Finding success with Smart Bidding

Best practices for automating and optimizing your bids.

A woman looking at her laptop. Next to her are 3 icons: upward arrow, list, and checkmark.

 

Smart Bidding uses Google AI to deliver better, more informed bids while saving you time. In this guide, we’ll talk about why you should use a Smart Bidding strategy and how to drive better results in Search campaigns.

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Step 1: Set up your account for success

Create campaigns with single objectives, and use accurate conversion data. Then pair Smart Bidding with broad match keywords and responsive search ads to find additional queries.

Gear iconSmart Bidding trains its artificial intelligence models on hundreds of billions of search queries and combinations of signals, then uses these signals at auction-time to set bids to hit advertiser goals.1


Learn more about setting up your account for success

 

Step 2: Pick the right bid strategy

Choose your bid strategy based on your main business goal. To make the most of AI-powered bidding, you can use Maximize conversions with an optional target CPA or Maximize conversion value with an optional target ROAS.

Case Study

1StopLighting logo

1STOPlighting is a retail lighting store offering indoor and outdoor lighting fixtures, patio umbrellas, furniture, and more. They wanted to grow revenue while maintaining profits across multiple brands and product categories. After testing target ROAS bidding to optimize toward profit goals, the company saw a significant jump in performance. 1STOPlighting transitioned all of their shopping campaigns to bid towards a target ROAS and were able to increase profit by 214%.


Learn more about picking the right bid strategy

 

Step 3: Test your bid strategy

Use Google Ads experiments to test one variable at a time on a large volume, long-running campaign. For example, you can test Maximize conversion value with an optional target ROAS against your existing bid strategy.

Gear iconOn average, advertisers that switch their bid strategy from having a target CPA to a target ROAS can see 14% more conversion value at a similar return on ad spend.2

 
Learn more about testing your bid strategies

 

 Step 4: Evaluate your performance

The bid strategy report shows how your campaign is performing compared to your set performance goals. Recommendations can also help with ideas on how you can improve performance across your campaigns.

Checkmark iconIf you know how Smart Bidding is performing, you can use those business insights elsewhere.

 
Learn more about evaluating your bid strategy performance

 

 

1. Google Internal Data, Global, April 2023
2. Google Internal Data, Global, Feb 2023

 

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