Whether you’re just starting out with Google ads or you’ve been running on a manual bidding strategy and want to move over to automated bidding, there are plenty of options for your account. Google likes to throw confusing terminology and hundreds of options at you so let us provide some clarity on how you can make the most out of Google Ads automation.
What are the benefits of Google Ads Automation?
Using automation comes with a whole host of benefits. One of our favourites is that it takes out some of the heavy lifting of managing an account.
Get Rid of the Guesswork
With manual strategies, you have to set your bids and regularly change them to try and find the sweet spot for your ads which can be time-consuming depending on how many campaigns you have. Automated strategies take in thousands of data points at the time of the auction to set the right bid for that user to make sure you’re getting the most value out of your budget.
Your Business Size Isn't a Limiting Factor
There can sometimes be a worry that your business is too small to make the most of Google Ads. Maybe your products are niche, or maybe you’re just entering your industry sector and don’t have a big team to help run your account. Automated bidding takes out the need to have someone take care of your bids full time.
There's a Bidding Strategy Perfect for your Business
You can choose from seven different automated bidding strategies when setting up a campaign and each work for different goals that you might have in your account. If you’re looking to get as many form submissions or purchases for your money then you might choose maximise conversions. If you just wanted to get as many clicks as possible to your website then you could try using maximise clicks to see what you can get out of your keywords and your budget.
With so many options, there’s definitely a strategy that’s going to help you reach your business goals.
What Automated Targeting can I use for my Google Ads Campaigns?
With seven bidding strategies to choose from, Google Ads automation can seem overwhelming at first. Let’s break down the different bidding strategies so you can decide what would work best for you:
1. Maximise Conversions
The goal here is to get the highest number of conversions possible based on your targeting and your budget. Without a target, Google will just try to get you as many conversions as possible within your budget amount. If you’re worried about the profitability of your account, you can also add a target CPA which will make Google’s AI more selective in who it shows your ads to.
This is best suited to lead generation businesses where each type of conversion has the same value.
2. Maximise Conversion Value
The goal here is to bring in as much revenue as possible from your budget. With this strategy type, you have the option to set a target return on ad spend (ROAS) to make your spending as profitable as possible if you are worried about your return being too low without one.
It is best suited to e-commerce businesses or businesses that offer different service levels where everything is not worth the same amount.
3. Maximise Clicks
If your aim is to grow your business and get as many people to your site, then you will definitely benefit from using maximise clicks. With this strategy, Google will get you as much traffic to your site as possible within your budget constraints.
4. Target CPA
Whilst a target CPA can be set in a maximise conversions strategy, the difference is that maximise conversions will typically bid lower to try and stretch your budget out for the day. Target CPA will just try to ensure that whoever comes through the campaign is converting after a certain level of spend. Some conversions may cost more or less than others but Google will try to average it out across the month to hit your target.
5. Target ROAS
Similarly to target CPA, target ROAS is used within the maximise conversion value strategy however maximise conversion value will try to bid lower to stretch your budget out throughout the day.
Google will use historical data to predict the value of a conversion when you enter into auctions. It will aim to bring you the best return for your money by adjusting your bids in real-time.
The Target ROAS strategy allows you to set a minimum and maximum bid limit to try and keep your spending within your budget. However, Google suggests using this option with caution as it can limit your account and stop you from reaching your ads' full potential.
Be careful with target ROAS, you’ll need at least 15 conversions over the last 30 days in your campaign to really make the most of this strategy.
6. Enhanced CPC
Enhanced CPC is a good first step into automation as it allows you to still control your bids whilst implementing Google’s AI to raise or lower your bid depending on whether it thinks a click will lead to a sale. It’s typically used as a means of increasing your click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate.
There used to be a 30% bid limit on how much a bid could be increased or decreased but that has now been removed. Now that there isn’t a limit, it’s important to keep an eye on your average CPC and make sure that your bids remain at an amount that makes your account profitable.
7. Target Impression Share
With Target Impression Share, you set a goal percentage of impression share for that campaign. There are three options built into this bidding strategy:
- Absolute top of page
- Top of page
- Anywhere on the page
Depending on which option you pick will change how Google does its bidding for your campaign. You can also set a maximum bid limit with this campaign and it’s recommended that you use it depending on how many people are in the auction with you. If you’re a small business owner going up against the likes of Amazon and eBay, you don’t want to be spending more than £10 a click when bigger companies can outbid you.
How Can I Use Automation In My Account?
How you use automation in your account all depends on your business goals and the industry you’re in. If you’re wanting to skip the move from manual and dive straight in at the deep end, then the easiest way to start automating your account would be to use the newest campaign type added to Google Ads - Performance Max.
Start on maximising conversions and don’t make any changes until you’re out of the learning phase to give your campaign the best opportunity to perform well. If you’re an e-commerce website look to move over to maximise conversion value once you have 15 conversions over 30 days and look at setting a target ROAS.
It’s easier than ever to get results out of your account with automated bidding. It doesn’t matter what your goal is, there’s a bidding strategy perfect for your business. With less hassle, less stress and more free time to dedicate to the bigger marketing picture Google Ads automation will help you make the move to the next level for your company.
Want to know more about Google Ads automation? Contact us today to learn from Breakout’s experts so we can help you get started with automating your advertising!
