Google ad and merchant tests

Google is testing a swipeable location carousel in search ads and adding Merchant API support to Google Ads scripts on April 22, 2026. (seroundtable.com) (ads-developers.googleblog.com) Search Engine Roundtable reported on April 7 that some Google Ads on mobile were showing horizontal, swipeable location cards tied to Google Business Profile data. Google’s location assets already let ads show an address, map, distance, or store information pulled from Google Maps and Google Business Profile. (seroundtable.com) (support.google.com) Google said on April 9 that Merchant API support will begin rolling out in the Google Ads scripts editor on April 22, 2026. The company also said the older Content API for Shopping will sunset on August 18, 2026. (ads-developers.googleblog.com) (support.google.com) A location asset is the business address layer inside an ad, and a merchant feed is the product list Google reads to build shopping-style listings. Google says Merchant API is replacing Content API as the main way to manage products, inventory, and accounts programmatically in Merchant Center. (support.google.com 1) (support.google.com 2) Those two changes push the same direction: more ad space built from structured business data instead of only headlines and description lines. Google’s help pages say location assets depend on accurate Google Maps and Google Business Profile information, while Merchant API is designed for automated product and inventory management at scale. (support.google.com 1) (support.google.com 2) For Montego Bay businesses, that means the basics matter first: business name, address, phone number, hours, categories, and linked Google Business Profile records. Google’s setup guide says advertisers can connect location assets through Business Profile or chain locations inside Google Ads. (support.google.com 1) (support.google.com 2) Service businesses that do not sell packaged goods can still prepare feed-style data by listing services as clear, standardized offers with names, prices, descriptions, and availability. That is an inference from how Merchant API handles product and inventory data and how Google has been testing more visual, structured ad layouts. (support.google.com) (seroundtable.com) Google has tested related ad formats before, including image-and-map carousels reported in October 2024 and call-and-location carousel layouts reported in 2023. The April 2026 test adds to that pattern of turning local search ads into browsable cards instead of a single static location line. (seroundtable.com) (seroundtable.com) Google has not announced a broad launch date for the swipeable location format, and Search Engine Roundtable described it as a test seen “in the wild.” The immediate deadline is clearer on the merchant side: script users who rely on Content API have until August 18, 2026 to move. (seroundtable.com) (ads-developers.googleblog.com)