skill-095-pmax-new-customer-acquisition

Skill 095: PMax New Customer Acquisition Mode

Purpose

Evaluate whether New Customer Acquisition (NCA) mode is enabled to bid more aggressively for new customers vs existing customers. This helps grow the customer base rather than re-converting existing customers at inflated costs.

Data Requirements

Data Source: Custom GAQL Required

GAQL Query - NCA Settings:

SELECT
  campaign_lifecycle_goal.campaign,
  campaign_lifecycle_goal.customer_acquisition_goal_settings.optimization_mode,
  campaign_lifecycle_goal.customer_acquisition_goal_settings.value_settings.value,
  campaign_lifecycle_goal.customer_acquisition_goal_settings.value_settings.high_lifetime_value
FROM campaign_lifecycle_goal

GAQL Query - Customer Lists:

SELECT
  user_list.id,
  user_list.name,
  user_list.type,
  user_list.size_for_search
FROM user_list
WHERE user_list.type = 'CRM_BASED'
  AND user_list.membership_status = 'OPEN'

Run via /google-ads:get-custom with query name pmax_nca_settings.

Analysis Steps

1. Check NCA Configuration: Is NCA enabled? What mode (bid higher vs. only new customers)?
2. Review Customer Lists: Existing customer list uploaded? Size and recency?
3. Assess Business Fit: E-commerce (typically valuable), lead gen (consider LTV differences)
4. Analyze Current Performance: New vs. returning customer split, CPA/ROAS by customer type

Thresholds

Condition	Severity
NCA enabled but no customer list uploaded	Critical
Customer list <1,000 users	Warning
Customer list >30 days old	Warning
Value multiplier >3x	Warning
NCA disabled with >70% existing customer conversions	Info

Output

Short (default):

## PMax New Customer Acquisition Audit
**Account:** [name] | **NCA Enabled:** [Yes/No] | **Customer List:** [Yes/No] | **Issues:** [count]

### Critical
- **NCA enabled without customer list** - Upload purchaser list immediately

### Warnings
- **Customer list outdated** - Last updated [X days] ago, refresh weekly
- **Value multiplier at [X]x** - Consider reducing to 1.5-2x

### Recommendations
1. Enable NCA on [campaign] with 1.3-1.5x multiplier
2. Upload current customer list ([count] customers)
3. Expected impact: +[%] new customer conversions