Google Ads · Status at source date: Newsletter archive
Google renames Smart Bidding strategies, decoupling Target CPA and Target ROAS
Google is updating how bidding strategies are labelled to clarify the difference between volume-focused and target-focused goals, announced on the Google Ads Developer Blog. Target CPA and Target ROAS are being decoupled from Maximise conversions and Maximise conversion value, reverting to their previous standalone naming.
This update uses a PMC cover because no suitable source image was available when checked on 8 Sept 2026. Available source and video links are retained.
What changed
The change is cosmetic for most advertisers and requires no action on the account, but it aligns the interface with the distinct API strategy types.
For developers, the update matters more: campaigns optimising for a target will focus on hitting that target rather than maximising volume by lowering bids when budgets tighten. Google advises API users to make sure dashboards correctly parse the standalone TARGET_CPA and TARGET_ROAS designations and to review campaign-creation logic.
Why it matters for advertisers
For you, this means the bidding strategy names in your account will look different, but they will work the same way. Worth a quick heads-up to anyone reading reports or building on the API, so the renamed standalone strategies are not mistaken for a functional change.
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Original newsletter text and archive evidence
Google renames Smart Bidding strategies, decoupling Target CPA and Target ROAS
Google is updating how bidding strategies are labelled to clarify the difference between volume-focused and target-focused goals, announced on the Google Ads Developer Blog. Target CPA and Target ROAS are being decoupled from Maximise conversions and Maximise conversion value, reverting to their previous standalone naming. The change is cosmetic for most advertisers and requires no action on the account, but it aligns the interface with the distinct API strategy types.
For developers, the update matters more: campaigns optimising for a target will focus on hitting that target rather than maximising volume by lowering bids when budgets tighten. Google advises API users to make sure dashboards correctly parse the standalone TARGET_CPA and TARGET_ROAS designations and to review campaign-creation logic.
For you, this means the bidding strategy names in your account will look different, but they will work the same way. Worth a quick heads-up to anyone reading reports or building on the API, so the renamed standalone strategies are not mistaken for a functional change.
Source captured . No explicit first-contributor label was provided for this update.
