Conversion value is now mandatory: setting value rules without breaking your bidding
In 2026 Google Ads will not let you create a new conversion action without setting a conversion value. The value field used to be skippable. Now it is a deliberate choice between three options: one fixed amount, a dynamic amount passed from the site, or an explicit zero. On the surface it is an interface tweak. In practice it exposes a problem that has been quietly sitting in half of all accounts: bidding algorithms have spent years optimising toward “conversions” without knowing that a newsletter signup and a $1,800 order are not the same event.
This guide covers how to assign value so automation optimises toward money instead of volume. Which of the three options fits which situation, where the number comes from when you run lead generation with no online checkout, how conversion value rules work and why they are not the same thing as bid adjustments, and what happens to a live campaign’s learning when you change value mid-flight.
What actually changed: conversion value became a baseline step
When you create a new conversion action, Google now requires one of three explicit choices:
- Use the same value for each conversion — you enter a number and every trigger of the tag is worth exactly that.
- Use different values for each conversion — the value arrives with the event from your site, for example the actual order total.
- Do not use a value — the equivalent of zero. The action still counts, but it stays out of value-based strategies.
Nothing here is impossible to work around; option three is still available. The real change is positional. Google moved value out of “advanced settings” and into the baseline setup step. An empty field used to be the default and it silently meant “we never thought about it”. There is no empty field any more, so every action in the account now carries a decision someone made on purpose.
Not every tracked event deserves to influence bid strategy logic. Value is not “how good this feels”. It is how much money an average event of this type produces, discounted by the probability it ever reaches the bank account.
Why this matters more than it looks
Maximize Conversion Value and Target ROAS physically cannot function without value — there is nothing to maximise. But Maximize Conversions with a tCPA target suffers too. If your primary goals include both a callback request and a completed purchase, the algorithm sees two identical “+1” events and drifts toward whichever is cheaper to buy. Cheaper is almost always where the money is not. That is the classic pattern where CPA drops, the dashboard looks great, and revenue flatlines — the same trap covered in our breakdown of unit economics and LTV in media buying.
Choosing between fixed, dynamic and zero
The rule of thumb: dynamic where the real amount is known at the moment of the event, fixed where the amount is unknown but the event is homogeneous, zero where the event is too noisy or too far from revenue.
| Action type | What to set | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ecommerce purchase | Dynamic | Pass the order total excluding tax and shipping, or tROAS is inflated by a constant |
| Subscription start | Fixed, equal to expected cohort LTV | Not the monthly fee — that undervalues the channel several times over |
| B2B quote request | Fixed: average deal × close rate × margin | Recalculate quarterly against actual closed-won data |
| Call longer than 60 seconds | Fixed, but its own number | Usually lower than a form: the share of junk calls is higher |
| Add to cart | Zero, or a separate observation action | Keep it out of the campaign’s primary goal |
| Contact page view | Zero | Too far upstream, very easy to over-optimise |
| Price list download | Zero until you have close-rate data | Revisit once 100+ deals have accumulated |
Where the number comes from when nothing is sold online
One formula covers roughly 90% of lead generation cases:
Lead value = average deal size × margin × lead-to-deal conversion rate
Worked example: an average deal of $2,400, a 25% margin, and 8 closes out of every 100 leads. Lead value = 2,400 × 0.25 × 0.08 = $48. Treat that as a benchmark rather than a constant: recalculate quarterly, and always split it by lead type. A “request a quote” form and a chat enquiry almost never carry the same worth.
If you do not know your close rate, that is not a licence to invent a number. The correct order is: first set up offline conversion import from your CRM, accumulate at least 60–100 closed deals, then lock the value in. Until then it is more honest to run one goal with a single fixed value and not build tROAS on top of it.
When zero is the right answer
Set zero when the event is:
- too early in the funnel — scroll depth, video views, time on page;
- too noisy — a tap on a phone number with no confirmation the call happened;
- lacking a defensible valuation method, meaning you could not explain the number to yourself or a client;
- needed for audiences and remarketing rather than for optimisation.
Zero does not mean off. The action still counts, still appears in All conversions, and still feeds audience building — it simply stops pulling bids around. That is exactly the approach described in our piece on micro-conversions and funnel structure: observe everything, optimise only on what connects to revenue.
Conversion value rules and how they differ from bid adjustments
Conversion value rules adjust the value of a conversion after it happens, based on context. There are three condition types and they can be combined:
- Audience — new versus returning customer, remarketing lists, Customer Match segments;
- Location — where the user is;
- Device — mobile, desktop, tablet.
