Choosing the right bidding strategy is one of the most important decisions when setting up a Google Ads campaign.
Your bidding strategy tells Google what result you want to prioritise, whether that is website clicks, conversions, sales value, return on ad spend or greater visibility in search results.
Google Ads bidding has changed considerably since this article was first published. Advertisers no longer need to rely only on manually choosing a maximum cost per click.
Google now provides several automated and AI-powered bidding strategies that can adjust bids for individual auctions according to the campaign objective and available signals.
Google also changed how some Smart Bidding strategies are presented in 2026. From June 2026, Target CPA and Target ROAS began appearing as standalone bidding options instead of being displayed as versions of Maximize Conversions and Maximize Conversion Value.
Google says this is a labelling change rather than a change to the underlying bidding behaviour.
Last Updated: 28.08.2026
What Is Bidding In Google Ads?
Bidding in Google Ads determines how much you are prepared to pay, or how Google should optimise your budget, when your advertisements compete to appear.
It is important to remember that winning an advertising auction is not simply a case of offering the highest bid. Google considers several factors when deciding whether an ad should appear and where it should appear.
Depending on your bidding strategy, Google may optimise towards:
- Clicks to increase website traffic
- Conversions such as purchases, enquiries or sign-ups
- Conversion Value to prioritise higher-value actions
- Return On Ad Spend to work towards a revenue efficiency target
- Visibility to increase how often ads appear in prominent search positions
The right bidding strategy therefore depends on the objective of the campaign rather than simply choosing the lowest possible CPC.
Types Of Bidding Strategies In Google Ads
Google Ads bidding can broadly be divided into manual bidding and automated bidding.
Some automated strategies are also classified as Smart Bidding. Smart Bidding uses Google AI and auction-time signals to optimise bids towards conversions or conversion value.
Google currently identifies Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions and Maximize Conversion Value as Smart Bidding strategies.
Maximize Clicks and Target Impression Share are automated bidding strategies, but they are not classified as Smart Bidding strategies in the same way.
Here is a simple comparison:
| Bidding Strategy | Main Objective | Best Suited For |
| Manual CPC | Control individual CPC bids | Advertisers wanting manual bid control |
| Maximize Clicks | Generate more website visits | Traffic-focused campaigns |
| Maximize Conversions | Generate the most conversions | Leads and sales |
| Target CPA | Achieve conversions around a target CPA | Cost-controlled lead generation |
| Maximize Conversion Value | Generate the greatest conversion value | Ecommerce and revenue campaigns |
| Target ROAS | Work towards a target return | Revenue-focused campaigns |
| Target Impression Share | Improve Search visibility | Awareness and brand visibility |
Not every bidding strategy is available for every Google Ads campaign type, so the options shown in an account can depend on the campaign being created.
1. Manual CPC Bidding
Manual CPC is one of the most straightforward bidding strategies in Google Ads.
With Manual CPC, you decide the maximum amount you are willing to pay for a click. Advertisers can set a default maximum CPC bid and make adjustments to individual keywords or other targeting elements where supported.
This provides more direct control than automated bidding.
For example, suppose you are advertising a business and one keyword consistently generates valuable customers. You may decide to use a higher maximum CPC for that keyword while reducing bids on keywords producing weaker results.
When Is Manual CPC Useful?
Manual CPC can be useful when:
- You Want Direct Control Over CPC Bids
- You Are Testing New Keywords
- You Want To Understand How Different Keywords Perform
- You Have Time To Monitor And Adjust Campaigns
- Conversion Data Is Limited Or Conversion Optimisation Is Not Your Main Objective
However, Manual CPC requires more management. Advertisers need to monitor keyword performance, CPC, conversion rates and campaign profitability and make their own bidding decisions.
Is Enhanced CPC Still Available?
One important update concerns Enhanced CPC, commonly known as ECPC.
Older versions of Google Ads allowed advertisers to combine Manual CPC with Enhanced CPC, which automatically adjusted manual bids when Google believed a conversion was more or less likely.
That information is now outdated.
Enhanced CPC stopped being available for Search and Display campaigns from the week of 31 March 2025. Campaigns that had not already migrated away from ECPC effectively moved to Manual CPC.
