Note: Starting July, you’ll find optional target fields in search campaigns for new Maximise conversions or Maximise conversion value bid strategies. Be aware that for video action campaigns, these are two different bidding strategies. With an optional target, Smart Bidding will optimise to these goals the same way it would for Target CPA (cost per action) and target ROAS (return on ad spend). Maximise conversions with a set target CPA will behave like a target CPA strategy does today, and similarly, Maximise conversion value with a set target ROAS will behave like a target ROAS strategy does today. Note, Hotel campaigns only supports Maximise conversion value with a mandatory target ROAS.
Learn more about changes to how Smart Bidding strategies are organised.
Maximise conversions automatically set bids to help get the most conversions for your campaign while spending your budget.
- When you're using Maximise conversions without a Target CPA set, we'll aim to spend your budget to maximise conversions for your campaigns.
- When you're using Maximise conversions with a Target CPA set, we'll help to get as many conversions as possible at the target cost-per-action (CPA).
It uses advanced machine learning to automatically optimise bids and offers auction-time bidding capabilities that tailor bids for every auction. This article explains how Maximise conversions work.
Bid adjustments and Maximise conversions
Bid adjustments allow you to display your ads more or less frequently based on where, when and how people search. Because Maximise conversions help optimise your bids based on real-time data, your existing bid adjustments aren't used. There is one exception: You can still set device bid adjustments to -100%.
Note: If you switch to Maximise conversions bidding, you don’t need to remove existing bid adjustments, because they won’t be used.
How it works
Using historical information about your campaign and evaluating the contextual signals present at auction-time, Maximise conversions bidding automatically finds an optimal bid for your ad each time it's eligible to appear. It uses advanced machine learning to automatically optimise bids and offers auction-time bidding capabilities that tailor bids for every auction to help get the cheapest conversions available for your budget.
Before switching to Maximise conversions:
- Check your average daily budget amount. Maximise conversions will try to fully spend your average daily budget, so if you’re currently spending much less than your budget, Maximise conversions could increase spend significantly.
- Check your return-on-investment (ROI) goals. If you have an ROI goal for your campaign, such as a target cost per install (CPI), target cost per action (CPA) or return on ad spend (ROAS), you may want to switch to a target CPI, target CPA or target ROAS bid strategy. Like Maximise conversions, these strategies automatically set bids for each auction, but the goal will be to achieve the average CPI, CPA or ROAS target that you set, rather than spending your full budget to maximise conversions. For Search and Shopping campaigns, you can choose to set a target CPA or target ROAS bid strategy.
Note: When using Maximise conversions bidding or Maximise conversions value bidding, we recommend that you use tools such as budget simulator and impression share metrics to understand the budget opportunity available on your campaign. This only applies when the target CPA or target ROAS isn't set to Maximise conversion strategies.
We don’t recommend using the impression share 'Lost IS (budget)' column in Google Ads with Maximise conversions because the column is incompatible with the bid strategy. Maximise conversions or Maximise conversion value bid strategies are designed to spend the full daily budget, and are 'limited by budget' by design as campaigns are considered constrained by the budget you set. Whereas the budget simulator accounts for this, the 'Lost IS (budget)' column doesn't currently account for this, and uses a different definition to account for lost impressions.
Maximise conversions versus Maximise conversion value
- Maximise conversions bidding (customer actions that convert to sales or service) will help you optimise towards conversions.
- You have the option to set a target CPA on your Maximise conversions bidding strategy, which means Smart Bidding will try to get as many conversions as possible at the target CPA that you set. If the Target CPA option isn't set, then Maximise conversions will aim to spend your budget to get as many conversions as possible.
- Maximise conversion value bidding will still occur for every conversion, but the value varies on the type of conversion (low impact versus high impact), and the cost stays within your specified budget. When you create a maximise conversion value bid strategy, you'll set a Target ROAS.
- When you are using Maximise conversion value without a Target ROAS set, we'll aim to spend your budget to maximise conversion value for your campaigns.
- When you are using Maximise conversion value with a Target ROAS set, we'll help to get as much conversion value as possible at the target ROAS. You’ll need to provide transaction-specific conversion values.
Before you begin
If you don’t know what type of automated bid strategy is right for you, refer to About automated bidding.
Create a Maximise conversions bid strategy
You can create a Maximise conversions bid strategy in the following ways:
- Create with a new campaign.
- Create or change from campaign settings.
- Create from the Shared library 'Bid strategies' page.
To create a bid strategy, refer to Set up Smart Bidding.
