Google Ads tweaks default conversion goal behavior

Google Ads will change how automatically created customer conversion goals are set as account-default starting Nov. 17, aiming to reduce wasted spend from campaigns optimizing toward irrelevant goals.

How it works now.

• New conversion actions created via the API automatically generate customer conversion goals.
• Those goals are set as account-default by default, making them biddable across campaigns.
• The result: campaigns may target unnecessary goals, diluting performance.

What’s changing. Under the new rules, a newly created goal will only default to account-level bidding if every other goal in that category is already account-default. Example: If an account has a non-default “Purchase” goal from website conversions, any new “Purchase” goals won’t default to account-default.

• Advertisers who still want a goal prioritized will need to set CustomerConversionGoal.biddable = true manually.

Why we care. When a new conversion action is created through the API, it automatically becomes an account-default goal, making it biddable across campaigns. While convenient, this often causes campaigns to chase irrelevant goals and hurt performance. The update ensures the account-default goal set stays lean, relevant, and performance-driven – reducing the risk of bidding against the wrong signals.

Bottom line. Advertisers and API users should review workflows ahead of the November rollout to avoid surprises in how new conversion goals are applied.

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