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)
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What it is: You set your own maximum CPC for each keyword.
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When to use:
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You want full control over bids.
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You’re just starting and gathering baseline data.
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Your campaign has low volume or limited budget.
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Pros: Control, predictable spend.
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Cons: Time-consuming, not scalable.
🔹 2. Enhanced CPC (eCPC)
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What it is: Semi-automated — Google adjusts your manual bids to maximize conversions.
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When to use:
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You have conversion tracking set up.
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You want a mix of control and automation.
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Pros: Helps improve performance with some control.
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Cons: Still not as optimized as fully automated strategies.
🔹 3. Maximize Clicks
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What it is: Automatically tries to get as many clicks as possible within your budget.
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When to use:
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Traffic generation or awareness phase.
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New campaigns with no conversion data yet.
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Pros: Fast traffic, simple to use.
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Cons: May attract low-quality clicks if not well-targeted.
🔹 4. Maximize Conversions
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What it is: Google uses machine learning to get the most conversions within your budget.
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When to use:
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You have solid conversion tracking and historical data (15+ conversions in past 30 days).
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Pros: Strong performance potential, hands-off.
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Cons: Less control, needs solid data to work well.
🔹 5. Maximize Conversion Value
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What it is: Aims to drive the highest value of conversions, not just the quantity.
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When to use:
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E-commerce with revenue tracking set up.
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Campaigns where not all conversions are equal.
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Pros: Optimizes for ROI, not just volume.
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Cons: Needs accurate value tracking.
🔹 6. Target CPA (Cost-Per-Acquisition)
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What it is: Google aims to get conversions at your set average CPA.
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When to use:
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When you know what a conversion is worth and want efficiency.
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After building conversion history.
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Pros: Focused, efficient.
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Cons: Can under-deliver if your target CPA is too low.
🔹 7. Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
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What it is: Optimizes for conversion value while hitting a return goal.
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When to use:
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You sell products/services with varying prices.
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You track revenue per conversion.
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Pros: Highly performance-focused.
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Cons: Needs significant data and accurate value tracking.
🔹 8. Target Impression Share
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What it is: Aims to show your ad a certain percentage of the time on search results.
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When to use:
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Brand awareness campaigns.
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Competitor protection or dominating branded terms.
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Pros: Maximizes visibility.
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Cons: Not optimized for performance or ROI.