The action is either a multiplier or a replacement value. For instance: “new customer conversion × 1.4”, “conversion from the metro area × 1.25”, “tablet conversion × 0.8”.
The key difference from a bid adjustment
A bid adjustment tells the algorithm “pay more here”. A value rule says “a conversion here is worth more”. That distinction matters: in the second case the algorithm decides how much to raise the bid, based on the conversion probability of that specific auction. It may not raise it at all where probability is low, and raise it hard where probability is high. A bid adjustment has no such selectivity — it hits every impression in the segment.
| Criterion | Bid adjustment | Value rule |
|---|---|---|
| What it sets | A multiplier on the bid | A multiplier on conversion value |
| Works with Smart Bidding | Most are ignored | Yes — this is the intended lever |
| Visible in reporting | No dedicated column | “All conv. value (by conv. time), adjusted” |
| Main risk | Overpaying in a segment that does not convert | Distorted ROAS if the multiplier was invented |
Calculating the multiplier instead of guessing it
A rule’s multiplier is the ratio of a segment’s real value to the overall average. The process:
- Export 6–12 months of deals from the CRM, split by the attribute you care about (new/returning, region, device).
- Calculate average revenue per deal in each segment and overall.
- Multiplier = segment average ÷ overall average.
- Round down. If the maths says 1.53, use 1.4. Erring conservatively is cheaper.
- Do not create a rule when the multiplier lands between 0.9 and 1.1 — that is inside the noise band.
One caveat on the new-customer segment: a value rule for new customers only works when Google can genuinely tell new from existing. That requires either uploaded customer lists or conversion-based lists — and in 2026 those come with their own complication, covered in our article on customer type labeling and lifecycle goals. If the lists are mislabelled, the rule will boost value for the wrong people and nothing in the interface will warn you.
Step-by-step: from audit to switching on tROAS
Step 1. Inventory every conversion action
Open Goals → Conversions → Summary and list everything. For each action check four properties: whether it is set as a primary action (the one bidding optimises toward), its value, its attribution window, and its counting setting (Every vs One). The usual finding is three or four primary actions, only one of which produces revenue.
Step 2. Separate primary from secondary
Primary goals should contain only what genuinely maps to a business result. Everything else moves to Secondary — still counted in All conversions, no longer influencing bids. If several actions stay primary and they are different in nature (an order plus an enquiry), they must carry different values or the exercise is pointless.
Step 3. Assign the values
Dynamic where an amount exists, fixed via the formula above, zero for the rest. For ecommerce, verify that both the value and the currency are being sent: a missing currency parameter is a common reason tROAS behaves inexplicably in multi-currency accounts.
Step 4. Verify the number actually arrives
After three to five days, compare total conversion value in Google Ads against CRM revenue for the same orders over the same period. A 5–7% gap is normal (modelling, attribution windows). A gap measured in multiples means something is technically broken: duplicated tags, values including tax and shipping, or missing deduplication between client-side and server-side tagging. The architectural fix is in our guide to server-side tagging with sGTM, and data completeness in the piece on enhanced conversions.
Step 5. Build volume before switching to tROAS
A workable threshold for moving to value-based strategies is at least 30 conversions with non-zero value per 30 days per campaign, comfortably 50 or more. Below that the algorithm cannot separate signal from randomness. If volume is thin, stay on Maximize Conversions but with values set correctly — the later switch to tROAS will then not start from scratch.
Step 6. Set the first tROAS target from reality, not ambition
Take the starting target from the actual ROAS of the last 30 days, not from the plan. If you want 400% and you are running at 250%, set 250% and raise in 10–15% steps with two-week gaps. Jumping the target simply switches most of the traffic off: the algorithm cannot find auctions where that return is achievable, and spend collapses. Measure the effect through Google Ads experiments rather than a before/after comparison — seasonality will eat your conclusions otherwise.
What happens to learning when you change value on a live campaign
Changing the value of an active conversion action changes the objective function. The strategy will not always flip into a formal “Learning” status, but it rebuilds regardless. Practical guidance:
- Change under ±20% — usually passes unnoticed, no special handling.
- A 1.5–2× change — expect 7–14 days of instability in CPA and volume. Do not touch budgets or targets during that window.
- Switching type (fixed → dynamic) — effectively a new goal. Plan a 2–3 week window and avoid other major changes in parallel.
