Choosing a bidding strategy is one of the most consequential decisions you make in Google Ads. The wrong strategy can lead to overpaying for irrelevant clicks or losing conversions you should have won. The right strategy, however, can double ROAS on the same budget. This guide covers all available bid strategies, gives you a decision framework for choosing correctly, and shows how to switch strategies safely.
Overview of all bidding strategies
Google Ads offers eight main bidding strategies, divided into two categories: manual strategies where you control bids directly, and smart (automated) strategies where Google's machine learning sets bids based on signals you cannot access manually.
Manual strategies include Manual CPC and Enhanced CPC. Automated strategies include Maximize Clicks, Maximize Conversions, Maximize Conversion Value, Target CPA, and Target ROAS. Additionally, there are portfolio bid strategies that let you apply an automated strategy across multiple campaigns.
The trend in recent years is clear: Google is pushing advertisers toward automated strategies. Performance Max campaigns, for example, support only Maximize Conversions and Maximize Conversion Value. But that does not mean Manual CPC is obsolete — there are scenarios where manual control is still the smartest choice. For a general introduction to Google Ads, see our Google Ads guide.
Manual CPC: When and why
Manual CPC gives you full control over bids at the keyword level. You set a maximum bid per click for each keyword, and Google will never exceed this bid. The advantage is predictability and control. The disadvantage is that you cannot leverage Google's real-time signals (device, location, time of day, user history) to adjust bids dynamically.
Use Manual CPC when: You have a new account without conversion history (under 30 conversions per 30 days), you need full budget control during a test period, you operate in a niche with highly predictable CPCs and low competition, or you are using Manual CPC temporarily while building conversion data to switch to an automated strategy.
The main rule: Manual CPC is a starting point, not an endpoint. Most accounts should aim to collect enough conversion data to switch to an automated strategy. Make sure you have proper conversion tracking in place before switching. Google recommends a minimum of 30 conversions per 30 days before activating an automated conversion strategy (Google Ads Help, 2025).
Enhanced CPC
Enhanced CPC is a hybrid between manual and automated bidding. You set a manual bid, but give Google permission to adjust the bid up or down for individual auctions based on the probability of conversion. Google can increase the bid by up to 100% for auctions it believes have high conversion probability.
In practice, Enhanced CPC works best as a transitional step between Manual CPC and fully automated strategies. You retain a degree of control (the base bid is yours), but Google can act on signals you cannot see. The downside is that CPC can be significantly higher than the base bid in individual auctions.
A common question is whether Enhanced CPC is relevant in 2026 given the more advanced automated strategies. The answer: yes, for accounts with limited conversion data (15 to 30 conversions per month). It is the least aggressive step toward automation and gives Google the opportunity to learn without giving it full control.
Maximize Clicks and Maximize Conversions
Maximize Clicks is the simplest automated strategy: Google sets bids to get as many clicks as possible within your daily budget. It is a traffic strategy, not a conversion strategy. Use it only for brand building, research, or when you need traffic data quickly. Never use it for conversion goals.
Maximize Conversions is a powerful strategy where Google uses machine learning to set bids that maximize the number of conversions within your budget. Note: Google will spend your entire daily budget — the strategy does not save money, it maximizes results for the money you allocate.
An important point about Maximize Conversions: Google will fill the budget even if it means bidding high on marginally valuable auctions. If you have a daily budget of 1,000 NOK and can get 8 conversions for 800 NOK, Google will often bid up the remaining 200 NOK on auctions with low conversion probability to reach 1,000 NOK. Set realistic daily budgets, and consider switching to Target CPA when you have enough data. See our ad budget calculator guide for calculating optimal budgets.
Target CPA and Target ROAS
Target CPA (cost per action) lets you set a target price per conversion, and Google adjusts bids to achieve this target over time. Example: Set Target CPA to 200 NOK, and Google will bid more aggressively in auctions where conversion probability is high and more conservatively where it is low — aiming to deliver conversions at 200 NOK on average.
Target ROAS (return on ad spend) is value-based bidding. Instead of optimizing for number of conversions, it optimizes for conversion value. Set Target ROAS to 400%, and Google will aim for every NOK you spend on advertising to return 4 NOK in conversion value.
Google recommends a minimum of 30 conversions per 30 days for Target CPA and 50 conversions for Target ROAS (Google Ads Help, 2025). Set targets realistically — start with a Target CPA that is 10 to 20% higher than your current average CPA, and adjust downward gradually. Setting overly aggressive targets from the start will cause Google to drastically reduce traffic to reach the target, often resulting in fewer total conversions.
Maximize Conversion Value and portfolio strategies
Maximize Conversion Value is the sister strategy to Maximize Conversions, but instead of maximizing the number of conversions, it maximizes total conversion value. This strategy is ideal for e-commerce where different conversions have different values — an order worth 5,000 NOK is more valuable than one worth 500 NOK.
