This guide is about staying in control, guiding the algorithm with intent, knowing when to graduate to the next Smart Bidding Strategy, and making sure your campaigns are working for you, not the other way around.
Start With Strategy, Not Hope
You don’t launch with a bidding strategy because your Google Rep or account recommended it, you match the right one to your goals, funnel stage, and available data.
When the account has solid historical conversion data, you’re happy to go with a more advanced strategy, but only if the conversion data you have is for a meaningful conversion action. Not all leads are equal and you know full well that a “quiz completion” isn’t worth the same as a qualified registration.
If you’re working with fresh campaigns or small datasets, your first objective is to obtain data in the most manual way possible. You might start with Manual CPC or Max Click with Max CPC target, just to keep tighter control while the data builds up. The strategy follows the structure, not the other way round.
Watch the Learning Phase, Then Intervene
Once a campaign enters the learning phase, you give it some space — but you’re observing it, you don’t interfere. You know performance won’t take off overnight, but if you are struggling to even get impressions this is a bad sign.
Once the learning phase ends, you want to begin planning your next move. If volume has been low, you start adjusting to get more reach, impressions or clicks, either by adjusting your bid strategy or expanding your keywords to get more volume, depending on what’s needed most. It’s never a one-size-fits-all. You treat each campaign with its own context, goals and lead quality in mind.
Segment by Intent, Then Bid Accordingly
Campaigns aren’t just thrown together — they’re built around intent, with every ad group serving a clear purpose. One thing to always make sure of is that match types work together, not against each other.
Rather than splitting out Exact and Broad into separate ad groups, keep them paired within the same ad group. It’s cleaner, it gives the algorithm more data to work with, and it keeps bidding signals focused around a single intent. Broad match helps you scale and uncover new variants, while Exact ensures consistency and control, but because they're pulling to the same ads and landing pages, they’re not diluting the structure.
When performance is strong and stable, drop the tCPA a touch to squeeze more efficiency from the high-intent traffic. But be pragmatic, if volume’s soft, hold a higher tCPA for longer, giving the algorithm the space it needs to gather data adjusting your keywords to find the best keyword mix before tightening the reins.
Broad match does the heavy lifting on exploration, but never be hands-off. Keep a close eye on search terms and intent drift, ready to shut down poor performers and build a negative list sharp enough to keep the whole ad group on track.
And when it comes to brand, that’s ring-fenced. Separate campaigns, stricter bidding, and tighter control. You don’t let low-cost, easy-win conversions pollute your optimisation signals, they’re managed deliberately, away from your main acquisition efforts, instead utilising the easy conversions to elevate the whole account through the campaigns naturally better performance.
In short, your bidding isn’t reactive. It’s structured, informed, and built around intent, with match types working together under one roof, exactly as they should.
Lead Quality Over Lead Volume
Now here’s where your approach really needs some nuance, you're not just optimising for more conversions, you’re optimising for better ones.
If conversion numbers are up but lead quality is dropping, you are not going to have a happy client. You’re quick to rein in tCPA targets to keep the algorithm honest. You’ll also dig into location, device or audience segments to figure out where the poor-quality traffic is coming from and either isolate it or cut it loose.
More importantly, you’re closing the loop with offline conversion data. You use CRM integrations to push back MQLs, SQLs, or customers into Google Ads, giving the algorithm better signals to optimise towards. If you can teach the system what a good lead actually looks like, it’ll reward you with the ability to scale efficiently.
You Know When to Step In
We’re all for automation, when it works. But we’ve also been around long enough to know when to take the reins.
If a keyword’s too valuable to risk (like brand terms or high-margin services), you can take a more aggressive approach with a simpler strategy such as Max Search Impression Share or Clicks. Sometimes it’s just the better tool for the job, especially when Smart Bidding doesn’t have enough conversion volume to work with.
Manual bidding is not always a step backwards. Like all tools it can work when used appropriately as a way to protect performance until the data and structure are ready for automation to take over again.
Auction Insights and Lost Impression Share, Not Just Vanity Metrics
Every week, it is good practice to check in on some key metrics: impression share, top of page rate, and auction insights. Not just out of habit, as they’re early indicators of whether your bids are actually competitive.
If you’re losing impression share due to rank, it’s a clear sign your bids aren’t where they need to be, or your Ad copy or landing pages are lacking relevance to the search term and hence the user. If you’re losing it to budget, you’ll often look at reallocating spend, trimming fat, or consolidating campaigns.
It is also key to watch for shifts in the competitive landscape. If a rival suddenly starts outranking you, being proactive is key, reviewing ad relevance, checking Google Transparency centre to assess their tactics, QA on your own ads and landing pages, and whether your bids still reflect the value of the click.
Optimisation Is a Rhythm, Not a React Button
Continuing with proactivity in optimising your bid strategy, your bid management has a cadence to it.
Typically it is best to do daily checks, lighter touch reviews weekly, watching spend, CPA shifts, and conversion rates, then run deeper audits monthly. Utilise these windows to review change history, spot trends, and recalibrate strategy based on actual results.
Everything is intentional. Adjust a tCPA, because the data backs it. Split a campaign, because the structure demands it. Hand something over to automation, because it’s ready for it. Be deliberate with your optimisations and cadence.
Smart Bidding Still Needs a Smart Marketer
Smart bidding isn’t magic. It’s just maths and machine learning. And like any machine, it runs best with a skilled operator in control.
When you structure your campaigns properly, feed in the right signals, and manage bids with clear intent, Smart Bidding becomes a powerful asset. But left to its own devices, it’ll take shortcuts and shortcuts rarely lead to quality.
So stay in control. Monitor, adjust, and test relentlessly. The best results come when you blend automation with strategic human oversight. That’s what separates performance marketers from button-pushers.
And if your tCPA’s drifting, your leads are drying up, or something just doesn’t feel right, don’t panic.
Log in. Take a look. Adjust deliberately.