And separately: never change value and bid target on the same day. If something breaks you will not know which lever did it. One change, one observation window — the same discipline we apply to any structural edit in the account audit checklist.
Seven mistakes that keep showing up
- Lead value equals average deal size. Margin and close rate were never applied, so ROAS is inflated five to ten times and every decision rests on fiction.
- One value across all enquiry types. A quote request and a newsletter signup are worth the same, so the algorithm buys signups.
- Dynamic values include tax and shipping. Systematic inflation: tROAS looks reachable while the campaign loses money on margin.
- A value rule with an invented multiplier. “Cities are worth more, let’s use ×2” without a CRM export is just budget distortion.
- Stacked rules. Audience ×1.4 combined with location ×1.3 produces ×1.82 — check the compound effect, not the individual multipliers.
- Zero set “just in case” on the key action. A primary goal with no value makes value-based strategies meaningless.
- Values set once at launch. Margin and close rates move; a quarterly recalculation is not optional.
Turning this into a routine
Conversion value is not a set-and-forget field, it is part of a management cycle. A minimum viable cadence:
| Frequency | What to do |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Reconcile conversion counts and total value against the CRM; catch tracking outages |
| Monthly | Review the value rules report: share of adjusted conversions, effect on ROAS |
| Quarterly | Recalculate lead value from actual closed deals; refresh rule multipliers |
| Twice a year | Re-examine which actions are primary vs secondary; retire stale ones |
If the account holds several campaigns with different economics, build a dashboard with columns for conversions, conversion value, adjusted value and CRM revenue side by side — discrepancies become obvious immediately. How to assemble that without manual work is covered in media buyer dashboards and reporting.
One closing reality check: correct conversion value will not rescue a campaign with no margin headroom to begin with. Before chasing a target ROAS, confirm that your maximum viable cost per click can actually win the auctions you need. If the account keeps hitting category limits or access constraints instead, it is worth understanding how Google Ads agency accounts are structured — that is the foundation without which fine-tuning bids has little meaning.
FAQ
Is a value now mandatory on every conversion?
When creating a new action you must pick one of three options, including “do not use a value”. So the number itself is not mandatory — an explicit decision is. Silently skipping the step is no longer possible.
What happens to older conversion actions created before the change?
They keep working as they were. But if they have no value and you plan to run value-based bidding, you need to revisit them manually — nothing gets backfilled automatically.
Can I send values in a currency other than the account currency?
Yes, provided the currency is passed explicitly alongside the value. Google converts at its own rate. Problems start when the currency parameter is missing: the number is read as account currency and the reporting drifts.
How many conversions do I need before enabling tROAS?
A working benchmark is 30 conversions with non-zero value per 30 days per campaign, comfortably 50. That is not a platform-enforced threshold, it is the practical level below which the strategy chases noise.
Do value rules work in every campaign type?
The main types — Search, Shopping and Performance Max — support value rules. Some formats, and any campaign not using a value-based strategy, either cannot use them or will not have bids affected. Check availability for your specific campaign type before building the rule.
What is the difference between conversion value and adjusted conversion value in reports?
The first is the amount that arrived from the tag or the settings. The second is that amount after value rules were applied. If the two columns are identical, no rule ever fired — worth checking your conditions.
Should micro-conversions carry a value?
Generally no. Micro-conversions are useful as observation and as audience sources, but giving them non-zero value is the fastest way to teach the algorithm to buy cheap actions instead of sales.
How do I spot that values are being passed incorrectly?
Three quick signals: average conversion value in reporting looks nothing like your average order; total value for a period differs from CRM revenue by multiples; conversions show a value of 0 on an action that should be dynamic. The last one almost always means the value never leaves the tag.
Should lead value be recalculated per region?
You do not need separate values per region — that is what location-based value rules are for. Calculate one baseline value and express regional differences as multipliers backed by CRM data.
Can value rules replace device bid adjustments?
With Smart Bidding, yes, and they are the more accurate instrument: you describe the real difference in worth and leave the bid decision to the algorithm. Device bid adjustments are largely ignored by automated strategies anyway.
How often should rule multipliers be revisited?
Quarterly, alongside the baseline lead value recalculation. For seasonal businesses, add a review before the peak — demand mix and buyer composition in peak season rarely match the annual average.
Spend dropped after I switched to tROAS. What now?
Almost always the target is too high. Return it to last month’s actual ROAS, allow 7–10 days to stabilise, then raise in 10–15% steps. Aggressive target jumps are the leading cause of traffic collapse on value-based strategies.
