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Summary. Since June 1, 2026, Google Ads keeps your granular daily, hourly, and weekly performance data for only 37 months on a rolling basis, down from the 11-year window it set in November 2024. High-level monthly, quarterly, and yearly data still stays for 11 years. Google announced the change on May 1, 2026, and it applies to every Google Ads account worldwide, through the interface, the Google Ads API, scripts, the Google Analytics Data API, and the BigQuery Data Transfer Service. For a Gurugram advertiser the lesson is blunt: you can no longer treat Google as the long-term home of your campaign history, and you cannot optimise spend you failed to store or measure. That matters because the money at stake is real. The FICCI-EY report valued India's digital advertising at INR 947 billion in 2025, up 26% and nearly two-thirds of all ad spend, with clicks that cost anywhere from about ₹15 in D2C to ₹120 in fintech. This guide explains the 37-month change and the fixes that stop a Google Ads budget from leaking.
What changed: the 37-month data cap
Google's developer announcement is specific. From June 1, 2026, granular performance statistics, the daily, hourly, and weekly numbers, are retained for 37 months from the current date, rolling forward. High-level data at monthly, quarterly, and yearly granularity keeps its 11-year retention.
For anyone pulling data programmatically, the cut is hard. A Google Ads API or scripts query that asks for granular segments such as segments.date or segments.week beyond 37 months now returns a DateRangeError. To reach older history you must switch to segments.month, segments.quarter, or segments.year, and unsegmented historical queries have to line up with calendar-month boundaries. The same 37-month limit reaches the Google Analytics Data API and the BigQuery Data Transfer Service, which blocks backfill runs for older dates.
| Data granularity | How long Google keeps it now | What it is good for |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly, daily, weekly | 37 months, rolling | Day-parting, weekly optimisation, granular audits |
| Monthly | 11 years | Trend lines, seasonality |
| Quarterly | 11 years | Board and budget reporting |
| Yearly | 11 years | Long-range benchmarking |
Why this is a budget problem, not just a data one
Optimisation runs on granular history. Day-of-week bidding, hour-of-day adjustments, seasonal comparisons against the same fortnight two or three years ago: all of it needs the daily and weekly rows Google now ages out at 37 months. Lose that record and you lose the ability to see what actually worked, which quietly turns into wasted spend as teams re-learn lessons they already paid for.
The fix is ownership. Export your granular Google Ads data on a schedule into a store you control, a BigQuery dataset or a simple warehouse, so your history outlives Google's retention window. The deadline to export the oldest data has already passed for anyone who waited, so the priority now is to start continuous exports today and never depend on Google's granular retention again.
Where a Google Ads budget leaks
Most wasted spend is not exotic. It comes from a short list of recurring leaks, and each has a direct fix.
| The leak | How it shows up | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Broad match, no negatives | Clicks on irrelevant searches | Add negative keywords weekly, mine the search-terms report |
| No conversion tracking | Optimising to clicks, not leads | Set up conversion tracking before scaling spend |
| Brand-only bidding | Paying for traffic you would win free | Separate brand and non-brand, measure incrementality |
| No remarketing | One visit, no follow-up | Add remarketing to recover warm traffic |
| Ignoring device and time | Same bid everywhere, all hours | Adjust by device, day, and hour from your own data |
Remarketing deserves its own line, because it is the highest-use of these. Indian brands that run remarketing funnels report roughly 35% to 40% lower cost per acquisition, which is often the difference between a channel that pays back and one that does not.
Know your cost per click
You cannot judge waste without a benchmark, and in India cost per click varies sharply by sector. These are 2026 Google Ads averages.
| Industry | Typical Google Ads cost per click in 2026 (₹) | What it means for budget |
|---|---|---|
| E-commerce and D2C | ₹15 to ₹40 | Cheaper clicks, win on volume and conversion rate |
| Healthcare | ₹25 to ₹60 | Moderate; intent quality matters |
| Education and edtech | ₹35 to ₹80 | Competitive; tight targeting pays off |
| Fintech | ₹40 to ₹120 | Expensive; every wasted click hurts |
| LinkedIn (B2B) | ₹120 to ₹300 | High CPC; reserve for high-value leads |
How much to budget for Google Ads
Budgets scale with stage. A small startup in Gurugram usually runs ₹25,000 to ₹75,000 a month in ad spend, a growth-stage business ₹1,00,000 to ₹3,00,000, and an enterprise ₹5,00,000 or more. On top of the media budget, agencies charge a management fee, commonly ₹15,000 to ₹75,000 a month or a share of spend, so always confirm whether a quote includes the ad budget or only the management. For a full breakdown of what each digital service costs locally, see our 2026 Gurugram digital marketing pricing guide.
| Business stage | Monthly Google Ads spend in 2026 (₹) | Sensible first goal |
|---|---|---|
| Small startup | ₹25,000 to ₹75,000 | Prove one or two converting campaigns |
| Growth-stage | ₹1,00,000 to ₹3,00,000 | Scale winners, hold cost per lead |
| Enterprise | ₹5,00,000+ | Category coverage with strict ROAS targets |
What to do now
Start with data ownership, because the 37-month clock is already running. Set up a scheduled export of your granular Google Ads data into BigQuery or a warehouse you control, and keep it running. Then close the common leaks in order: confirm conversion tracking is accurate, split brand from non-brand, mine the search-terms report for negatives every week, and turn on remarketing. Finally, judge everything on cost per acquisition and return on ad spend, not clicks or impressions, and hold each campaign to a target you set in advance.
The urgency is a function of scale. Ashish Pherwani, Partner and Leader of the Media and Entertainment Sector at EY India, said the sector "crossed a critical inflection point in 2025, with digital media, advertising and live experiences emerging as the primary growth engines." When a market grows that fast, wasted budget is not just a leak, it is ground ceded to competitors bidding on the same clicks.
India-specific considerations
Three local points shape a Gurugram PPC plan. First, tax: agency management fees are billed with 18% GST on top, so budget for it and keep the tax invoices for input credit. Second, data rules: India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 (DPDP) governs how you collect and use the customer data behind remarketing and Customer Match audiences, so build consent into your funnels. Third, cost level: Gurugram sits in Delhi NCR at metro rates, and competitive sectors like fintech and edtech see the higher end of the CPC ranges above, which makes disciplined negative-keyword and remarketing work pay back faster here than in a cheaper market.
FAQ
How eCorpIT can help
eCorpIT is a Gurugram-based technology and digital marketing company that helps Delhi NCR advertisers turn Google Ads spend into measured returns. Our senior-led team sets up durable data exports so the 37-month cap never costs you history, closes the common budget leaks, and reports on cost per acquisition rather than clicks. To audit where your Google Ads budget is leaking, talk to eCorpIT.
References
- Variety — Digital surges ahead as India's media and entertainment sector hits $29 billion (FICCI-EY)
Last updated: July 7, 2026.
