30-second summary:
- The machine learning-enhanced “Smart Bidding” capabilities available in Google Ads offer an easy way to see the campaign results you want while allowing you to take a more hands-off approach.
- You can use Smart Bidding on the campaign level or, if you prefer, you can apply it to your entire ad portfolio, allowing you to optimize all of your campaigns using Google’s ML algorithms.
- Marketing consultant Gabrielle Sadeh explains five different objectives that Smart Bidding can optimize for – and when to use each.
PPC advertising is a core part of many brands’ online marketing efforts. Unfortunately, getting the most out of your PPC bidding can be a tricky process, to say the least.
Some brands find themselves bidding too much for keywords, ranking highly for a brief period but blowing through their marketing budget. Others don’t bid enough, and never see themselves achieving the conversion rates they hope for.
The good news is that there is a smarter way to bid. Google’s Smart Bidding options, which are readily available via Google Ads, offer an easy way to see the campaign results you want while allowing you to take a more hands-off approach.
These advanced algorithms draw from several contextual signals to drive performance, and some of these signals are only available when using Smart Bidding. These include factors[1] like local intent, remarketing lists, ad characteristics and seasonality. Bidding strategies are also available at a portfolio level, allowing you to apply machine learning to optimize all of your campaigns.
By letting Google’s machine learning algorithms take on a load of PPC bidding, you can focus more of your efforts on other marketing and conversion tactics[2], like optimizing your ad copy or landing page designs. Google Ads currently offers five Smart Bidding options —