What key tips does the Google Ads auction strategies guide offer for successful campaign management?
The importance of Google Auction Strategies in driving the success of Google campaigns is underscored in a recent article. It stresses the significance of selecting the appropriate strategy that aligns with campaign objectives and the preferred level of manual or automated management.
With Google providing a range of auction strategies customized for diverse campaign objectives like enhancing website traffic, conversions, ROI, or search page visibility, the decision between manual and automated approaches hinges on factors including time investment for optimization and expertise in campaign management.
The piece delves into specific auction strategies such as Manual CPC, Maximize for Clicks, Maximize Conversions, Target CPA, Maximize Conversions Value, Target ROAS, and Target Impression Share. Each strategy is dissected comprehensively, delineating its purpose, advantages, and factors to consider during implementation.
It stresses the necessity of testing various bidding strategies to evaluate outcomes and identify the most efficient approach based on empirical data. Additionally, readers are advised to consider engaging certified agencies for professional assistance in optimizing Google campaigns.
Google Auction Strategies play an important role in the management and success of your Google campaigns. This choice must be carefully considered in order to optimally support the marketing strategy you are trying to implement. In order to make the best choice, it is essential to understand the differences between each Google Auction Strategy and know the advantages and disadvantages of each one. When launching two exactly similar campaigns, with the same keywords and parameters, but applying different auction strategies, we will get different results.
In previous articles, we have mentioned that the success of a Google campaign could only be achieved in part due to the selection of your keywords, which must match the users’ search intent. When a relevant keyword search is associated with an ad that has impact with an initial query, all chances are theoretically on your side. How do auction strategies disrupt this dynamic?
Several auction strategies have been developed by Google to meet different campaign goals. In fact, since they are not designed to achieve the same results, auction strategies been designed in a different way.
When choosing the right Google auction strategy, the first question to ask yourself is: what is the purpose of your campaigns? Are you looking to be visible on search engines? Are you trying to attract traffic to your website? Or, like many, are you looking for conversions?
The second question to ask yourself is how much time you will be able to dedicate to the follow-up and optimization of your campaigns? This question will determine whether you will opt for a manual or automated strategy. Manual strategies are 100% managed and optimized by you; therefore they require more time and expertise. Automated strategies, on the other hand, are designed to use the algorithm’s learning to do most of the work for you. Google uses the performance of your old campaigns as well as a series of factors that allow the algorithm to customize the amount of your bid in each auction. The criteria used to customize your bid amount are: device and system, location, time, day, browser language and type, search intent, and whether the user is on one of your retargeting lists.
Maximizing traffic to your website
Manual CPC : Here is the only manual option available in Google Ads auctions. With this option, you have full control over the management of our campaigns. It is up to you to determine the amount of each bid as well as optimize each campaign. In fact, it takes time to monitor performance and take action on your campaigns on a regular basis.
It also requires an excellent knowledge of your campaign management. Indeed, it is important to calculate your maximum CPC according to your goals and identify the right keywords in order to adopt the right strategy based on each one’s performance. This may not be the easiest option to begin with; however, there is only the manual option that will allow you to learn the basics of Google Ads.
You’ll get a close look at the ins and outs of every action you take. It also gives you an in-depth understanding of how everything fits together in a campaign and, most importantly, what string to pull to fix underperforming campaigns. A manual bidding strategy therefore allows you to better optimize your campaigns so that everything is as close as possible to your marketing objectives.
In addition, there is a semi-automatic option that comes with manual auctions called Enhanced CPC. This option gives Google more flexibility in auctions by letting the platform choose the amount of your auction, when necessary, and give you a better chance to conduct a more successful campaign. One caveat: Google has no auction cap and will increase your auction at its own discretion. This makes the management of its costs much more uncertain.
Maximize for clicks: This automatic option generates as many clicks as possible within a daily budget that you determine. Google’s primary goal is to spend your entire budget in order to give you the highest volume of clicks per day. However, this is not a strategy that is cost-conscious and does not help to decrease your CPC. Nevertheless, you can indicate a maximum bid so that your CPC is capped.
Maximizing conversions on your website
The manual auction option can also be used to maximize conversions on your website. Tracking your conversions must be functional in order to access the information you will need to make your optimizations manually. If your tracking is not in place, you will not be able to use automatic auctions for conversions. These options also require each campaign to have a minimum of 30 to 50 conversions in the last 30 days. Also, make sure that your conversions are as close as possible to the desired action in order to use Google’s algorithm in a way that will enhance the value of your marketing strategy.
Maximize for conversion: The manual auction option can also be used to maximize conversions on your website. Tracking your conversions must be functional in order to access the information you will need to make your optimizations manually. If your tracking is not in place, you will not be able to use automatic auctions for conversions. These options also require each campaign to have a minimum of 30 to 50 conversions in the last 30 days. Also, make sure that your conversions are as close as possible to the desired action in order to use Google’s algorithm in a way that will enhance the value of your marketing strategy.
Target CPA : This automatic option is geared towards conversion while integrating cost concept. This strategy therefore aims to obtain as many conversions as possible while respecting a cost per acquisition that you define. Keep in mind that Google will respect your target CPA on the average of your campaign. This means that some conversions may cost more as long as the average of all conversions matches your costs. If you want to use this option, it will be crucial for you to know the profitability of the actions you are aiming for in order to determine the most accurate CPA for the performance of your campaign.
Maximizing the ROI of your campaigns
Using manual auctions can help maximize the performance of your campaigns. Keep in mind, however, that the tracking of your conversions must be optimal in order to have the information you will need to change them manually, if required.
Maximize conversions value : This automatic option helps you get the most ROI possible within a daily budget that you set. Google’s primary goal is to spend your entire budget in order to provide you with the highest volume of conversions per day for maximum return. Again, this is not a strategy that is cost-conscious. Even if Google will use its algorithm to promote high return conversions, this does not guarantee a great return on investment for your campaign.
Target ROAS : This automatic option allows you to generate the most conversions possible while maximizing a certain ROI that you define. Your return on advertising investment (ROAS) should be shown as a percentage. If you want your campaigns to have a ROAS of 4, you will have to indicate 400% during setup. This auction strategy requires an excellent knowledge of costs and profitability in order to configure a ROAS to achieve the goals of your campaign.
Maximizing your visibility on search pages.
Using the manual auction option is perfectly possible for this purpose.
Target Impression Share: This automatic option is relatively simple and focuses on the scope of the campaign in order to be displayed as many times as possible in the search results. You determine the share percentage you want to reach. You let the auction strategy achieve the visibility for you. However, this option often requires a significant budget to outbid competitor amounts. Therefore, this auction strategy is not intended to optimize the CPCs.
All you have to do is decide which of these options will most likely meet your needs. Keep in mind, however, that Google, like Facebook and any other marketing platform, needs to be tested to ensure that your decisions are based on factual data. If time and budget allow, don’t hesitate to try several bidding strategies to analyze their results and decide which one works best for you.
For some help in the field or simply to hire a certified agency, contact us!