietly change what your ads show or where your budget goes, right before the festive rush. A short check in each account now is cheaper than finding out in your December report.
| Change | Since | Where to check | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google automated promotions | 12 Oct 2026 | Account-level automated assets | Review what Google picked up, or switch it off and add your own promotion |
| Google channel priorities | Rolling out from 14 Oct 2026 | Campaign or account settings, once available | Keep your lead-driving channel high priority and cap the rest |
| Meta product browsing | 28 Oct 2026 | Each ad's Advantage+ creative and destination settings | Switch it off where your ad should open a form, chat or landing page |
1. Google Ads now adds promotions it finds on your website
From 12 October 2026, Google Ads automatically finds promotions on your website, such as coupons and deals, and adds them to your ads. Search Engine Roundtable reports that this applies to Search and Performance Max campaigns that have location assets linked and no promotion assets of their own. It's opt-out, so if you did nothing, it's on.
The risk is simple. If an old offer is still sitting in a banner on your site, Google can pick it up and show it in your ad. So can an offer with conditions your ad can't explain. During Diwali, when you may run three offers in two weeks, that's easy to miss.
What to do
- Look before you decide. Check which promotions Google has attached, and whether they match what's live on your site today.
- Switch it off if you can't keep your site and ads in sync. Go to your account-level automated assets settings, find "Automated Promotions" and set it to Off.
- Add your own promotion asset with the exact offer and end date. You stay in control of the wording.
- Clean up expired offers on your website, not just in your ads. Google reads the site.
2. Channel priorities: decide where your budget goes first
On 14 October, Google announced two new controls. With channel prioritization you mark channels as high or low priority, and high-priority channels are funded first, within your target CPA or ROAS. With budget allocation you set a maximum share of the daily budget for low-priority channels. Google calls this a best-effort limit, not a hard cap. The controls cover Search, Shopping, Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns.
"Say goodbye to all-or-nothing channel targeting."
— Google Ads & Commerce Blog, 14 October 2026Two details matter for planning:
- It's rolling out globally over the coming months, so it may not be in your account yet.
- From February 2027, Search campaigns with the Display Network switched on lose their current spend allocation setup. Google says you can keep today's behaviour by setting the Display Network to low priority with a 50% budget allocation.
💡 For lead generation accounts: if Search brings most of your enquiries, keep Search high priority and cap Display. Then judge each channel on lead quality, not cost per click. A cheap click that never calls back isn't cheap.
If you'd like a second pair of eyes on how your campaigns are set up, this is what a Google Ads audit covers. It's also part of our ongoing Google Ads management.
3. Meta product browsing is now on for existing ads
From 28 October 2026, Meta switches on product browsing for ads that are already running, unless the advertiser opted out. When someone taps an ad, they may now see an in-app page with product information and personalised suggestions instead of going straight to your website. PPC Land reports that the change was announced in a notice to advertisers. At the time of its report, there was no Help Center page explaining it.
For a store with a catalogue, an in-app browsing page might work well. Test it before you judge it. For a service business, a coaching institute or a clinic, the goal is usually a form fill, a WhatsApp chat or a call. An extra product-style page between the tap and that goal isn't what you paid for.
What to do
- Open each active ad's Advantage+ creative and destination settings, and switch product browsing off where the ad should lead to a form, chat or landing page.
- Duplicated ads can carry their own settings, so check new copies too.
- If you sell products, keep it on for a test set of ads and compare purchases, not clicks.
More on structuring Meta campaigns: our Meta Ads management page. If your D2C account has stalled, see the D2C Meta Ads audit.
4. A quick tracking and lead-quality check
Festive budgets are only as good as the data that steers them. Before you raise spend:
- Submit a test enquiry yourself on every form and landing page. Then confirm the conversion shows up in Google Ads and in Meta Events Manager.
- Read your recent leads, not just the count. If Meta instant forms bring junk, switch to the Higher intent form type. According to Meta's developer documentation, it adds a review-and-confirm step before submission. Add one qualifying question too, such as budget, city or course.
- Check that every landing page shows the current offer and its end date. Remove last year's offers.
- Make sure someone answers. A lead called back the next day is often a lead lost to whoever called first.
Running ads over the festive week
A few practical rules for the festive week:
- Plan budget changes before the rush, and make them in steps rather than doubling overnight, so automated bidding has time to adjust.
- Use ad schedules for the days your team is off. If nobody will answer calls on Diwali itself, pause call-led campaigns for the day instead of paying for leads that go cold.
- Keep offers and ads consistent across Google, Meta and your website. Mismatched prices are the fastest way to lose a festive buyer.
- Review results weekly by lead quality and sales, not by impressions.
For ecommerce brands planning beyond Diwali, our ecommerce marketing page explains how we run Google and Meta together.
Want these settings checked in your accounts?
Share access and Nishant will review your Google Ads and Meta setup. You'll get the promotions, priorities, destinations and tracking issues, plus what to fix first. Free, with no obligation.
Book My Free Check →Frequently asked questions
No. It's a choice. Check which promotions Google has picked up from your site. Keep it on if they're accurate and your site stays up to date. Switch it off under account-level automated assets if they aren't, and add your own promotion asset instead.
Google says the controls are rolling out globally over the coming months, so many accounts won't have them yet. Plan for them now. The February 2027 change for Search campaigns with the Display Network on will apply either way.
When it's on, a tap on your ad may open an in-app page with product information and suggestions instead of going straight to your website. From 28 October 2026 it's on by default for existing ads. You can switch it off per ad in the Advantage+ creative and destination settings.
Only where your tracking works and someone answers the leads. Raise budgets in steps on campaigns that already convert. Avoid sudden jumps on new ones, and judge the result by enquiries and sales rather than clicks.
Yes. Get in touch with your business name and the platforms you use, and Nishant will review your Google Ads and Meta setup. You'll get a short list of fixes in priority order.