Bid strategy selection is one of the most important decisions in Google Ads.
The right strategy depends on conversion data volume, campaign goals, and account maturity.
Manual vs. Smart Bidding
Manual CPC: You set bids per keyword.
- Full control, high management time
- No AI optimization
- Best for: New campaigns with limited data
Smart Bidding: Google's machine learning optimizes bids per auction.
- Requires: Conversion tracking setup
- Best with: 30+ conversions per campaign per month
- Adapts to: Time of day, device, location, user intent signals
Smart Bidding Strategy Selection
Maximize Conversions: Get as many conversions as possible within budget.
No CPA target. Use when building data on a new campaign.
Target CPA: Optimize to hit your target cost per conversion.
Requires: 30+ conversions/month. You must know your acceptable CPA.
Target ROAS: Maximize conversion value at a target return.
Requires: 50+ conversions/month with conversion values set. Best for e-commerce.
Maximize Conversion Value: Similar to Maximize Conversions but for value.
Use when: Conversions have different values and you want to prioritize high-value ones.
When to Switch Strategies
New campaign: Start with Maximize Conversions. Build data for 4-6 weeks.
30+ conv/month: Add a target CPA to Maximize Conversions OR switch to Target CPA.
50+ conv/month with values: Consider Target ROAS.
Bid strategy selection and Google Ads smart bidding: yositeup.com
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