Google Ads is making a bidding change that could affect some campaigns beginning on August 17, 2026.
If a campaign uses Target CPA or Target ROAS and it’s limited by budget, Google will start trying to hit the target you set more closely.
Here’s a quick example: if your target cost per lead is $100, but Google has been getting leads for $60, the campaign may begin moving closer to that $100 target as it looks for more volume. The same idea applies to ROAS: if your target is 400%, but you’ve been getting 650%, results could trend closer to 400%.
This doesn’t mean Google is automatically changing your budget or bid targets. But it does mean we should make sure the targets in your account reflect what your business can actually afford—and what profitable growth looks like.
We’ll be reviewing affected campaigns, looking at recent performance, lead quality, close rates, and margins before deciding whether any targets should change.
There’s no need to panic. This is mainly a reminder that automated bidding works toward the instructions we give it.
And one more thing: we’ll soon be posting a video about optimizing campaigns for Profit Per Conversion—an approach that can completely change how you bid, what you bid on, and how you define a successful campaign.
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