I am interested in conversion for website products so I set the bid strategy sale and conversions with a max CPA. I have enterd a keyword list of relevant search terms. However after 5 days still no impressions. Google help recommendation is to temporarily change the strategy to maximise clicks instead. Is that the correct approach. If not what settings should I use for new goggle search campaigns to have the goal of sales. ?
Topic summary
A user is experiencing zero impressions after 5 days on a new Google Ads campaign configured for conversions with a max CPA bid strategy and relevant keywords.
Current Issue:
- Campaign set to “Sales and Conversions” with max CPA bidding
- No impressions despite having relevant search terms
- Campaign has been running for 5 days
Seeking Guidance:
- Google’s help recommendation suggests temporarily switching to “Maximize Clicks” strategy
- User is questioning whether this approach is correct
- Looking for proper campaign settings to achieve sales goals for a Shopify website
The discussion remains open with no responses yet, leaving the user without clarity on whether to follow Google’s suggestion or pursue alternative configuration strategies.
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Yes, switch temporarily to “Maximize Clicks” — it helps Google learn faster.
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Use it until you get enough clicks/conversions (≈15–30 conversions).
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Then switch back to “Maximize Conversions” or Target CPA.
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Also check:
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Budget not too low vs. target CPA.
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No overly strict keywords (use phrase/broad match).
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Ad not disapproved & location/language targeting correct.
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Yes that is correct. Platforms like Google and Meta have suggested settings for a reason.
It also depends on the audience you set. If you set a “world” audience you will get lots of cheap impressions and clicks. If you are advertising baby shoes to an audience of 65+ you probably won’t get your desired outcome.
Money and Length of Time: You need to understand that successful companies are spending hundreds and even thousands per day. You also need to understand 5 days is not enough time for the algorithm to learn who, where, and when to show your ad, and which variation is best. Further, you need to understand how advertising works, how auctions work, and how the bids for each ad are set. It’s cheaper in African countries because the bids are lower and they can get a better price. The UK and US are far more expensive. So if you have a low max cpa or cpc in these expensive areas, you’re not going to even get your ad shown.
So, if you limit the functionality of the algorithm, you’re going to limit the outcome. Doing $5 a day for 5 days is not going to do anything beyond waste your money. You need a real plan with real investment. Otherwise why even bother?
Yes, Google’s recommendation is correct. Switch your bid strategy to “Maximize Clicks” to get initial traffic and data. New campaigns with “Maximize Conversions” often fail because Google lacks historical conversion data to optimize for.
Once you get 15-30 conversions per month, switch back to “Maximize Conversions” or “Target CPA” for sales-focused optimization.
For post-click optimization, consider Hoppy Free Shipping Bar & Upsell to increase on-site conversion rates. Full disclosure: I’m on the team behind this app.