Best PPC Bidding Strategies for Beginners

Simply launching a PPC campaign is not enough to guarantee success. You should be aware of the best PPC bidding strategies to make the most out of your advertising budget.

In this guide to managing PPC bid strategies, I will share the top PPC bidding tactics, the pros and cons of each, and when to use it.

Let’s begin!

Target Impression Share

Suppose a new software company wants to gain a significant market presence by ensuring its ads are visible to a large portion of the target audience. Using this bidding strategy, they can set a target impression share, such as 80%. The algorithm will adjust bids to achieve the desired ad impression share, increasing visibility and market reach.

Pros:

• The Target Impression Share bidding strategy helps ensure that your PPC ads are prominently displayed and increases brand visibility, potentially leading to higher awareness and exposure.
• By setting a specific target impression share percentage, advertisers can strategically position their ads on the search engine results page (SERP). This strategy allows more control over ad placement and increases the likelihood of reaching the desired audience.

Cons:

• Achieving a higher impression share may require bidding more aggressively, potentially increasing costs.
• While the strategy focuses on maximizing ad visibility, it may not directly optimize for conversions. Advertisers should carefully evaluate their goals and consider using complementary bidding strategies to prioritize conversion-driven objectives.

When to Use It:

• In industries with high competition, Target Impression Share can help advertisers maintain a significant market share by securing a larger share of ad impressions.
• This bidding strategy can help ensure that ads are displayed prominently and reach a broad audience during product launches or promotional campaigns.

Manual CPC Bidding

Manual CPC bidding allows advertisers to set bids for each click on their Google Ads. For example, a fitness studio may want to maintain a maximum bid of $2 for each click on their ad promoting a limited-time membership offer. This strategy provides direct control over bid adjustments, allowing advertisers to fine-tune their bidding based on their campaign objectives.

Pros:

• Manual CPC bidding gives advertisers complete control over individual keyword bids. Advertisers can set their preferred maximum cost-per-click (CPC) for each keyword, providing them with flexibility and the ability to allocate budget based on specific performance metrics.
• Advertisers can adjust bids based on campaign goals, keyword performance, and market conditions. It allows for strategic optimizations to maximize the impact of bids and improve overall campaign performance.

Cons:

• Manual CPC bidding requires ongoing monitoring and adjustment of keyword bids.
• Unlike automated bidding strategies, manual CPC bidding lacks the automation and real-time adjustments algorithms provide.

When to Use It:

• If advertisers prefer hands-on control over bid optimizations to drive specific performance metrics, such as click-through rates (CTR) or conversion rates, manual CPC bidding can be an effective strategy. It allows for strategic bid adjustments based on performance data.
• In industries where market conditions, competition, or keyword prices are highly volatile, manual CPC bidding allows advertisers to quickly adapt and adjust bids based on real-time market dynamics.

Related Content: 10 Best Google Ads Bidding Strategies Used by PPC Experts

CPM Bidding

If a luxury car brand wants to increase brand exposure and reach a broad audience, they can use CPM bidding in their display advertising campaign. They pay for every thousand impressions served, ensuring their Google Ads are seen by a large number of users, thus increasing brand visibility.

Pros:

• With CPM bidding, advertisers pay for every thousand ad impressions served, providing cost predictability. This can be advantageous for budget planning, as advertisers know the exact cost per thousand impressions, regardless of click-through rates or conversions.
• It enables advertisers to reach a wide audience and increase their ad visibility across various websites and placements. It allows for more comprehensive market coverage and can be effective in campaigns that aim to generate wide-scale awareness.

Cons:

• CPM bidding primarily emphasizes ad impressions rather than performance metrics like clicks or conversions. Advertisers may face challenges in measuring the direct impact of their PPC ads on customer actions or engagement.
• Paying for impressions does not guarantee user engagement or interaction with the ad. Advertisers may encounter a higher risk of low click-through rates or conversions, particularly if the ad content is not compelling or relevant to the target audience.

