On March 25, 2026, Google officially launched Scenario Planner and Projections inside Google Analytics, as reported by Search Engine Journal. Both tools are currently in beta and allow advertisers to plan and monitor cross-channel media budgets directly inside Analytics — no external spreadsheets required.
The features are part of Google Analytics' Cross-channel budgeting suite, currently rolling out progressively with eligibility requirements.
Two tools, two distinct use cases
Scenario Planner is for the planning phase. It lets advertisers model different budget allocations across channels and estimate the potential impact on conversions, revenue, or ROI. The tool is designed to build media plans before campaign launches.
Projections is for active campaigns. It shows whether current spend is pacing toward selected goals and where adjustments are needed before the reporting period ends. It provides visibility into projected budget delivery, conversions, and revenue by channel.
Google recommends using both tools together: Scenario Planner to build the forward-looking plan, Projections to monitor execution in real time.
Access requirements to know
This feature isn't universally available. Google's eligibility requirements include:
- At least one year of conversion data
- Channels with cost data compatible with Primary Channel Grouping
- At least one year of campaign data from at least two channels (Google + non-Google)
Both tools rely on modeled estimates based on historical performance — outputs are directional, not guaranteed. Worth keeping in mind when presenting projections to stakeholders.
Why this matters for marketing teams
For most teams, budget planning and performance tracking live in separate places. Planning happens in spreadsheets or internal forecast tools; performance gets measured inside ad platforms and Analytics after the fact. That gap makes real-time budget decisions harder.
These new tools bring key planning workflows into Analytics. Teams can now:
- Model budgets before launch without switching tools
- Check pacing in real time during active campaigns
- Compare channels — Google and non-Google — from a single interface
For SEO professionals, this also signals Google's continued push toward integrated paid/organic measurement. The trend toward unified dashboards that include GEO and organic channel data alongside paid media is accelerating. Teams investing in on-page SEO can finally measure its contribution alongside paid channels in a single view.
Our take
These tools arrive at the right moment. With channels multiplying — search, social, CTV, email, influencers — multi-channel budget planning in an Excel sheet has become genuinely painful. Google is positioning Analytics as the central reconciliation platform for the full media cycle, from planning to reporting. The strategic intent is clear: keep advertisers inside the Google ecosystem at every stage. Whether or not that's good for the industry, it's a useful capability for teams managing fragmented budgets. For brands serious about organic growth, pairing these insights with a solid SEO content strategy is now the baseline. Understanding search intent helps allocate that editorial budget to the queries most likely to drive real conversions.
Sources
- → Search Engine Journal — official launch announcement (March 25, 2026)
- → Google Analytics Help — Cross-channel budgeting documentation
Growth and SEO content strategist, I founded Cicéro to help businesses build lasting organic visibility — on Google and in AI-generated answers alike. Every piece of content we produce is designed to convert, not just to exist.
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