Conversion goals provide a way to categorize your conversion actions and control campaign optimization. To improve performance and better align Google AI to your business objectives, you may occasionally want to modify conversion goals used for Search Ads 360 Bid Strategies.
This page provides best practices for the types of changes you intend to make.
On this page
- Common conversion changes
- Performance expectations
- Bidding conversion scenarios
- Change bid strategies while conversion goal remains the same
- Change bid strategies and conversion goal (account-default goal optimization)
- Change bid strategies and conversion goal (campaign-level optimization)
- Stay on the same bid strategy and change conversion goal (account-default optimization)
- Stay on the same bid strategy and change conversion goal (campaign-level optimization)
- Stay on Target CPA and change conversion goal from upper to lower funnel goal
- Do’s and don’ts for conversion updates
Common conversion changes
Some common conversion changes include:
- Changing bid strategies: For example, moving from Target CPA to Target ROAS.
- Changing to a new conversion goal: You can add or remove a conversion goal from your campaign settings. Examples include changing a conversion category from "Qualified Leads" to "Other" or switching from an upper-funnel event like "Add to cart" to a lower-funnel event such as "Purchases".
- Modifying the composition of your goal: You can maintain your existing conversion goal settings while adding or removing actions. This includes updating the action optimization setting (primary, secondary, custom), changing your conversion source, or adjusting your conversion volume or value scales.
Performance expectations
Search Ads 360 Bid Strategies take time to learn after any changes to conversion goals or actions. In most cases, this takes 2-3 conversion cycles, even if the underlying conversion action remains the same.
The following best practices will help you understand how these changes impact bidding and how to mitigate performance disruptions. Before you make any change to conversion tracking, ensure that budgets are set to the amount you intend to spend.
Bidding conversion scenarios
To help you manage transitions smoothly, here is a breakdown of the specific workflows available depending on your campaign goals and account configuration:
Change bid strategies while conversion goal remains the same
Transition to a new bid strategy and keep your campaign's conversion goal and primary conversion action.
Bidding scenario
You’re currently using Target CPA and want to do the following:
- Switch to a Target ROAS bid strategy.
- Continue to target the same conversion goal for your campaign.
For example, you’re using Target CPA to bid for online signups. You now want to track values with those signups, and use Target ROAS to optimize bids.
Learn more about how to Change your Search Ads 360 bid strategy while conversion goal remains the same.
Change bid strategies and conversion goal (account-default goal optimization)
You can transition to a new bid strategy to achieve one of the following:
- Optimize your whole account to a new conversion goal.
- Change an account-default conversion goal by adding a new primary conversion action.
Bidding scenario
You’re currently using Target CPA, and want to do the following:
- Switch to a Target ROAS bid strategy.
- Change conversion goal. For example, optimize to a new primary conversion action.
For example, you’re currently using Target CPA to bid to your Submit lead form goal to track the online form fills. You now want to track online subscriptions using paid subscription goal on Target ROAS to optimize bids.
Learn more about how to Change Search Ads 360 bid strategies and conversion goals (account-default optimization).
Change bid strategies and conversion goal (campaign-level optimization)
Optimize specific campaigns to a new conversion goal, or add a new conversion action to an existing conversion goal, when your bidding strategy is using campaign-level optimization.
Bidding scenario
You’re currently using Target CPA, and want to do the following:
- Switch to a Target ROAS bid strategy.
- Change campaign conversion goal. For example, optimize to a new primary conversion action for specific campaigns.
For example, you’re currently using Target CPA to bid to your "Submit lead form" goal to track online form fills. You now want to track online subscriptions with values using paid subscription goal, on Target ROAS using a campaign level switch.
Learn more about how to Change Search Ads 360 bid strategies and conversion goals (campaign-level optimization).
Stay on the same bid strategy and change conversion goal (account-default optimization)
Optimize your campaigns to a new account-default conversion goal or change an existing account-default conversion goal by using a new conversion action. If you're moving from campaign-level to account-default optimization, follow this recommended workflow:
Bidding scenario
You’re currently using either Target ROAS or Target CPA, and want to do the following:
- Keep using the same bid strategy.
- Change conversion goal. For example, optimize to a new primary conversion action.
For example, you’re currently using Target ROAS to bid to values from a lead form. You now want to optimize for paid subscription values, but the conversion rate and value are very similar.
Learn more about how to Change conversion goal while Search Ads 360 bid strategy remains the same (account-default optimization).
Stay on the same bid strategy and change conversion goal (campaign-level optimization)
Optimize specific campaigns to a new conversion goal, or modify an existing conversion goal using a new conversion action at campaign-level.
Bidding scenario
You’re currently using Target ROAS, or Target CPA , and want to do the following:
- Keep using the same bid strategy.
- Change conversion goal. For example, optimize to a new primary conversion action with a different conversion rate, such as volume or value, or you want to change the category of an existing action.
- Implement campaign level changes.
For example, you’re currently using Target ROAS to bid to values from a lead form. You now want to optimize for paid subscription values, but the conversion rate and value are very similar.
Learn more about how to Change Search Ads 360 bid strategies and conversion goals (campaign-level optimization) .
Stay on Target CPA and change conversion goal from upper to lower funnel goal
You want to change your conversion goal such that you're moving from an upper to a lower funnel goal while on Target CPA.
Bidding scenario
You’re currently using Target CPA and want to do the following:
- Keep using the same bid strategy.
- Change conversion goal from upper funnel to lower funnel (Purchase, Qualified lead, Converted lead).
For example, you’re currently using Target CPA and bidding to an upper funnel conversion category such as Page views, and you want to bid lower-funnel using the conversion category Purchase, Qualified lead, or Converted lead, with a different conversion rate.
Learn more about how to Stay on Target CPA and change conversion goal from upper to lower funnel goal.
Do’s and don’ts for conversion updates
Follow these guidelines to maintain performance and minimize disruptions when updating your bidding strategy or conversion goals.
Do:
- Ensure that budgets reflect the amount you intend to spend before you implement a modification to conversion monitors.
- Expect Search Ads 360 bid strategies to take 2-3 conversion cycles to learn after you modify goals.
- Execute an account-default switch when possible, as the workflow is simpler to execute.
- If your new conversion action has a different conversion rate or value, update your Target CPA or Target ROAS targets gradually to reflect the new expected outcomes.
- When moving from upper-funnel (for example, "Page views") to lower-funnel goals (for example, "Purchases"), ensure the lower-funnel action has enough data for the bidder to optimize effectively.
Don't:
- Don’t make large conversion goal changes without evaluating new and historic ROAS or CPA performance. Instead, use the recommended workflows for each goal change.
- Don't panic if performance fluctuates in the 2-3 conversion cycles since Search Ads 360 Bid Strategies. Adjust targets and follow the guidance in each workflow to limit performance fluctuations.