What Google changed about Target CPA and Target ROAS
Google is bringing back Target CPA and Target ROAS as standalone bidding strategies. The change started in June 2026. It separates them from the Maximize conversions and Maximize conversion value wrappers they were bundled inside. The way campaigns bid does not change at all.
What the Google Ads bidding label change does and does not do
For years, setting a cost-per-acquisition target showed up as “Maximize conversions with a Target CPA.” A return target showed up as “Maximize conversion value with a Target ROAS.” Now those labels become simply “Target CPA” and “Target ROAS.”
Google’s Help Center says the strategies “function in the exact same way” and calls it “purely a visual change to the labels.” Maximize conversions and Maximize conversion value without targets stay the same.
During the rollout you may see both old and new names at once. Different surfaces update on different timelines, including the Google Ads API, Google Ads Editor, and the mobile app. Google says it will settle on the new standalone labels everywhere once the transition finishes. There is no end date posted.
Who announced the Smart Bidding naming update
Google announced the change in June 2026 through its Help Center and a Google Ads Developer Blog post dated June 16, 2026. PPC Land covered it on June 23, 2026. Aalap Shastri of the Google Ads API Team wrote that the update “aligns the UI experience with specific API strategy types.” The blog notes one real distinction for developers: a campaign on Target CPA will “focus on achieving that stated target rather than maximizing volume by internally lowering bids when budgets become constrained.”
How the change reverses Microsoft Advertising’s 2025 move
The timing matters because it splits the two biggest paid-search platforms. Microsoft Advertising went the other way on August 4, 2025. It removed Target CPA and Target ROAS as standalone options and folded them into Maximize campaigns. Google is now doing the reverse.
So the menus follow opposite logic. Microsoft asks you to pick a volume maximizer and then add an optional target. Google asks you to choose volume or target up front. Teams running both platforms need to hold both models in mind.
This naming update is separate from a bigger change coming August 17, 2026. Our coverage of Google’s August 17 Smart Bidding target change explains how budget-limited campaigns will deliver more consistently toward their targets. For context on paid efficiency, the TripleDart 2026 SaaS PPC benchmark shows how much each lead now costs. And Microsoft’s recent ad-targeting moves show the two platforms keep diverging.
Talking Shift: the label change asks who owns budget risk
Here is the Start Some Shift read. A label looks small, but this one names a real choice. Maximize strategies protect spend and let efficiency float. Target strategies protect efficiency and let volume float. The cleaner labels make B2B teams decide which risk they want to carry before they launch.
Start Some Shift puts it this way: “The bidding label you pick is really a decision about what your campaign protects when money runs short.” For B2B brands with long sales cycles, defending cost per qualified lead usually beats chasing raw volume. The new menu makes that call harder to dodge.
What B2B marketers should do about the Google bidding relabel
None of this needs an account change today. Use the rollout as a moment to check your reporting and your strategy choices. Your paid listing also sits right next to direct competitors, so the target you set should serve a placement that earns the click.
- Check any dashboard or script that groups campaigns by strategy name, since mixed labels can split or miscount data during the rollout.
- Update API integrations to parse the standalone TARGET_CPA and TARGET_ROAS types, especially for Search.
- Review whether each campaign should optimize for volume or for a target, and set it on purpose.
- Brief clients now on the difference between this label change and the August 17 behavior change.
- Hold target-based strategies to enough conversions to learn, about 30 for Target CPA and 50 for Target ROAS.
- Sharpen ad copy and landing pages so your paid listing wins the click when it sits next to competitors.
- Watch cost per qualified lead, not just cost per click, as you tune targets.
What to watch next on Google Ads bidding
Watch the Google Ads API release notes for changes to the BiddingStrategyType enum and the standalone target messages. Watch the August 17 target change, which does alter how constrained budgets behave. And watch whether Microsoft moves back toward standalone targets too.
