When you select each keyword, you can choose how much you're willing to pay whenever a customer searches on that keyword and clicks your ad. This is your keyword's maximum cost-per-click, or max CPC, bid amount. Some advertisers like the control they maintain with manual bids, while others are comfortable letting the Google Ads system make bids for them.
This article explains the difference between the automated Maximize Clicks bid strategy and manual CPC bidding, how to use Google Ads tools to choose a bid, and how to use keyword bid estimates to help get your ad on the first page.
Before you begin
For instructions on how to manually change your bids, learn how to Change your keyword bids.
How Maximize Clicks works
Maximize Clicks is ideal for advertisers who don't want to spend a lot of time setting bids, but would like to get the most clicks possible for their ads within their budget. You don't need to specify individual bids for your keywords, ad groups, or placements. All you do is set an average daily budget, and the Google Ads system automatically sets your max CPC bids to bring you the most clicks possible within your budget. For more control over your bids, you can set a CPC bid limit if you don't want to exceed a particular price per click. Learn more About Maximize Clicks bidding.
How to use Google Ads tools to help choose a keyword bid
Some tools help you identify keywords that you may want to adjust manually. Other more advanced tools do the bidding for you, based on an amount you select.
- Recommendations in your account can help you identify which of your keywords seem to be good candidates for bid changes. Suggestions are for increased bids (to help capture more clicks) and decreased bids (to help lower your costs). Find out how to Optimize your account with Recommendations.
- The Bid Simulator runs "what-if" scenarios such as: "How many more impressions would I have received if I had raised my bid by US$0.10?" so you can adjust your bids to the right level for your budget. The simulator doesn't predict the future, but it does estimate the click, cost, and impression data that your ads would have received in a typical week had you set higher or lower keyword bids.
- Enhanced CPC maximizes your conversions for manual bidding while achieving the same cost-per-conversion. This bid strategy looks for ad auctions that are more likely to lead to sales for you, and then raises your max CPC bid (after applying any bid adjustments you've set) to compete harder for those clicks. ECPC will also lower your bid in auctions less likely to lead to sales. That way you get more sales and conversions out of the ad dollars you spend.
- Conversion tracking is an advanced feature that shows you which keywords most often lead customers to take the actions you want them to take (these actions, such as a purchase or newsletter signup, are called conversions). Tracking your conversions can help you decide whether to increase your max CPC for keywords that are performing well, and decrease it for those that are underperforming. Conversion tracking is a requirement for using certain automated bid strategies, including ECPC with Target CPA and Target ROAS. Learn more About automated bidding.
How manual CPC bidding works
This option lets you manage your max CPC bids yourself. You can set bids at the ad group level, or for individual keywords. Your ad group's default bid amount will be applied to all keywords in your new campaign's ad group. You may change your bid amount at any time for any or all keywords.
Tips
- New to Google Ads and not sure what keyword bid amount to set? Many advertisers start with a max CPC bid of US$1.
- When using Maximize Clicks you can easily switch to manual CPC bidding which gives you full control to set the bid amounts yourself.
How to use keyword bid estimates
If it's important for you to have your ad show on the first page of Google search results, there are 3 different types of keyword bid estimates available to help you get there.
- First page bid estimates show the bid you likely need to get your ad on the first page of search results.
- Top of page bid estimates go a step further, estimating the bid you likely need to get your ad among the top ad positions on the first page of search results.
- First position bid estimates go further still, estimating the bid you likely need to get your ad in the top spot.
These estimates are based on an exact match for your keyword. Ad position also depends on the keyword's Quality Score and current advertiser competition for that keyword, so there's no guarantee your ad will consistently be in your preferred position. Learn how to Get your ads to show on the first page.