Your cost per lead cap is going away. What replaces it and how to not overpay

The max cost per lead setting is no longer supported, and the cap you set yourself is gone.

What replaces the cap?

A unified Target CPA. You give Google a target for what a lead should cost, and Google bids toward it. It's a goal, not a ceiling, so some leads cost more and some cost less while Google aims at the average.

Why is one target a problem?

Because it's per campaign, not per vertical. Every service category in that campaign shares the same number. A shop that does plumbing and drain cleaning used to bid differently for each one, and now can't, unless the services are split apart.

How do I fix it?

1. 1Split each vertical into its own campaign.
2. 2Pull that service's real cost per lead from your exported reports.
3. 3Set that campaign's Target CPA from those real numbers, not one blended guess.
4. 4Verify conversion tracking, because a target on bad data is worse than no target.
5. 5Watch daily for two weeks while the system re-learns.

What changed with my callouts?

BBB callouts are removed. In their place you must pick at least six structured callouts, like hours, specialties, and payment methods. Pick fewer and your ad shows thin next to the shop down the road that filled all of theirs in.

Where do the real numbers come from?

Your own reporting history, which Google deletes at migration. Export it first, the steps are in how to export your reporting history, and the bidding change is explained further in the AI Max post.

Want a second set of eyes, start with the free 10 minute check, and if you want the whole job done for you the Migration Rescue is $2,000 flat. Start on the home page.