17 August: Google converted a setting into a job
On 17 August 2026 Google began a gradual rollout changing how affected bidding targets interact with campaigns that are limited by budget. Google's FAQ lists several responses, including switching to Maximise conversions or Maximise conversion value without a target to seek the highest volume or value within a set budget.
Our position, posted before the rollout, was narrower: where the budget genuinely binds and the objective is maximum output from that fixed spend, a target-free maximise strategy is the cleanest option to test. Google documents that option, but it does not prescribe it for every advertiser.
Why most advertisers are budget-limited
Across Ben's paid-acquisition work, including the current practice, fixed commercial budgets have been the norm. That is experience from our book of accounts, not evidence about every Google advertiser. An advertiser prepared to buy all incremental volume at a stated return has a different objective and may need a target.
Google says the affected group includes supported campaigns marked Limited by budget that use target-based bidding, including target CPA and target ROAS, with the precise campaign and platform scope set out in its current help table. Google says affected campaigns will perform more consistently toward the stated target. It does not say every below-target campaign will be forced to the target or that CPC must rise.
What changed for the work
Before the rollout, affected limited-by-budget campaigns could materially overperform their targets because budget exhausted first. Google's example uses a target CPA of $10 and an actual CPA around $5.
After the rollout reaches an affected campaign, Google expects performance to move more consistently toward its target. That makes the relationship between actual performance, target, budget and any portfolio bid limit worth monitoring. Whether CPC, volume or spend changes is an account result to measure, not something the announcement guarantees.
That job is the weekly loop. A warehouse pulls the numbers, an automation flags what moved, a person decides. It is the part of Google Ads that cannot be set and forgotten any more, and it is where the fee is earned.
What to do if you are budget-capped
Start with the objective. If it is the highest conversion volume or value from fixed spend, test Maximise conversions or Maximise conversion value without a target, one of Google's documented options. If efficiency is the hard business constraint, retain or adjust the target deliberately. Verify conversion goals and values first, avoid making repeated changes inside a conversion cycle, and monitor the result rather than assuming the announcement predicts it.
The longer There is no right number for the target box article separates Google's published change from Fire Pixel's operating argument.