By Toby Doebrich · Playbook Perspectives
Your website photo library is about to get another job. A coming Google Ads default will let new Performance Max campaigns pull images from landing pages unless you make a different choice. Before delegating that decision, I’d take a good look at what’s in the library.
What is changing
Google announced on October 21 that image extraction will be enabled by default for newly created Performance Max campaigns starting December 4, 2026. The change applies across the Google Ads interface, Editor and API.
The new campaign-level default applies even when the account-level Dynamic Image Extensions setting is disabled. Existing Performance Max campaigns retain their current configurations. Google advises explicitly opting out at campaign level on new campaigns when image extraction is not wanted.
Those details are from Google’s announcement, checked October 25, 2026. Have the person responsible for your campaigns verify the current implementation before the effective date.
The business question behind the setting
This isn’t a reason to reject automation automatically. It is a reason to decide what the automation is allowed to represent.
When a platform selects an image from your website, the relevant question is whether that image supports the offer being advertised. Does it show the right service, location, room or product? Would a person seeing the ad understand any limitation that matters?
These examples are possible review scenarios, not evidence that the feature has produced those errors in your account.
Treat the website as an asset source
For businesses that want image extraction enabled, reviewing the landing page becomes part of creative preparation.
Check whether images remain current and whether the business has the necessary permission to use them in advertising. A photo’s presence on the website should not be treated as proof that every possible reuse is covered.
Also examine the context surrounding each image. A page may include editorial examples, discontinued offers or multiple locations. Decide which images are appropriate for campaign use rather than relying on the page’s overall relevance.
Assign the decision
Ask the campaign owner to document whether image extraction is intended to be on or off for new campaigns, where that choice is set and who will verify it after setup.
If another person or system creates campaigns, include the decision in the handoff. An account-level assumption should not substitute for a confirmed campaign setting when the platform’s behavior changes.
Technical teams using the API should follow the implementation details in Google’s documentation rather than copy instructions from a general business article.
Review the result, too
A correct setting is one part of the work. Review what actually appears in the campaign and whether the message, visual and destination make sense together.
An image can be attractive without clarifying the offer. A technically eligible asset can still need a creative decision. Keep those judgments distinct from whether the campaign passed setup checks.
Record discrepancies and choose an action: correct the source material, adjust the setting, replace an asset or investigate further. Avoid changing several unrelated things if you want to understand what helped.
A useful rule for changing platforms
Automation works within instructions, available material and platform behavior. All three can change.
The next time a platform announces a new default, ask two questions: “What will happen if we do nothing?” and “Is that what we intend?”
That conversation is worth having before the campaign makes the decision for you.
