Google Shopping Ads - Bidding Strategies

[Irena]

Hello,

1) When is the right time to switch from Manual bid strategy to Automated bid strategy and what Automated bid strategy to choose: ECPC optimised for conversions, ECPC optimised for conversion value, Target ROAS or Maximize clicks.

2) Do Automated bid strategies take data from all account campaigns or from the one, where bidding strategy is being changed?

Thank you all!

[Dirk]

Hey, @Irena 

Insightful questions. I'll do my best to share some tidbits of info that I think will be helpful to optimize your ads.

In the vast majority of cases, I recommend you use Google’s Smart Bidding options. For Shopping campaigns, that will mainly be either the Target ROAS or Maximize Conversions bid strategy. Smart Bidding uses machine learning to analyze millions of signals in a fraction of a second to adjust bids to help hit your targets. Smart Bidding uses “auction-time bidding,” which means it adjusts bids in real-time for each individual shopper. So for every shopper who types in a keyword that might trigger your ad, Google is adjusting the bid based on how likely they think that person is to buy. To learn more about how automated bidding works, check out google's PDF guide here.

If there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know.

[Irena]

Hi @Dirk! And thank you for sharing this.

I found an answer to my first question. Do you also know how to answer this: "Do Automated bid strategies take data from all account campaigns or from the one, where bidding strategy is being changed?"

Thanks!

[Dirk]

Great question, @Irena 

I'm not formally trained in Google Ads so I do not have a concrete answer regarding what data is being taken into account when google's automated bid strategies are employed. I would recommend reaching out to a Google Ads support specialist on their website here to get some clarity around that question.

If there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know.

[Irena]

@Dirk,

Can you explain the difference between Smart Shopping and Automated bid strategies (Target ROAS, Maximize clicks)?

Thanks!

[Dirk · Accepted solution]

Hey, @Irena 

Smart shopping uses smart bidding. And Smart bidding is a subset of automated bid strategies that use machine learning to optimize for conversions or conversion value in each and every auction—a feature known as “auction-time bidding”. Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize conversions, and Maximize conversion value are all Smart Bidding strategies. You can learn more about smart shopping campaigns here. 

If there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know.

[Irena]

@Dirk thank you!

[Dirk]

Anytime, @Irena! Best of luck with your marketing efforts going forward. Also, check out our free guide to running successful google shopping ads here.

If there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know.

[Socialhead]

Hi again,

Since the automated bidding strategies rely heavily on your campaign past data, it is best to have at least 100 past conversions date before the whole automation process. 

Learn more about the types of bidding strategies here. We can’t give you the exact answer on which options you should choose since it might vary based on your business goals at different stages of your eCommerce journey. 

2) Do Automated bid strategies take data from all account campaigns or from the one, where the bidding strategy is being changed? 

-> Sadly, automated bid strategies only take data from the one account being charged.