About conversion goals in Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising campaigns

In the previous Search Ads 360, advertisers can configure campaigns to optimize with adaptive
and bid adjustments features using a conversion goal. This feature is no longer available in the new
Search Ads 360 and therefore is being deprecated starting February 1, 2023.

Set a conversion goal in Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising campaigns to use selected conversions to automatically maximize conversions or revenue by managing bid adjustments and adapting targets.

What is a conversion goal?

You may be familiar with conversion goals if you've used bid strategy opportunities. A conversion goal enables you to specify the conversions that you want to use to maximize conversions or revenue in a campaign, bid strategy opportunity, or budget plan.

Learn more about conversion goals in budget plans. 

A conversion goal functions slightly differently depending on whether it's applied to an individual Google Ads or Microsoft Advertising campaign, budget plan, or used in a bid strategy opportunity. In each component, the conversion goal automates certain tasks for you.

When applied to a campaign, a conversion goal can set bid adjustments and auto-generate (or adapt) location targets, remarketing targets, or product groups to maximize conversions or revenue based on the historical performance of selected conversions.  A conversion goal isn't used to set bids in the campaign.

Learn more about adaptive campaign options.

You can apply the same conversion goal to multiple campaigns to independently manage each campaign's bid adjustments. For example, if you apply a goal called Maxconversions to campaign A and campaign B, the goal will manage campaign A's selected bid adjustments separately from campaign B's selected bid adjustments.

A conversion goal in a bid strategy opportunity is used to identify a group of campaigns with similar performance that would benefit from being managed by a bid strategy. If you convert the opportunity into a bid strategy, the bid strategy's goal is used to manage the bidding for the portfolio of campaigns within constraints that you specify.

Like a conversion goal in a campaign, a bid strategy is used manage bid adjustments to maximize conversions or revenue. The bid strategy's goal and targets can also be used to automatically create (adapt) location targets, remarketing targets, and product groups in its campaigns.

Note that a bid strategy can set bids, set or recommend bid adjustments, and adapt targets for a portfolio of campaigns. A conversion goal can be used to set or recommend bid adjustments and adapt targets in a single campaign. 

Bid adjustments and adaptive targets

Set a conversion goal in a Google Ads or Microsoft Advertising campaign to allow Search Ads 360 to automatically set or recommend bid adjustments and auto-generate location targets, remarketing targets, and product groups based on historical performance data.

If you apply a goal to a campaign, but don’t select the bid adjustments, the conversion goal only recommends bid adjustments.

Conversion goals manage different bid adjustments and adaptive targets in Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising campaigns.

Google Ads campaign bid adjustments and adaptive targets

• Set or recommend different types bid adjustments (similar to a bid strategy)

  • Device bid adjustments
  • Remarketing target 
  • Location target (geo-location only) 
  

• Adapt or auto-generate geo location targets from a larger target
  Search Ads 360 will automatically create and manage smaller, more focused geo-location targets from an existing high-level location target, such as a country, state, or province.

  If you're using adaptive location targets, we also recommend that you let Search Ads 360 set bid adjustments for the geo-location targets.
• Auto-generate remarketing targets
• Adapt or auto-generate focused product groups within ad groups (applicable only for shopping campaigns)

 

Microsoft Advertising campaign bid adjustment and adaptive target

• Set or recommend device bid adjustments (similar to a bid strategy)

• Adapt or auto-generate focused product groups within ad groups (applicable only for shopping campaigns)

Ad groups inherit bid adjustments from conversion goal

An ad group can inherit the automated bidding settings from its campaign if the ad group doesn't specify different settings. That is, if an ad group is set to to inherit bidding settings from a campaign with a conversion goal applied, the ad group will inherit the campaign's bid adjustments.

 

Example

Suppose the Maxconversions goal that is applied to CampaignA is setting the campaign's mobile device bid adjustment to 20%. The conversion goal is only recommending the location target and remarketing target bid adjustments, each recommended at -10%.  
One of the campaign's ad groups, Maxadgroup1, is set to inherit bid adjustments from the campaign. This means that the ad group's bidding setting is set to Manual bidding (inherited). The ad group will use the same bid adjustments as the campaign. The ad group's mobile bid adjustment is set to 20%, while the location and remarketing target bid adjustments are recommended at -10%.

Another of the campaign's ad groups, Maxadgroup2, has a Search Ads 360 bid strategy applied to it. Because a Search Ads 360 bid strategy is applied to Maxadgroup2, the device bid adjustments as well as the other bid adjustments in the ad group are managed by the bid strategy.

If an ad group's bidding setting is set to Manual bidding, it doesn't automatically inherit any bid adjustments from the campaign. If you want the ad group to inherit bid adjustments from the campaign, you can set the Google Ads or Microsoft Advertising ad group to inherit targeting settings from the campaign.

Overview of process for creating and applying a conversion goal

The process for creating a conversion goal is similar to the process for creating a bid strategy opportunity goal:

1. Select or create a conversion goal.
   1. Select the KPI, conversions or revenue, to maximize your ROI.
   2. Choose the type of conversion.

2. Select a campaign and apply the conversion goal to the campaign.

   1. Select one of the following types of campaigns:

      • Manual campaign
      • Shopping campaign

   2. In the campaign settings, set the bidding strategy to Manual bidding.

   3.  Apply the conversion goal to the campaign.

   4. Select the bid adjustments and adaptive settings that you want the goal to manage.

 

Next steps

• Create and apply a conversion goal to a campaign by using the Search Ads 360 user interface or a bulksheet.
• Apply an existing conversion goal to a campaign.
• Select campaign bid adjustment options with a conversion goal.
• Turn on the adaptive feature.