Last updated: November 2026 · Answers by Andrew Gorton, freelance PPC specialist based in Chorley, Lancashire

Each answer leads with the short version. Prices are in pounds sterling and reflect the UK market as of November 2026.

30 questions on this page

What bidding strategies are there in Google Ads?

Manual CPC; Maximise Clicks; Maximise Conversions; Target CPA; Maximise Conversion Value; Target ROAS; and Target Impression Share. Smart bidding strategies (the conversion and value ones) use Google’s machine learning to set bids for each auction.

Which Google Ads bidding strategy is best?

It depends on data. New accounts with little conversion history often start with Maximise Clicks with a cap or Maximise Conversions; once a campaign has roughly 30+ conversions a month, Target CPA (leads) or Target ROAS (ecommerce) usually works best.

What is smart bidding?

Smart bidding is Google’s automated bidding that uses signals such as device, location, time, audience and search query to set a bid for every auction, aiming at conversions or conversion value. It only works well when conversion tracking is accurate.

What is Target CPA?

Target CPA tells Google to get as many conversions as possible at your chosen average cost per acquisition. Set it close to your recent actual CPA and adjust gradually, around 10–20% at a time.

What is Target ROAS?

Target ROAS tells Google to maximise conversion value while aiming at your chosen return on ad spend, such as 400%. It needs accurate revenue tracking and usually performs best with a decent volume of purchases.

Should I use Maximise Conversions?

It is a good starting point once conversion tracking is reliable, but without a target it can spend the full budget on expensive clicks. Move to Target CPA once you have stable data.

Should I use Maximise Clicks?

It can be useful for brand-new campaigns with no conversion data, ideally with a maximum CPC limit. It optimises for traffic rather than results, so move to a conversion strategy once data builds up.

Is manual CPC bidding still worth using?

Sometimes, for very small budgets, niche accounts with few conversions, or where you need tight cost control. For most accounts with steady conversions, smart bidding outperforms manual.

What is Enhanced CPC?

Enhanced CPC adjusted manual bids up or down based on likelihood to convert. Google has been retiring it for Search and Display, so most advertisers should use Manual CPC or a smart bidding strategy instead.

How do I optimise Google Ads?

Weekly: review search terms, add negatives, check budgets and pacing. Monthly: review bidding targets, location, device and schedule performance, ad tests, assets and landing pages. Quarterly: review structure, tracking and overall strategy.

How do I manage PPC campaigns effectively?

Track the right conversions, keep account structure clean, review search terms often, test ads continually, shift budget to what converts, set realistic bid targets, and judge success on cost per lead or ROAS, not clicks.

How often should Google Ads be optimised?

Small accounts need attention at least weekly; larger accounts several times a week. Avoid making big changes daily, as smart bidding needs time to respond.

What is the best way to run Google Ads?

Start with tight Search campaigns on high-intent keywords, accurate conversion tracking (ideally including lead quality), clear landing pages and a controlled bidding strategy. Expand into broader match types, PMax or other networks only once the core is profitable.

How do I run successful Google Ads?

Focus on the right searches, a compelling offer and a strong landing page, and measure real leads or sales. Most failures come from broad targeting, poor tracking and pages that do not convert, not from the ads themselves.

How do I use Google Ads effectively for a small business?

Concentrate budget on one or two of your most profitable services, target only where you work, use exact and phrase match, schedule ads around when you can answer, track calls and forms, and review search terms every week.

Should I increase my Google Ads budget?

Increase budget if campaigns are profitable and losing impression share due to budget. Raise it in steps of around 15–20% and watch cost per lead. Do not increase budget to fix poor performance.

What does "limited by budget" mean?

Your campaign could have shown ads more often if the budget were higher. If the campaign is profitable, consider increasing the budget; if not, tighten keywords and targeting instead.

What are bid adjustments in Google Ads?

Bid adjustments increase or decrease bids by device, location, schedule or audience. With smart bidding, most adjustments are ignored except device adjustments of -100%, so they are mainly useful for manual bidding.

Should I exclude mobile from Google Ads?

Rarely. Most searches happen on mobile. If mobile converts poorly, fix the mobile landing page experience first. Only lower mobile bids or exclude it if the data clearly shows it cannot be made profitable.

What is a portfolio bid strategy?

A portfolio bid strategy is a shared smart bidding strategy applied across multiple campaigns, pooling their data to reach a single target CPA or ROAS. It helps campaigns with low individual conversion volumes.

What is a shared budget?

A shared budget lets several campaigns draw from one daily budget. It is simple but reduces control over which campaign gets spend, so many managers prefer separate budgets.

Should I accept Google Ads recommendations?

Review each one. Some are useful, such as fixing disapproved ads or adding assets. Others, such as broad match, raising budgets or adding Display, mainly increase spend. Turn off auto-applied recommendations.

How do I turn off auto-applied recommendations?

In Google Ads, go to Recommendations, open Auto-apply settings, and untick every recommendation type you do not want Google to apply automatically. Check this regularly as new types are added.

What is the Auction Insights report?

Auction Insights shows which other advertisers appear in the same auctions as you, how often, how often they rank above you, and their overlap and top-of-page rates. It helps you understand competitive pressure.

What are experiments in Google Ads?

Experiments let you test a change, such as a new bidding strategy or landing page, against the original campaign with a split of traffic, so you can measure the real impact before rolling it out.

How do I scale a Google Ads account?

Increase budget on profitable campaigns, expand to new high-intent keywords and match types, add new locations, test Microsoft Ads, Shopping or Performance Max, and improve landing page conversion rate so you can afford higher bids.

What is seasonality adjustment?

A seasonality adjustment tells smart bidding to expect a short-term change in conversion rate, for example during a sale. It is meant for events of a few days, not long seasons.

Why has my Google Ads performance dropped?

Common causes are broken conversion tracking, new competitors, raised CPCs, website changes, seasonality, budget limits, policy disapprovals or a change in bidding strategy. Check tracking first, then change history and Auction Insights.

How do I report on PPC performance?

Report on business outcomes: leads, sales, cost per lead, ROAS and revenue, with month-on-month and year-on-year comparisons. Include what changed, why, and what is planned next. Clicks and impressions are secondary.

What KPIs matter most in PPC?

For lead generation: conversions, cost per lead, conversion rate and lead quality (ideally sales). For ecommerce: revenue, ROAS, cost of sale and profit. Supporting KPIs include CTR, CPC, impression share and Quality Score.

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