Google Ads just made it easier to see how many new customers your ads bring in, without messing with your bidding strategy. On August 7, 2026, Google introduced a new option called “Report on new customers acquired” inside the Customer Acquisition settings. This replaces a clunky workaround that many advertisers used to get the same data.
What’s the Big Change?
Previously, if you wanted to see which of your customers were new versus returning, you had to select “Bid higher for new customers” and then set a token value of 0.01. That trick technically changed your bidding, but the tiny value meant it had almost no real effect. It was a hack, and it worked—but it was confusing and risky.
Now, Google gives you a clean third option: just report on new customers without touching your bidding. Once you enable it, you’ll see two new columns: “New customers” and “New customer value.” This gives you the data you need without any side effects on how Google optimizes your ads.
Why This Matters for Your Business
If you run Google Ads, this is a small but meaningful upgrade. You no longer have to rely on a workaround that could accidentally skew your campaigns. You get clearer visibility into how many new customers you’re actually acquiring, which helps you make smarter decisions about your ad spend.
For example, if you’re trying to grow your customer base, you can now measure that growth accurately without worrying that your bidding strategy is being altered. You can also compare new customer acquisition against your overall goals, like customer lifetime value, to see if your ads are attracting the right kind of people.
Who Should Care?
This update is most useful for businesses that use Google Ads to acquire new customers—think e-commerce stores, local service providers, or any company with a clear “new customer” goal. If you’re already using the “Bid higher for new customers” feature intentionally, you can keep doing that. But if you were only using it to get the reporting, you can now switch to the new option and keep your bidding strategy clean.
On the other hand, if you don’t care about distinguishing new from returning customers, this change doesn’t affect you much. You can ignore it and keep running your ads as usual.
What This Means for Your Business
For most small and mid-sized businesses, this is a positive development. It simplifies your reporting and gives you more control. You can now track new customer acquisition without worrying about unintended bidding changes. That’s a win for transparency and for your bottom line.
But there’s a catch: you need to actually use it. If you’re still using the old workaround, you’re not taking advantage of the cleaner option. And if you’re not tracking new customers at all, you might be missing out on valuable insights about where your growth is coming from.
Your Move
Log into your Google Ads account today, go to your Customer Acquisition settings, and switch to “Report on new customers acquired.” Then, check the new columns to see how many new customers your ads are bringing in. If you don’t see the option yet, it may be rolling out gradually—check back in a few days.
FAQ
No. The new reporting option only adds measurement columns—it doesn’t change how Google bids on your ads. Your campaigns will run exactly as before.
Yes, if you were using the 0.01 bid trick just for reporting. The new option gives you the same data without any risk of altering your bidding strategy.
