Google Removes Display and Video Support in Performance Planner

For the digital marketing agencies clustered around the Domain and the burgeoning tech startups lining the corridors of Austin, Texas, the tools we rely on for forecasting aren’t just conveniences—they are the bedrock of quarterly budgeting. When Google makes a “quiet” change to its ecosystem, the ripples are felt immediately across the Silicon Hills. The recent decision by Google to remove Display and Video support from the Performance Planner is one such ripple, shifting the landscape for local advertisers who have long used these tools to balance their reach and conversion goals.

The Sudden Void in Multi-Channel Forecasting

Performance Planner has traditionally served as a critical sandbox for marketers, allowing them to simulate how changes in spend could impact key metrics like conversions and conversion value. By stripping away the ability to plan for Display and Video campaigns, Google has effectively siloed the planning process. For an Austin-based business trying to coordinate a high-visibility video campaign to coincide with a major event at the Austin Convention Center, the loss of this integrated forecasting means a return to more manual, fragmented calculations.

This move is particularly jarring because it wasn’t announced with the usual fanfare of a feature update. Instead, it was a quiet removal, leaving many account managers to discover the missing functionality only when they attempted to map out their next fiscal cycle. In a city where the competitive landscape for attention is as fierce as the traffic on I-35, the ability to accurately predict the ROI of a video asset versus a search ad is paramount. The removal of this support suggests a fundamental shift in how Google views the “planning” phase of the customer journey, moving away from user-defined simulations and toward something more automated.

The Pivot to Suggested Plans

Whereas the removal of Display and Video support feels like a loss, it coincides with the rollout of “Suggested plans” within the Performance Planner. This is the crux of Google’s current trajectory: a move toward AI-driven recommendations over manual forecasting. Rather than allowing a strategist to plug in various spend scenarios for a Video campaign and see the projected outcome, Google is increasingly pushing marketers toward pre-calculated suggestions based on historical data and algorithmic predictions.

For the sophisticated practitioners coming out of the University of Texas at Austin’s digital programs or the veterans operating within the Austin Chamber of Commerce’s network, this shift is a double-edged sword. On one hand, Suggested plans can reduce the time spent on rote data entry. On the other, it reduces the level of granular control that high-level strategists use to optimize digital marketing strategies. The “black box” nature of these suggestions can make it difficult to justify specific budget allocations to a CFO who wants to see the logic behind the spend, rather than just a “suggested” number from an algorithm.

Impact on the Austin Tech Ecosystem

Austin’s economy is uniquely sensitive to these shifts because of the density of mid-sized agencies that manage diverse portfolios. From the corporate giants like Oracle to the hundreds of boutique firms specializing in e-commerce, the reliance on Google Ads is nearly universal. When the toolset changes, the operational overhead for these agencies increases. They can no longer rely on a single integrated planner to visualize the interplay between a broad-reach Display campaign and a high-intent Search campaign.

This creates a secondary effect: a renewed demand for third-party attribution and forecasting tools. We are seeing a trend where local firms are diversifying their tech stacks to avoid total dependency on a single provider’s planning tools. The goal is to maintain a “source of truth” that exists outside of the Google ecosystem, ensuring that if another feature is quietly retired, the business’s ability to forecast its growth remains intact. This is not just about software. it’s about advertising compliance and financial predictability in a volatile market.

Navigating the New Planning Reality in Austin

Given my background as an Executive Geo-Journalist and Lead Pundit, I’ve seen how local businesses often struggle when global platforms change the rules of engagement. If this shift in Google’s Performance Planner is disrupting your budget cycles here in Austin, you can no longer rely on the “set it and forget it” approach to planning. You require a localized strategy that accounts for these tool gaps.

Depending on the size of your operation, here are the three types of local professionals you should look for to bridge the gap left by Google’s updates:

Specialized PPC Strategists

Look for consultants who move beyond the basic Google Ads interface. The ideal strategist should be proficient in manual forecasting models and capable of building custom projection spreadsheets that mirror the lost Display and Video functionality. Ensure they have a verified track record of managing multi-channel budgets without relying solely on automated suggestions.

Full-Service Digital Marketing Agencies

If you are a larger entity, look for agencies that employ a dedicated data analyst. You want a firm that doesn’t just “run ads” but provides comprehensive attribution reports. They should be able to explain exactly how a Video view on YouTube contributes to a Search conversion in a way that doesn’t rely on a Google-suggested plan.

Data Analytics Consultants

For businesses with high spend, a consultant specializing in GA4 and BigQuery is essential. These professionals can help you export your own data to create independent forecasting models. Look for experts who can integrate diverse data streams to provide a holistic view of your marketing funnel, bypassing the limitations of the Performance Planner.

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