Google Ads introduced a new “Report on new customers acquired” option within Customer Acquisition, making it easier for advertisers to measure new customer performance without influencing campaign bidding.
The update removes the need for a widely used workaround that many advertisers relied on to access new-versus-existing customer reporting.
What’s happening. Customer Acquisition now includes a third option alongside the existing bidding settings. By selecting “Report on new customers acquired,” advertisers can measure new customer performance without applying any bidding adjustments.
Enabling the setting unlocks the New customers and New customer value columns, giving advertisers a clearer view of acquisition performance while leaving Google’s bidding algorithms unchanged.
Previously, advertisers wanting this reporting often selected “Bid higher for new customers” and assigned a token value of 0.01. While the setting technically modified bidding, the value was so small that it had virtually no practical impact. The workaround, first highlighted by Vasant Chaudhary, became a common way to access new customer reporting.
Why we care. The new reporting option separates measurement from optimisation. Advertisers who want visibility into new customer acquisition—but don’t want Google’s bidding strategy to prioritise those users—can now do so without relying on a workaround.
The bigger picture. Google continues to expand reporting controls as advertisers place greater emphasis on customer lifetime value and acquisition efficiency. Giving advertisers cleaner measurement options also reflects a broader push to make campaign settings more transparent and reduce the need for unofficial hacks.
Bottom line. Google’s new Customer Acquisition reporting option gives advertisers a straightforward way to track new customer performance without affecting bidding, replacing the long-standing 0.01 workaround.
First spotted. Shared by Paid Search expert Thomas Eccel on LinkedIn.
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