Lack of ConversionOptimizer and anonymous Target CPA

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Robert Rodakowski

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Feb 15, 2016, 12:50:30 PM2/15/16
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Hello,

Last time, I've noticed, that ConversionOptimizer bidding strategy disappeared from AdWords UI. In documentation it is written:
 Conversion Optimizer is now Target CPA bidding (source)
 
Almost great, but!
When I enable Target CPA in AdWords UI, and then fetch it via API, I get:
    'BiddingScheme.Type'    => 'TargetCpaBiddingScheme',
   
'biddingStrategyType'   => 'TARGET_CPA'
instead of ConversionOptimizer, so this is not about naming convention change only.

What even more important, this kind of Target CPA strategy (set directly in new AdWords UI) is being returned by API as an "anonymous strategy" (there is no StrategyId). It is NOT possible to set TargetCPA strategy using API as an "anonymous strategy" (INVALID_ANONYMOUS_BIDDING_STRATEGY_TYPE error described also here).
However, ConversionOptimizer itself can be still correctly set using API. The question is, what are the plans regarding ConversionOptimizer? Shall we still use it or it will be removed soon?

Moreover, regarding TargetCPA, it is written in API docs:
This is similar to the ConversionOptimizerBiddingScheme but does not support user-entered AdGroup-level target CPA bids, but rather a strategy-wide average CPA target.
(source)

But, it is still possible to set Max CPA on adgroup level, when the Target CPA had been choosen in AdWords API (anonymous one). Does it mean, all those Max CPA will be ignored and will not be effective?

Kind regards,
Robert.

Anash P. Oommen (AdWords API Team)

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Feb 16, 2016, 2:44:49 PM2/16/16
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Hi Robert,

You can find a lot of details about this change at https://plus.sandbox.google.com/+GoogleAds/posts/FP5XUu5DayT. Support for this feature will be added in a future version of the AdWords API, so some of the docs in the current version of AdWords API may not apply in the context of this feature. For specifics,

- ConversionOptimizer will work as it should when set using the API. There are no plans I can share at this point, please watch our blog and release notes for future updates.
- If you are on anonymous TargetCpa, then adgroup-level maxCpa won't be ignored. The docs are outdated in the context of the new feature.

Cheers,
Anash P. Oommen,
AdWords API Advisor.

Robert Rodakowski

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Feb 17, 2016, 6:58:20 AM2/17/16
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Great thanks for explanations!
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