Smart Bidding has revolutionized how advertisers manage campaigns, leveraging Google’s machine learning to make real-time bid adjustments. While this automation offers efficiency, many advertisers still ask:
“If Google decides my bids, how can I still control my campaign performance?”
The answer: you can’t directly change keyword bids — but you can guide the algorithm by adjusting Target CPA and Target ROAS settings.
Adjusting Targets to Influence Bids
When you set a Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) or Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition), you’re giving Google instructions about your priorities. Small adjustments can change how aggressively the algorithm bids.
To Increase Bids and Win More Auctions:
- Lower Target ROAS → Tells Google you’ll accept a lower return to capture more traffic.
- Raise Target CPA → Signals you’re willing to spend more per conversion.
To Lower Bids and Improve Efficiency:
- Raise Target ROAS → Encourages the algorithm to focus on higher returns at lower CPCs.
- Lower Target CPA → Tells Google to find cheaper conversions.
Quick Reference:
- ↓ Target ROAS → ↑ bids
- ↑ Target ROAS → ↓ bids
- ↑ Target CPA → ↑ bids
- ↓ Target CPA → ↓ bids
Strategies for Optimizing Campaigns
Automating these adjustments can streamline your workflow, with a common focus on two key optimization areas:
1. Boosting High-Potential Performers
Look for campaigns generating conversions but losing impression share due to ad rank — and without budget constraints. In these cases, carefully raising bids can help you recover visibility, improve click-through rates, and capture more customers.
2. Increasing Efficiency for Top Performers
If a campaign is exceeding targets (e.g., achieving 140% of its goal) and has strong impression share, you might be overpaying. Lowering bids slightly can reduce costs while maintaining performance.
Best Practices for Target Adjustments
- Don’t change targets too often — Once or twice per month is ideal to avoid disrupting the algorithm’s learning phase.
- Keep changes moderate — Small adjustments prevent campaign resets.
- Wait for enough data — Use at least 30 days of performance before making major changes.
- Don’t rely on audience “Observation” — In Smart Bidding, audience segments are signals, not direct bid modifiers.
- Customize strategies — Adjust rules based on your business goals and competitive landscape.
Final Thoughts
There’s no one-size-fits-all Smart Bidding strategy. The secret to making automation work for you is sending the right signals through Target CPA and Target ROAS adjustments — and doing it with precision.
If you want to take full advantage of Google Ads automation while still steering performance, experiment with these small changes and monitor the results.
For more PPC advertising tips, check out my Google Ads management services or explore my Skool blog for more insights on campaign optimization, bidding strategies, and conversion tracking.
GoogleAds #PPC #OnlineAdvertising #DigitalMarketing #SEM
