Maximize Clicks Bidding: chances are you are paying too much for your clicks.

⚠️ If you use maximize clicks bidding, chances are you are paying too much for your clicks.

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What is a Google ads Smart Bidding ?

Smart bidding is a set of automated bidding strategies in Google Ads that use machine learning to maximize ROAS, conversions, clicks or Impressions. Google looks at historical search behavior and contextual data to predict the likelihood of a conversion, then increases your bids when a goal seems more likely to happen.

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Are you paying to much for your clicks? 

Probably, so do this test.

• Select a campaign that uses "maximize click" bidding.
• Check your search terms report
• Order by AVG CPC

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✴️ At this stage you might see some things you don't like (see my screenshot) with clicks clicks costing more than €50.

Yup!

☝️ How is this possible?

Maximize Clicks Bidding does exactly what it is asked to do: Maximize Clicks.

When you set a maximum average CPC, this really means average CPC and not maximum CPC. So when you look at your ad group, you will always see something that more or less matches what you asked for, but when you look under the hood, it's a different story.

Some of you may not have this problem because there may be another factor playing with those overrated clicks : Your budget.

If you have a 90% impression share, it doesn't make sense to use maximum clicks because it will do exactly what you're asking it to do: get as manyclicks as possible out of your budget. That is, regardless of the CPC and as long as the AVG CPC is below your limit.

How to prevent it.

• Use Maximize Clicks only if you are limited by your budget
• if that still doesn't work, move on to another smart bidding strategy such as the Target Impression Share.