Therefore, advertisers updating older campaigns should not expect Enhanced CPC to remain an available Search or Display bidding option.
2. Maximize Clicks
Maximize Clicks is an automated bidding strategy designed to generate as many clicks as possible within the campaign’s available budget.
Rather than manually setting individual bids for every keyword, Google automatically adjusts bids based on opportunities to attract clicks.
This strategy is primarily intended for advertisers whose main objective is increasing website traffic.
For example, a new website looking to attract visitors to informational landing pages may initially value traffic more than ecommerce revenue or lead-generation efficiency.
Advantages Of Maximize Clicks
Maximize Clicks can be useful because:
- Google Automatically Manages CPC Bids
- It Can Help Increase Website Traffic
- Advertisers Do Not Need To Adjust Every Keyword Bid Manually
- It Can Be Useful When Click Volume Is The Main Goal
- A Maximum CPC Bid Limit Can Be Applied In Supported Settings
One major error in the old version of this article was the suggestion that Maximize Clicks operates for only one day and needs to be changed daily.
That is not correct.
Maximize Clicks can continue operating as the campaign’s selected bidding strategy. Advertisers should monitor performance regularly, but they do not have to choose a new strategy every day.
What Is The Limitation Of Maximize Clicks?
The biggest limitation is simple: a click is not necessarily a conversion.
Google may successfully increase traffic while some visitors leave the website without buying, enquiring or completing another important action.
For that reason, advertisers focused primarily on leads, purchases or other conversions may find a conversion-focused bidding strategy more appropriate.
3. Maximize Conversions And Target CPA
Maximize Conversions and Target CPA are both designed around generating conversions, but they are suited to slightly different objectives.
What Is Maximize Conversions?
Maximize Conversions is a Smart Bidding strategy that uses Google AI to help produce as many conversions as possible while spending the campaign’s budget.
Google adjusts bids at auction time based on the probability that a particular interaction will generate a conversion.
A conversion might include:
- A Product Purchase
- A Contact Form Submission
- A Phone Call
- An Appointment Booking
- A Registration
- A Subscription
- Another Valuable Customer Action
Correct conversion tracking is particularly important because Google’s bidding system needs to know which customer actions matter to the business.
When Should You Use Maximize Conversions?
Maximize Conversions may be suitable when:
- Your Main Goal Is Increasing Conversion Volume
- Conversion Tracking Is Properly Configured
- Your Campaign Has A Defined Budget
- You Are Less Concerned About Maintaining A Specific CPA
- Leads Or Sales Matter More Than Click Volume
Because the strategy is designed to generate as many conversions as possible within the available budget, advertisers should ensure that their campaign budget is set at a level they are comfortable spending.
What Is Target CPA?
Target CPA stands for Target Cost Per Action.
Instead of simply asking Google to maximise the total number of conversions, Target CPA allows an advertiser to provide an average acquisition-cost target.
For example, suppose you are prepared to spend approximately £25 for every qualified lead.
A Target CPA of £25 tells Google’s bidding system to optimise auctions towards generating conversions at approximately that average cost.
However, £25 is not a strict maximum cost for every individual conversion.
One conversion could cost £18 while another costs £30. Google’s system attempts to achieve the Target CPA across conversions on average.
Target CPA Changed In Google Ads In 2026
There has also been an important interface change.
Starting in June 2026, Google began displaying Target CPA as a standalone bidding strategy.
Previously, advertisers could see wording such as:
Maximize Conversions With A Target CPA
The interface is being simplified to show:
Target CPA
Google has confirmed that this does not alter how the bidding strategy works. It is primarily a change to its name and presentation.
4. Maximize Conversion Value And Target ROAS
Not every conversion has the same value.
For example, an ecommerce business may receive:
- Order A Worth £20
- Order B Worth £150
- Order C Worth £600
Simply maximising the number of conversions would treat those three purchases as conversions, but a business focused on revenue may care more about how much value each transaction generates.
This is where value-based bidding becomes useful.
What Is Maximize Conversion Value?
