Dated October 24, 2026. A law firm that wants Google Ads to learn which clicks became clients has to send that result back to Google. Since June 15, 2026, the way to start doing that has changed. New setups can no longer use the Google Ads API for offline conversions and go through Data Manager instead. This note covers what changed, who it affects and what to check. The full setup is in our guide to sending signed cases back to Google Ads.
What changed
Google’s developer blog set out the change on May 15, 2026 (Google Ads Developer Blog):
- From June 15, 2026, the Google Ads API no longer accepts new adopters of offline conversion imports, including enhanced conversions for leads.
- Data Manager is now the main route. Google calls the Data Manager API the primary API for importing offline conversions.
- Existing users keep their route for now. Developers already importing can continue through the Google Ads API while they move to Data Manager.
- Inactive setups count as new. Developers that had not imported offline conversions between December 2025 and May 2026 get an error if they try.
Google’s help pages add two points. Offline conversion import on its own is now “a legacy feature,” and Google recommends enhanced conversions for leads, which adds user-provided data to the click IDs you already send (Google; Google Data Manager Help). Since April 2026, enhanced conversions for web and for leads share one on and off setting (same help page).
Who it affects
| Your situation | What it means |
|---|---|
| You already upload signed cases through the API, and did so this year | It keeps working for now; plan a move to Data Manager |
| You upload through a sheet or a CRM connection in Google Ads | Check whether it already runs through Data Manager |
| You never set up uploads, or stopped | Any new setup starts in Data Manager |
| You are changing agencies | A rebuilt upload is a new setup, so it goes through Data Manager |
No legal CRM is a native Data Manager source as of October 2026. Data Manager reads Google Sheets, BigQuery, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho and file transfer, among others (Google). Most firms reach it with a daily export or a small bridge.
What to check this week
| Check | Where | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Upload route | Ask whoever built it | You know whether it uses the Google Ads API or Data Manager |
| Last upload date | Google Ads conversion diagnostics | Uploads in the last week, with no errors |
| Click ID capture | Forms, call tracking, CRM | A click ID stored on every paid lead |
| Data sent | Your upload file | Click ID, neutral stage, value band and time, and nothing about the case |
What this means for your firm
- If uploads work, don’t panic, but plan. A working API upload keeps running for now. Put the Data Manager move on next quarter’s list so it isn’t forced on you.
- If you never set this up, start in Data Manager. It is the only route open to new setups.
- Keep case details out. Neutral stages and value bands are enough. Your attorney decides whether hashed contact details are sent at all.
- This is how bidding learns signed cases. Without it, Google optimizes for calls and forms, not clients. Measure the result as cost per signed case, and see our Google Ads guide for how bidding uses it.
If Google changes the route again, we will add a dated update to this note.
Marketing information, not legal advice. What client information leaves your firm is a confidentiality question for your responsible attorney; check with your bar and your own counsel.