Bid strategy

The strategy decides what the campaign is trying to get. Maximize clicks buys clicks, Maximize conversions buys conversions, Target ROAS buys value. Picking the wrong one buys the wrong thing, efficiently.

Changing strategy restarts learning, so the choice deserves a moment and a date, rather than a weekly switch.

1. Open a campaign, then Settings, then Bidding.
2. Add the Bid strategy type column to the campaign table to see all of them at once.
3. Open Tools, then Budgets and bidding, then Bid strategies, for portfolio strategies shared by several campaigns.
4. Check the bid strategy report for its status, such as Learning or Limited.

A lead generation account with 40 form fills a month moves its main campaign from Maximize clicks to Maximize conversions. After two weeks of learning, it gets more leads at a lower cost per lead, while clicks fall.

• Using Maximize clicks on a campaign whose job is leads or sales.
• Adding a CPA target before the campaign has enough conversions to learn from.
• Switching strategy often, so the campaign is always learning.

The audit checks Oppy runs on this, each with its own page.

• Buying clicks on an account that needs results
• A target set before the bidding has enough to learn from
• A target set a long way from what the account does

• Smart Bidding: Google's automated bid strategies that set a bid for each auction toward conversions or conversion value.
• Target CPA: A bid target for the average cost per conversion.
• Maximize conversions: A Smart Bidding strategy that aims for the most conversions within the budget.