Smart Bidding over-delivery is a feature, not a bug. But Google is removing it for budget-limited campaigns on August 17, 2026.
Why Over-Delivery Existed
In budget-limited campaigns, to maximize conversion volume within the budget, the algorithm bids at the most efficient price - often well below the stated Target CPA.
This delivered more conversions at better efficiency than the advertiser specified. Most advertisers never noticed because more conversions at lower CPA looked like great performance.
Why Google Is Ending It
Google's position: advertisers set targets intentionally, and the algorithm should respect them.
Identifying Your Over-Delivering Campaigns
In Google Ads: Campaigns tab > add columns Target CPA and Avg. CPA.
Sort by Avg. CPA ascending. Campaigns where Avg. CPA is 20%+ below Target CPA are over-delivering.
Filter by budget status. Only budget-limited campaigns are affected.
The Calculation That Matters
If Avg. CPA is 40% below Target CPA, expect approximately 40% fewer conversions after August 17.
Run this calculation for each budget-limited campaign before making any changes.
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