Portfolio bid strategies let you apply one bidding strategy across multiple campaigns. Google optimizes bids to reach the shared target across all campaigns in the portfolio. The advantage is that Google can shift budget between campaigns dynamically based on where the best opportunities are right now.
Portfolio strategies are especially useful for accounts with many campaigns and limited conversion volume per campaign. By combining campaigns in a portfolio, you give Google's algorithm more data to work with, which often results in better performance than individual strategies per campaign. For PMax campaigns, see our Performance Max guide.
Choosing the right strategy: Decision tree by goal and data
Choosing a bid strategy should be based on three factors: campaign goal, available conversion data, and budget. Here is a decision tree you can follow.
Do you have fewer than 30 conversions per 30 days? Start with Manual CPC or Enhanced CPC while building data. Have 30 to 50 conversions? Try Maximize Conversions (without a target) to see what Google can deliver. Have 50+ conversions and a clear CPA limit? Switch to Target CPA. Have 50+ conversions with varying value (e-commerce)? Use Target ROAS or Maximize Conversion Value.
Budget also matters: For small budgets (under 5,000 NOK per month), Manual CPC or Enhanced CPC is often safer because automated strategies need volume to optimize effectively. For mid-range budgets (5,000 to 50,000 NOK), Maximize Conversions or Target CPA is ideal. For large budgets (50,000+ NOK) with good conversion volume, Target ROAS or Maximize Conversion Value is the most profitable approach.
- Under 30 conversions per month: Manual CPC or Enhanced CPC
- 30 to 50 conversions per month: Maximize Conversions
- 50+ conversions per month with CPA goal: Target CPA
- 50+ conversions per month with varying value: Target ROAS
- Small budget (under 5,000 NOK): Manual CPC or Enhanced CPC
- PMax campaigns: Only Maximize Conversions or Max Conv. Value
The learning period: What happens and what to do
When you activate or change an automated bid strategy, the campaign enters a learning period. During this period, Google collects data and tests bids to understand what works. The learning period typically lasts 1 to 2 weeks, and performance can vary significantly during this period.
During the learning period, you should: Not change bids, budget, or campaign structure. Not add or remove keywords in large volume. Not pause the campaign. All of these actions can restart the learning period and extend the unstable phase.
After the learning period, evaluate performance over a period of 2 to 4 weeks. Compare with the previous strategy's performance over a comparable period. Has CPA decreased? Has conversion volume increased? Has ROAS improved? These metrics tell you whether the strategy switch was successful.
Safe strategy switching: How to switch without destroying performance
Switching bid strategies is one of the riskiest operations in Google Ads if done incorrectly. An abrupt switch from Manual CPC to Target CPA can cause CPCs to explode because Google has not learned the optimal bidding yet.
The safest method is to use a drafts and experiments approach. Create a draft of the campaign, change the bid strategy in the draft, and run it as an experiment with a traffic split (for example 50/50). After 2 to 4 weeks, compare performance between the original and experiment. If the experiment wins, apply the change to the entire campaign.
An alternative for those who do not want to use experiments: Switch strategy on a Monday (to give Google a full week of data), set a realistic target (10 to 20% above current CPA), and leave it for at least 2 weeks without making changes. At LeapJet, we always use the experiment approach for accounts with over 20,000 NOK in monthly spend, and direct switching for smaller accounts. See our glossary for terms related to automated bidding.
Common bidding mistakes
Mistake 1: Switching to Target CPA with too little data. Google needs at minimum 30 conversions per 30 days for the algorithm to work effectively. With fewer conversions, the strategy becomes unstable and can either spend the entire budget on expensive clicks or stop traffic entirely.
Mistake 2: Setting an overly aggressive CPA or ROAS target from the start. If your current CPA is 300 NOK and you set Target CPA to 150 NOK, Google will drastically reduce traffic to hit the target. Start 10 to 20% above current CPA and adjust down gradually. Mistake 3: Changing budget and strategy simultaneously. Make one change at a time so you can isolate the effect of each.
Mistake 4: Restarting the learning period by making changes too early. Mistake 5: Using Maximize Clicks for conversion goals — it optimizes for clicks, not conversions, and can fill the budget with cheap but worthless clicks. Mistake 6: Ignoring portfolio strategies for accounts with many small campaigns — portfolios give the algorithm more data and work better than individual strategies per campaign. Visit our PPC services page for professional help with bidding strategies.
Sources and further reading
This article draws on the following sources:
- Google Ads Help — About Automated Bidding Strategies (2025)
- Google Ads Help — Smart Bidding Best Practices (2025)
- Google Ads — Learning Period Documentation (2025)
- Google Ads — Campaign Experiments and Drafts Guide (2025)