Maximize Conversion Value uses Smart Bidding to generate as much total conversion value as possible from the campaign’s budget.
Rather than concentrating only on how many conversions occur, Google considers their estimated or reported value.
Google describes Maximize Conversion Value as an AI-powered Smart Bidding strategy that adjusts bids at auction time to help maximise conversion value from the available budget.
This can be particularly useful for ecommerce businesses where order values vary substantially.
It can also work for lead-generation businesses if meaningful values are assigned to different conversion actions.
What Is Target ROAS?
ROAS means Return On Ad Spend.
Target ROAS allows advertisers to tell Google the average return they want to achieve from their advertising expenditure.
For example, a Target ROAS of 400% means the advertiser is aiming for approximately £4 of conversion value for every £1 spent on advertising.
Google then uses its bidding system to predict the potential conversion value of different auctions and adjust bids accordingly.
Target ROAS may be appropriate when:
- Conversion Values Are Accurately Tracked
- Revenue Is More Important Than Conversion Quantity
- Products Have Different Prices Or Profit Values
- You Have A Defined Return Objective
- Campaign Profitability Is A Major Priority
Target ROAS Changed In 2026
Target ROAS received the same naming update as Target CPA.
From June 2026, Google began replacing the label:
Maximize Conversion Value With A Target ROAS
with the simpler:
Target ROAS
Again, Google says the underlying bidding behaviour remains the same.
5. Target Impression Share And Choosing The Right Strategy
Not every campaign is built around conversions.
Some advertisers primarily want their brand to appear prominently when people search for particular terms.
Target Impression Share is designed for this type of objective.
What Is Target Impression Share?
Target Impression Share is an automated bidding strategy designed to help advertisements appear in a chosen percentage of eligible Search auctions and in a preferred search-result location.
Advertisers can use the strategy to aim for visibility:
- Anywhere On The Search Results Page
- Among The Top Ads
- As The Absolute Top Ad
This can make Target Impression Share useful for brand-awareness campaigns or situations where occupying a prominent position for strategically important search queries matters.
Google’s current bidding guidance associates Target Impression Share with increasing or maintaining awareness and search visibility.
However, appearing more often does not automatically mean that a campaign will generate profitable conversions.
If the main objective is sales or leads, conversion-focused strategies may be more appropriate.
Important Google Ads Bidding Change From August 2026
Advertisers using Target CPA or Target ROAS should also be aware of a significant bidding-system update that began rolling out globally on 17 August 2026.
The change particularly affects campaigns that have a Limited by budget status and use target-based bidding.
Google says these campaigns will now perform more consistently towards the bidding targets advertisers have actually entered, including when their budgets are adjusted.
This matters where a campaign has historically performed substantially better than its stated target.
For example, imagine that:
- Target CPA Is £20
- Actual CPA Has Recently Been £10
- Campaign Is Limited By Budget
Under the updated system, Google may optimise more closely towards the stated £20 target rather than continuing to substantially outperform it.
Advertisers should therefore review Target CPA and Target ROAS settings rather than assuming an old target can remain unchanged indefinitely.
Google has confirmed that it does not automatically change campaign budgets or bidding targets as part of this update.
Which Google Ads Bidding Strategy Should You Choose?
There is no single bidding strategy that is best for every Google Ads campaign.
The correct choice depends on your main objective.
| Your Main Goal | Bidding Strategy To Consider |
| Get More Website Visitors | Maximize Clicks |
| Control CPC Bids Yourself | Manual CPC |
| Generate More Leads Or Sales | Maximize Conversions |
| Maintain An Average Acquisition Target | Target CPA |
| Generate The Highest Total Conversion Value | Maximize Conversion Value |
| Achieve A Particular Advertising Return | Target ROAS |
| Increase Search Visibility | Target Impression Share |
A business should therefore choose its bidding strategy based on meaningful commercial goals rather than simply selecting Google’s default option.
Manual Bidding Vs Automated Bidding
Manual bidding gives advertisers greater direct control, while automated bidding allows Google’s system to make bidding decisions based on campaign objectives and auction-time information.
