Google Ads API v26 changes conversion fields: check your connector

Google released version 26 of the Google Ads API on October 14, 2026, with changes that can affect tools used to measure paid search traffic. For website owners, this is primarily a reporting and integration check, not a reason to change organic-search pages.

The official release notes identify a breaking change to the account-level Enhanced Conversions setting. They also introduce a more explicit classification for conversions attributed to an ad click. A dashboard can change because its data model changed, even when customer behavior did not.

Check the field your connector actually reads

Version 26 removes enhanced_conversions_for_leads_enabled from ConversionTrackingSetting. Google directs developers to enablement_setting instead and adds effective_enablement_setting for the unified configuration. A connector still expecting the removed field needs an update when it moves to v26.

Ask the provider of your reporting tool which API version it uses and whether its conversion-setting checks have been migrated. A website that only uses the Google Ads interface may have no custom code to change. An agency dashboard or scheduled export can still create an indirect dependency.

Google maintains client-library information separately from the release notes. Match the application's library and API versions deliberately. Installing a newer package and assuming every query remains compatible is not a migration plan.

Separate a new label from a new conversion

The release adds CLICK to ConversionAttributionEventType for conversions attributed to an ad click that were previously included under UNKNOWN. That is a reporting distinction, not evidence that the release created more leads or improved campaign performance.

When comparing exports across the upgrade, inspect category mappings before celebrating a change in the mix. Preserve totals as well as the labels used in each version. Otherwise, a movement out of an unknown category can be mistaken for newly acquired business.

Also keep a dated record of any changes to the website's own conversion events. A connector upgrade and a changed purchase trigger in the same week are two separate explanations to investigate, not one tidy before-and-after experiment.

Test before replacing the regular report

Google offers API test accounts, but these do not serve live ads and do not reproduce normal production performance data. Use them for integration behavior, then compare an authorized, limited production report with the established output before switching over.

Keep the previous report available for reconciliation. If the numbers disagree, check date ranges, account selection, field availability and category handling before adjusting campaign budgets. Do not write missing values as zero merely to make an export finish.

The same discipline helps when investigating a traffic drop: establish that the measurement still means the same thing. Put the connector version and its maintainer into your maintenance record, so the next API change has an identifiable owner.