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What bidding strategies have you used, and when would you use each?

Choosing the right bidding strategy in Google Ads can make or break your campaign’s success. Below is a breakdown of commonly used bidding strategies, when to use them, and why:

🔹 1. Manual CPC (Cost-Per-Click)

  • What it is: You set your own maximum CPC for each keyword.

  • When to use:

    • You want full control over bids.

    • You’re just starting and gathering baseline data.

    • Your campaign has low volume or limited budget.

  • Pros: Control, predictable spend.

  • Cons: Time-consuming, not scalable.

🔹 2. Enhanced CPC (eCPC)

  • What it is: Semi-automated — Google adjusts your manual bids to maximize conversions.

  • When to use:

    • You have conversion tracking set up.

    • You want a mix of control and automation.

  • Pros: Helps improve performance with some control.

  • Cons: Still not as optimized as fully automated strategies.

🔹 3. Maximize Clicks

  • What it is: Automatically tries to get as many clicks as possible within your budget.

  • When to use:

    • Traffic generation or awareness phase.

    • New campaigns with no conversion data yet.

  • Pros: Fast traffic, simple to use.

  • Cons: May attract low-quality clicks if not well-targeted.

🔹 4. Maximize Conversions

  • What it is: Google uses machine learning to get the most conversions within your budget.

  • When to use:

    • You have solid conversion tracking and historical data (15+ conversions in past 30 days).

  • Pros: Strong performance potential, hands-off.

  • Cons: Less control, needs solid data to work well.

🔹 5. Maximize Conversion Value

  • What it is: Aims to drive the highest value of conversions, not just the quantity.

  • When to use:

    • E-commerce with revenue tracking set up.

    • Campaigns where not all conversions are equal.

  • Pros: Optimizes for ROI, not just volume.

  • Cons: Needs accurate value tracking.

🔹 6. Target CPA (Cost-Per-Acquisition)

  • What it is: Google aims to get conversions at your set average CPA.

  • When to use:

    • When you know what a conversion is worth and want efficiency.

    • After building conversion history.

  • Pros: Focused, efficient.

  • Cons: Can under-deliver if your target CPA is too low.

🔹 7. Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

  • What it is: Optimizes for conversion value while hitting a return goal.

  • When to use:

    • You sell products/services with varying prices.

    • You track revenue per conversion.

  • Pros: Highly performance-focused.

  • Cons: Needs significant data and accurate value tracking.

🔹 8. Target Impression Share

  • What it is: Aims to show your ad a certain percentage of the time on search results.

  • When to use:

    • Brand awareness campaigns.

    • Competitor protection or dominating branded terms.

  • Pros: Maximizes visibility.

  • Cons: Not optimized for performance or ROI.