Migrating Display ads to Demand Gen: what to check
Google Display ads are gradually moving into Demand Gen campaigns. Google Display Network (GDN) inventory remains available, and advertisers can still serve exclusively on GDN after migration. Google's announcement
Prepare by recording budgets, delivery scope, assets, and measurement, then checking that the migrated setup serves the same business purpose. This guide provides a worksheet and an evaluation process.
Check the notice in your account
Google announced the transition on May 26, 2026. Its help page describes a phased migration-tool rollout starting in June. Changes to new campaign creation and automatic migration of remaining eligible campaigns are listed as coming later. Official migration guide
Check your account notice and affected campaigns rather than assuming a universal transition date. For broader campaign selection, see Google Ads campaign types and how to choose.
Record the current setup and its purpose
Keep both settings and the reasons behind them. Screenshots alone may not explain which business requirement a changed setting must preserve.
| Item | Record before migration | Check afterward |
|---|---|---|
| Goals and measurement | Definitions of purchases, bookings, or qualified inquiries | Whether you evaluate the same outcomes |
| Budget and bidding | Daily budget, sharing, bidding method, and targets | New settings and actual spending |
| Delivery and audiences | Channels, intended customers, and exclusion reasons | Whether delivery meets the intended scope |
| Assets and destinations | Images, logo, copy, required disclosures, and landing pages | Appearance, review status, and destinations |
| Concurrent activity | Promotions, site changes, and other ad tests | Events affecting the comparison |
For example, “avoid delivery outside our service area” is a requirement. Verify that requirement even when a setting appears to have transferred successfully.
Resolve conditions before scheduling migration
The official guide lists conditions needing action, including shared budgets. Migrated campaigns cannot be reverted to the original Display campaign type. Migration tool and restrictions
If an error appears, match it to the current guidance. Before removing a condition, identify the requirement it protected and its replacement. Do not remove necessary disclosures or exclusions simply to get through migration.
Resolve uncertain items before choosing an execution date. Changing copy and landing pages at the same time makes changes in performance harder to interpret.
Monitor combined spending on migration day
Earlier Display spending on the migration day is not counted against the new campaign's budget. Review spending across both campaigns that day. Official budget explanation
Record money already spent, the remaining spending you can accept, and who will check it. A normal daily budget alone does not describe combined spending on the transition day.
Check channels, assets, and actual delivery
Demand Gen channel controls operate at ad-group level, with manual and automatic selection options. Official channel-control guide
First verify that delivery fits the original purpose. Treat expansion into additional channels as a separate decision with suitable assets, budget, and evaluation conditions. The AI ad creative production and testing guide can help prepare images for another surface.
After migration, check:
- Campaign and ad status, and whether delivery actually occurs.
- Logos, copy, disclosures, and consistency with landing pages.
- Spending and outcomes by channel, including unsuitable inquiries or purchases.
- Continued measurement and the time required for outcomes to appear.
Use previews to inspect appearance. A saved setting and an ad delivering as intended are separate observations.
Interpret before-and-after performance
Demand, promotions, seasonality, and delivery volume can change around migration. A before-and-after comparison alone does not establish that migration caused an improvement.
| Observation | Next check |
|---|---|
| Spending rises | Transition-day spending, budget settings, and channel changes |
| Outcomes fall | Delivery, measurement, assets, audience scope, and outcome delay |
| Cost per acquisition falls | Outcome quality and definition, demand, and promotions |
| Evidence is insufficient | Missing data and the next review point |
If you want to measure additional outcomes caused by advertising, consider a separate comparison design using the incrementality measurement guide.
An AI checklist prompt
Review preparation for migrating Display ads to Demand Gen.
Advertising purpose and outcome definitions:
Affected campaigns and account migration notice:
Current budgets, bidding, channels, and exclusions:
Assets, disclosures, and landing pages:
Unsupported items and verified official guidance:
Reason for each condition:
Spending already incurred on migration day and remaining acceptable spend:
Concurrent promotions, site changes, and ad tests:
Post-migration reviewer and review timing:
Return:
- Unresolved pre-migration items and missing evidence
- Settings and appearance to verify immediately afterward
- Observations supporting continuation, correction, or deferred judgment
Do not invent supported features or improvement rates.
Do not automatically migrate campaigns or remove exclusions or disclosures.
Customer information and account credentials are unnecessary when using ChatGPT or Gemini for this review. Start by completing the current-settings worksheet. Shoryaku AI chat can help discuss spending and outcomes using connected Google Ads data and your business conditions. Perform migration and verify settings in Google Ads.