Understanding Google's New "Original Conversion Value" Metric in Google Ads

Understanding Google’s New “Original Conversion Value” Metric in Google Ads

Google has quietly added a new metric to Google Ads called Original Conversion Value. The metric reports the raw, unadjusted monetary value assigned to each conversion before value rules, lifecycle goals, or attribution adjustments are applied. This gives advertisers a baseline view of conversion revenue that sits alongside adjusted metrics used by bidding systems and reporting.

Why this matters

Adjusted conversion values — the numbers many algorithms and reports rely on — can be changed by value rules, conversion adjustments, or lifecycle goals. Those adjustments are useful, but they can obscure the original economic value of a conversion. The Original Conversion Value metric separates the baseline value from any subsequent changes, making it easier to diagnose reporting shifts, validate value rules, and sanity-check automated bidding.

What the Search Engine Land article reported

Search Engine Land noted that the new metric “provides a clearer picture of conversion value before any adjustments, helping advertisers better understand their campaign performance” (Google Ads quietly rolls out a new conversion metric).

Key takeaways

• Original Conversion Value displays the unadjusted monetary value of conversions.
• It helps distinguish between raw conversion revenue and values altered by rules or attribution changes.
• Advertisers can use the metric to audit value rules, troubleshoot reporting anomalies, and validate Smart Bidding inputs.
• This metric complements — rather than replaces — adjusted conversion values and attribution-aware reporting.

How Original Conversion Value changes analysis and bidding

Automated bidding strategies often rely on conversion value signals. If those values have been adjusted (for lifecycle goals, returns, or other business rules) the bidding algorithms optimize toward the modified number. That can be appropriate, but it can also unintentionally distort bid decisions when adjustments diverge from the true transaction value.

Comparing Original Conversion Value to Adjusted Conversion Value helps uncover when adjustments materially change campaign signals. For example, if Adjusted Conversion Value is consistently 20% higher than Original Conversion Value after applying a value rule, that gap signals the business logic adding value. Advertisers should verify whether that uplift aligns with business goals or inadvertently stretches ROAS targets.

Practical audit and optimization uses

Use these steps to put the metric to work:

1. Segment campaigns and compare Original vs. Adjusted Conversion Value over the same time windows to spot divergences.
2. Check value rules and lifecycle goals that apply adjustments. Confirm the adjustments reflect actual business outcomes (returns, refunds, lifetime value assumptions).
3. If Smart Bidding targets use adjusted values, run controlled tests feeding bids with and without those adjustments to see performance variance.
4. In cases of large discrepancies, consider reworking value rules or feeding a custom profit metric into bidding instead of raw revenue.

Limitations and considerations

Original Conversion Value is a diagnostic and transparency tool, not a replacement for attribution-sensitive reporting. It doesn’t account for multiple-touch attribution, delayed conversions outside the standard conversion window, returns/refunds processed after conversion, or lifetime value (unless those are encoded as adjustments). In short, it tells you what the conversion was worth at the moment Google recorded it, before later business logic applied.

Advertisers should also remember that metric availability and naming can evolve. Google has added similar reporting slices in the past (for example, conversion adjustments and segments that surface original values). Treat Original Conversion Value as part of a broader toolkit for measuring and optimizing campaign performance.

Actionable recommendations

• Start by comparing Original and Adjusted Conversion Value across your top campaigns and keywords to measure the size and consistency of adjustments.
• Audit any value rules and lifecycle goals that change conversion value; document why each rule exists and what business outcome it represents.
• Where possible, create a small bidding experiment: run Smart Bidding on adjusted values for one set and on original values or a custom profit value for another, then compare ROAS and CPA.
• If refunds or returns materially affect revenue, consider feeding post-conversion adjustments into offline conversions rather than inflating on-platform values.
• Use Original Conversion Value as a sanity check each time you see a sudden jump or drop in reported conversion value — it’s often the quickest way to diagnose whether a rules-based adjustment caused the change.

Final thoughts

Original Conversion Value improves transparency in Google Ads reporting by showing the unmodified monetary value of conversions alongside the adjusted figures advertisers already use. It’s especially valuable for audits and ensuring that automated bidding receives accurate, business-aligned inputs. Used alongside adjusted metrics and attribution-aware reporting, the new metric strengthens confidence in both short-term optimization and longer-term measurement.

As Search Engine Land observed, the metric helps advertisers get “a clearer picture of conversion value before any adjustments” (Google Ads quietly rolls out a new conversion metric).

Source: Search Engine Land — Google Ads quietly rolls out a new conversion metric