Use a bulksheet to apply Google Ads bid strategies

The overall process for applying Google Ads bid strategies to campaigns or overriding the CPA or ROAS targets for ad groups is:

1. In Search Ads 360, download an editable bulksheet that contains the campaigns or ad groups you want to update.
2. In the downloaded bulksheet, specify the Google Ads bid strategy in the Engine bid strategy name column. 
3. Upload the bulksheet into Search Ads 360.

Download an editable bulksheet with Google Ads campaigns or ad groups

Download an editable bulksheet that contains campaigns or ad groups:

1. Navigate to a Google Ads engine account.

   Steps for navigating to an engine account

   1. In the left navigation panel, click All accounts.
      What if the left navigation pane isn't visible?

   2. Click the navigation bar to display navigation options.

   3. In the "Agency" list, click on the agency that contains the advertiser. You can search for an agency by name or scroll through the list.

   4. In the "Advertiser" list, click on the advertiser that contains the engine account.

   5. In the "Account" list, click on the engine account.

   6. Click Apply or press the Enter key.

   Search Ads 360 displays the engine account page.

2. Click the Campaigns or Ad groups tab.
3. Optionally use a filter to display only the campaigns you want to apply the bid strategy to.
4. Click the download icon , which appears above the reporting table and make the following selections in the download panel:
   • Scope: Current selection in table
   • Columns: Editable columns (for re-upload)
   • Include types: Campaigns and Ad groups
   • Filters: Include rows with no impressions
5. Click Download.

Search Ads 360 generates the report and either downloads the file to your browser's download directory or sends an email, depending on the delivery option you selected.

If you selected to download a report and the report is very large, it may take a while for Search Ads 360 to generate the report. You can still use Search Ads 360 while the report is generating. A status bar indicates the progress of the report generation. When it's complete, a Download link appears in the status bar. Click the link to download the report.

Google Ads bid strategy settings for campaigns

In the downloaded bulksheet, find a row that defines a campaign and enter information in the following column:

• Engine bid strategy name
  Enter one of the following options:
  • The name of a portfolio bid strategy that you created in Google Ads and synced into Search Ads 360
  • Enhanced CPC (ECPC)

    • (manual; Enhanced CPC): Sets the Google Ads bidding strategy to manual bidding/no bid strategy/Manual CPC and enables the ECPC feature in the campaign. The manually set bids for ad groups or keywords serve as the basis for the ECPC adjustment.

  • Maximize Clicks
    • (Maximize Clicks; Enhanced CPC): Applies the Maximize Clicks standard bid strategy with the ECPC feature turned on. The maximum CPC isn’t specified.
    • (Maximize Clicks; bid ceiling): Applies the Maximize Clicks standard bid strategy with the maximum CPC (the amount specified for the bid ceiling) that you’re willing to pay. The ECPC feature isn’t enabled.
    • (Maximize Clicks; bid ceiling; Enhanced CPC) : Applies the Maximize Clicks standard bid strategy with the maximum CPC (the amount specified for the bid ceiling) that you’re willing to pay and turns on the ECPC feature.
  • Target CPA
    • (Target CPA; target CPA): Applies the Target CPA standard bid strategy and specifies your CPA goal (the target CPA amount).
  • Target ROAS
    • (Target ROAS; target ROAS%): Applies the Target ROAS standard bid strategy and specifies your ROAS goal as percent.
  • remove_content: Removes any bid strategy that's currently applied to the campaign and returns to manual bidding. All ad groups in the campaign will also return to manual bidding.
  • (manual;): Sets the Google Ads bidding strategy to manual bidding/no bid strategy/Manual CPC. Removes any bid strategy that's currently applied to the item and uses only the bid that you set manually.  All ad groups in the campaign will also return to manual bidding.

• Min Bid and Max Bid (for keywords)
  Enter one of the following:

  • (inherited) to inherit min and max bids from the bid strategy.

  • A specific amount to override the bid strategy setting. For example, .50

Example

Here's an example of applying bid strategies to campaigns. (To save space, not all of the required columns are displayed here.)

Row type	Action	Campaign	Engine bid strategy name
campaign	edit	Campaign #1	Portfolio CPA strategy
campaign	edit	Campaign #2	(Maximize Clicks; Enhanced CPC)
campaign	edit	Campaign #3	(manual; Enhanced CPC)
campaign	edit	Campaign #4	(Maximize Clicks; 1)
campaign	edit	Campaign #5	(Target CPA; 5)
campaign	edit	Campaign #6	(Target ROAS; 300%)

Google Ads bid strategy settings for ad groups

Ad groups always inherit bid strategies from the parent campaign, but if a campaign specifies a Target ROAS or Target CPA bid strategy (or a portfolio bid strategy that targets ROAS or CPA), individual ad groups can set their own ROAS or CPA targets. 

To override the ROAS or CPA target set at the campaign level, find a row that defines an ad group and enter information in the following column:

• Engine bid strategy name
  Enter one of the following options:
  • Target CPA
    • (Target CPA; target CPA): Specifies a new CPA target for the ad group. Only valid if the campaign specifies a Target CPA bid strategy, or a portfolio bid strategy that targets CPA.
  • Target ROAS
    • (Target ROAS; target ROAS%): Specifies a new ROAS target for the ad group. Only valid if the campaign specifies a Target ROAS bid strategy, or a portfolio bid strategy that targets ROAS.
  • remove_content or (inherited): removes any target override and inherits the bid strategy settings that are applied to the campaign.