Manual Bidding May Be Better When:
- You Want Maximum Control Over Individual CPC Bids
- You Have The Time To Monitor Campaigns Closely
- Traffic And Keyword Testing Are More Important Than Automated Conversion Optimisation
- You Understand The Value Of Different Clicks
Automated Bidding May Be Better When:
- You Have Reliable Conversion Tracking
- You Want To Optimise Towards Leads Or Sales
- Your Campaign Contains Many Auctions And Variables
- You Want Google To Adjust Bids Automatically
- You Have Clear CPA, ROAS Or Conversion Goals
Automated bidding does not remove the need for campaign management. Advertisers still need to monitor budgets, conversion tracking, search terms, targeting, ads, landing pages and profitability.
What Is Smart Bidding In Google Ads?
Smart Bidding is Google’s group of conversion-focused automated bidding strategies.
Current Smart Bidding strategies include:
- Maximize Conversions
- Target CPA
- Maximize Conversion Value
- Target ROAS
Google’s Smart Bidding technology evaluates auction-time signals to determine an appropriate bid for each auction.
These signals can include contextual factors such as device, location, time of day and other information available to Google’s bidding systems.
Smart Bidding is particularly useful when advertisers have measurable business outcomes rather than simply wanting as many clicks as possible.
Common Google Ads Bidding Mistakes To Avoid
Choosing a bidding strategy is only the beginning. Poor campaign setup can still lead to wasted advertising spend.
Some common mistakes include:
- Using Inaccurate Conversion Tracking – Automated bidding cannot optimise effectively if the wrong actions are counted as conversions.
- Choosing The Wrong Campaign Objective – Maximize Clicks is not necessarily appropriate when the real goal is generating sales.
- Setting Unrealistic Targets – Very restrictive CPA or ROAS targets can limit campaign opportunities.
- Ignoring Budget Limitations – Target-based campaigns that are limited by budget should be reviewed carefully, particularly following Google’s August 2026 bidding update.
- Changing Strategies Too Frequently – Constant major changes can make performance harder to evaluate.
- Looking Only At CPC – A higher-cost click can still be valuable if it generates profitable customers.
- Ignoring Conversion Value – Businesses with transactions of significantly different values may benefit from value-based bidding instead of treating every conversion equally.
Conclusion
Google Ads bidding has developed significantly from the days when advertisers primarily relied on manually adjusting CPC bids.
Manual CPC remains available for advertisers who want direct control, while Maximize Clicks can automate bidding when website traffic is the main priority.
For advertisers focused on leads and sales, Maximize Conversions and Target CPA provide conversion-based optimisation.
Businesses where conversions have different financial values can use Maximize Conversion Value or Target ROAS, while Target Impression Share can support campaigns where search visibility is the priority.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Are The Main Google Ads Bidding Strategies In 2026?
The main options include Manual CPC, Maximize Clicks, Maximize Conversions, Target CPA, Maximize Conversion Value, Target ROAS and Target Impression Share, although availability varies by campaign type.
2. Is Enhanced CPC Still Available In Google Ads?
Enhanced CPC is no longer available for Search and Display campaigns. Google removed ECPC for these campaigns from the week of 31 March 2025.
3. Is Target CPA Still Available In Google Ads?
Yes. From June 2026, Google began displaying Target CPA as a standalone bidding option instead of Maximize Conversions with a Target CPA.
4. Does Target CPA Set A Maximum Cost For Every Conversion?
No. Target CPA is an average performance target. Individual conversions can cost more or less than the CPA you have selected.
5. What Is The Difference Between Maximize Conversions And Maximize Conversion Value?
Maximize Conversions focuses on generating the greatest number of conversions, while Maximize Conversion Value focuses on generating the greatest total value from those conversions.
6. What Is Target ROAS In Google Ads?
Target ROAS is a Smart Bidding strategy that adjusts bids to help achieve a selected average return on advertising spend using reported conversion values.
7. Which Google Ads Bidding Strategy Is Best For Beginners?
There is no universal beginner strategy. Maximize Clicks may suit traffic-focused campaigns, while conversion-focused campaigns may benefit from Maximize Conversions once reliable conversion tracking is configured.
