Choose a bid for your Display Network campaign

Bid types on the Google Display Network help you get the most value from your campaigns by setting just the right price for your ads. Here are the types of bids you can use for the Display Network:

Bid strategies:

Note: Target CPA, Maximize Conversions, Target ROAS, and Enhanced CPC are all Smart Bidding strategies that focus on conversions.

For in-depth guidance on Smart Bidding strategies, download the Display Smart Bidding Guide.

Keep in mind

  • Depending on your campaign type or ad group, not all bid strategies may be available.
  • For Display Network campaigns, you can set ad group default bids, custom bids, or bid adjustments.
Tip: Tie your bid strategy to your campaign goals. For instance, if you want to focus on impressions, consider Viewable CPM bidding. If your goal is clicks, consider Manual CPC or Maximize clicks bidding. If you’re aiming for conversions, consider Target CPA, Maximize Conversions, or Target ROAS bidding.

Bidding on Display Network campaigns

Search ads and Display ads reach people at different moments. When people are actively looking for something, your Search ad may be the answer they need. However, people who see your ad on the Display Network may be browsing a favorite blog or watching videos -- not actively searching for what you offer. Bidding on the Display Network helps you show ads to potential customers in the right place and at the right time.

Clickthrough rates (CTRs) are often lower on the Display Network, because it can be harder to get a reader's attention. That's why Display Network bidding exists: to let you set bids for clicks, conversions, or impressions that happen just on the Display Network. You get more control over your costs and you can make sure your bids fit the value you get from your ads.

Choosing your first bid

To find the right bid on the Display Network, you can make a starting bid, see how your ads perform, and then edit it. If you don't set specific bids for your targeting, Google Ads will use your ad group's default bid.

After you make your first bid, wait a few days, then go to your account. To evaluate your bid:

  1. In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon Campaigns Icon, then click Overview.
  2. Click on the "Views" tab and select Display campaigns.
Note: If you prefer to use the navigation panel on the left, click Change view in the top left of your Google Ads account.
  1. You’ll see the number of clicks and impressions for each Display campaign.
Note: If you select Ad groups in the subpage menu, you can see the number of clicks and impressions by ad group. Clicking on the ad group will show you results by ad. Learn more about choosing your bid amount

You might start by asking yourself, "Is my ad getting clicks?" and then, "Do those clicks lead to the results I want?" We recommend you continue to monitor impressions and clicks, but it’s most helpful to wait a couple weeks before making too many changes. If you edit your bids too frequently, you might not be able to assess your performance accurately.

Keep in mind, your ad performance on the Display Network does not affect your rank for Search ads, and lower CTR on the Display Network doesn't affect the Quality Score of your ads for search.

If you’d like to see if those clicks on your ads turn into action on your website or calls to your business, you can use conversion tracking for better insight.

Bid adjustments

If you are using Enhanced CPC, Manual CPC, or Viewable CPM bidding strategies then you can also set bid adjustments for better control over when and where your ad appears. Bid adjustments can be set at the campaign level (for mobile devices, times, days, and locations) and can also be used to bid more competitively for specific targeting methods, like keywords, audiences, demographics, topics, or placements in your ad groups.

When you go to the ad groups page, you can find the bidding status. Learn more about adding or removing bid adjustments

Note: The instructions below are part of the new design for the Google Ads user experience. To use the previous design, click the "Appearance" icon, and select Use previous design. If you're using the previous version of Google Ads, review the Quick reference map or use the Search bar in the top navigation panel of Google Ads to find the page you’re searching for.
  1. In your Google Ads account, click the Campaigns icon Campaigns Icon.
  2. Click the Campaigns drop down in the section menu.
  3. Click Ad groups.
  4. If you don’t see the column, click the columns icon A picture of the Google Ads columns icon, select Attributes, then select Active bid adj.

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