When to Use It:

• CPM bidding is well-suited for campaigns focused on increasing brand visibility, as it maximizes ad impressions and ensures widespread exposure. It can be effective for new product launches, brand repositioning, or building general awareness.
• It is appropriate when measuring direct performance, such as clicks or conversions, is not the primary campaign objective. It can be suitable for initiatives aimed at brand building, ad recall, or general exposure rather than immediate user actions.

tCPM Bidding

In tCPM bidding, advertisers set a specific target cost they are willing to pay for every thousand ad impressions their video ad campaign receives. For a mobile game developer launching a new app, they can set a target CPM to control the cost of acquiring impressions.

For example, they may set a target CPM of $5 to ensure their ads are displayed to a specific number of users within a predefined budget.

Pros:

• tCPM bidding allows advertisers to set a specific target cost per thousand impressions (CPM) that they are willing to pay. This strategy provides cost control and ensures advertisers pay a desired rate for each thousand ad impressions.
• By setting a target CPM, advertisers can optimize their ad spend and achieve a balance between ad exposure and cost.

Cons:

• tCPM bidding primarily focuses on optimizing for cost efficiency and impression delivery. It may not directly prioritize metrics such as clicks or conversions, leading to poor performance.
• While tCPM bidding optimizes for cost efficiency, it may result in ad placements in less prominent positions or lower-quality inventory. Advertisers need to balance cost savings with the desired level of ad visibility and placement quality.

When to Use It:

• It is well-suited for brand awareness campaigns where the primary goal is to increase ad visibility and reach. It allows advertisers to maximize impressions and generate widespread awareness among the target audience.
• It provides cost predictability, allowing advertisers to plan and allocate their budget more effectively. It is advantageous for advertisers who prefer a predictable cost structure and want to ensure budgetary control.

vCPM Bidding

The Viewable Cost Per Thousand (vCPM) is a bidding strategy based on the most you’re willing to spend for 1000 viewable impressions.

Unlike traditional CPM bidding, which charges advertisers for all impressions, vCPM bidding charges for ad impressions that meet industry standards for viewability. This means that the ads are displayed on the user’s screen and have the opportunity to be seen.

Pros:

• It enhances the effectiveness of ad campaigns by prioritizing viewable impressions.
• By targeting viewable impressions, vCPM bidding improves the potential for ad effectiveness. When users can view ads, it increases the chances of engagement, brand recall, and influencing purchasing decisions. This strategy can lead to improved campaign performance and ROI.

Cons:

• Achieving viewable impressions may require a higher bid rate than traditional CPM bidding. Advertisers should carefully evaluate their budget limitations and consider the balance between viewability and cost.
• While vCPM bidding prioritizes viewable impressions, it may not directly optimize for specific performance metrics such as clicks or conversions. Advertisers should complement this strategy with additional metrics to assess campaign effectiveness and impact on business goals.

When to Use It:

• vCPM bidding is commonly used in display and video advertising, where viewability plays a significant role in ad effectiveness. It is effective for campaigns utilizing banner ads, rich media ads, or video ads to maximize viewable impressions and engagement.
• This bidding strategy can be advantageous for campaigns where brand safety is a priority. By focusing on viewable impressions, advertisers can ensure their ads are displayed in safe and appropriate environments, minimizing the risk of ad fraud or placement in undesirable contexts.

Conclusion: Smart PPC Bid Management

Effective bid management is a critical aspect of successful PPC marketing campaigns. Understanding and using the right bidding strategies can greatly impact campaign performance, cost efficiency and overall ROI.

Each bidding strategy comes with its own set of advantages, disadvantages, and ideal use cases. By carefully considering campaign objectives, budget constraints, and target audience, advertisers can select the most appropriate bidding strategy that aligns with their specific goals.

If you’re ready to improve your PPC bidding strategies, Single Grain’s PPC experts can help!👇

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