Week 46: Google's core update runs into Black Friday

Google released its November core update on 10 November, and on 13 November it was still rolling out. At the pace of past updates it ends around Black Friday, so organic numbers will move for ranking reasons through the run-up to BFCM. The day before, Tag Manager started counting pages restored from the back/forward cache as page views. Both change what your reports show without any change in demand.

Published this week

• GA4 Data Manager can log one conversion twice in Google Ads: data imported through GA4 flows on to Google Ads, and the GA4 map cannot show the Google Ads side.
• A 14% list match reads as under 5% on LinkedIn: one customer list through seven platforms’ matching rules, with floors that differ tenfold.
• GA4 keeps the session but gives your banner the sale: what seven analytics tools do with an internal UTM on a paid visit.
• Tag Manager now counts back-button returns as page views: views step up from 9 November with no new traffic, and two setups can count one return twice.
• At its usual pace, Google’s core update ends on Black Friday: nine past rollouts projected from 10 November, median end 27 November.
• Google counts three assists where Microsoft counts one: one YouTube and Search path through Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising and GA4.
• Google now shows invalid-click credits your CPA still counts: the new card shows credits, but campaign metrics freeze at month end and keep the credited spend.

Releases and changes

Google Search

10 November. November 2026 core update. Google’s Search Status Dashboard says it applies to all languages and may take up to two weeks. Hold organic conclusions until the dashboard posts the end, then compare full weeks.

11 November. Moving to a CDN. Search Central explains that faster responses after a CDN switch raise Google’s crawl rate while the cache is still cold, so the origin takes the load. Do not switch a store to a CDN in the weeks before BFCM without warming the cache first.

Google Analytics and Tag Manager

6 November. Data Manager in Google Analytics (beta). The What’s new page describes one admin hub for product links, data streams and first-party data. Before you connect a source there, check it does not also send the same conversions to Google Ads directly.

9 November. bfcache returns count as page views. The GTM release notes apply it to tags that subscribe to page views on history change. Annotate the date: Views rise, users and sessions do not.

Google Ads

9 November. Demand Gen Display moves to ad groups from the week of 1 December. The developer blog says the campaign-level opt-out will return an error, and Display-only ad groups that were opted out at campaign level will be paused. Scripts and tools that set target_content_network to false need a change before then.

11 November. Google Ads API v26.2. The release notes add Demand Gen seasonality adjustments (beta, not Discover), account-level unique reach split by format and network, and text overlaid on Demand Gen videos by default for new ads created in v26. A BFCM sale on Demand Gen can now get a seasonality adjustment through the API, and a new video ad created in v26 lays your headlines over the video unless you opt out.

12 November. Invalid Traffic Overview Card. The Ads & Commerce blog announces a card with the amount saved and the amount credited. Campaign cost does not drop when a credit arrives; read cost per conversion from the Invalid Activity Credit Report.

12 November. DV360 API v5 manages responsive YouTube ads. The developer blog says ads can now be built by API, while line items and ad groups still need the interface or SDF. Ad creation can move into your pipeline; campaign structure cannot yet.

Microsoft Advertising

12 November. XBOX Video for Brands. Microsoft’s blog describes a three-minute pre-roll pod that unlocks 30 minutes of cloud gaming. It is a new premium video placement sold through XBOX Media Solutions, with a viewer who must watch to play.

Shopify

10 November. Shop opens to stores without Shopify Payments. The changelog says these stores may start to see referrals from the Shop app and Shop.com, but cannot run Shop Campaigns. Check your channel reports for a new Shop referral source before you read it as growth elsewhere.

What to do

• Annotate 9 and 10 November in GA4 and your BI tool: page views and organic both change for reasons that are not demand.
• Find every script that sets target_content_network to false on Demand Gen campaigns, and move the Display choice to ad groups before the week of 1 December.
• Read October’s Search and Performance Max CPA from the Invalid Activity Credit Report once November’s credits post, not from the campaigns table.

The page-view change is the one that spreads quietly: every rate that divides by views moves, and every rate that divides by sessions does not. Which one does your conversion rate use?