PPC Bidding Strategies That Work in 2025 (Tested Across 100+ Campaigns)

Choosing the right PPC bidding strategies can make or break your campaign’s ROI. That said, Google Ads rolls out new features every year, so how are you supposed to stay up-to-date?

In this guide, we’ll:

• Cover what’s changed in PPC bidding
• Break down the core strategies
• Compare manual vs automated bidding
• Share advanced tactics
• Touch on how ad copy and landing pages tie in
• And more!

Whether you're managing your first campaign or refining a high-budget strategy, understanding PPC bidding is crucial for maximizing performance. Use this guide as your playbook and revisit often as platforms evolve and new features emerge. (Trust us on this!)

What’s Changed in PPC Bidding Since 2023?

The most significant shift is Google’s involvement with automation and AI. And Enhanced CPC (eCPC) is being phased out. As of March 2025, Google announced that eCPC “is no longer available for Search and Display campaigns”. So that means any of your campaigns that haven’t been migrated to another strategy now default to manual CPC.

If you had been relying on eCPC to tweak manual bids with AI, you now have to switch to another approach or simply use Manual CPC with no enhancement.

Google has also introduced “optional target” features: now you can set a target CPA or ROAS within a Maximize Conversions or Maximize Conversion Value campaign. That’s coming in July 2025. And these behave exactly the same as classic Target CPA/ROAS strategies.

Also, expect to see more intelligence baked into broad-match and AI-driven tools: Google Marketing Live 2025 highlighted features like AI Max for Search (this automatically expands your keywords with AI) and what’s known as Smart Bidding Exploration (finds you extra conversions with flexible ROAS targets).

It’s not just Google; Microsoft Advertising (Bing) is also automating a lot. In 2024, it barred new native campaigns from using Manual CPC and upgraded existing ones to eCPC, reporting a ~6% lower CPA with eCPC.

Manual CPC is still an option, but we expect mostly automated strategies going forward. Legacy strategies (like eCPC) are retiring. Smart/auto bidding options now dominate. 

Core Categories of Bidding Strategies

Google (and Bing) now offer several distinct bidding modes. Each fits a different goal and data situation:

Manual CPC (Cost-Per-Click)

You set a max bid for clicks on each keyword/ad. Manual bidding gives you full control at the keyword level. It’s useful if your budget is tight or your account has too little data to trust automation.

That said, it’s time-consuming and error-prone to manage at scale. Not ideal.

Enhanced CPC (eCPC)

Formerly, eCPC let you set manual bids but then Google would raise bids on auctions likely to convert and lower others. The goal was more conversions at roughly the same average CPA.

Target CPA (Cost per Acquisition)

You tell Google your target cost per conversion, and Google sets bids to try to get as many conversions as possible at that average cost.  It uses real-time signals (like device, location, time, etc.) to raise bids when a conversion looks likely and lower them otherwise.

Use Target CPA if your main goal is a fixed cost-per-conversion. Google recommends having at least ~15-30 conversions per month in a campaign before you use this one (too few conversions and the algorithm won’t have enough data).

Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

Another Smart Bidding strategy. Instead of cost per conversion, you set a target ROAS (e.g. 300% = 3:1 return). Google’s AI then predicts which auctions will bring high-value conversions (e.g. big purchases) and bids higher on those, and bids lower on likely low-value or non-converting clicks.

It aims to maximize revenue while hitting your ROAS goal. Use Target ROAS when you care about revenue or profit more than sheer conversion volume (especially if your conversion values vary widely).

Maximize Conversions

This one’s fully automated. Google spends your daily budget to get as many conversions as possible. No CPA target; it simply aims to use up the budget on the cheapest conversions available. It’s useful if you have a flexible CPA and just want volume. 

Maximize Conversion Value

Similar to Max Conversions but optimizing for total conversion value (revenue) instead of count. This is effectively Smart Bidding with a ROAS target (you set a Target ROAS, and Google tries to spend budget to hit it).

Maximize Clicks

This is another automated strategy that’s focused on traffic, not conversions. Google sets bids to get the most clicks within your budget, optionally capping the max CPC. It’s useful when your goal is brand awareness or you need to quickly gather volume (perhaps in an early campaign phase).

Manual vs Automated Bidding

Which approach are you meant to take?

Manual Bidding

Manual bidding means you decide each bid. 

Pros

• You have full control over every keyword bid, so you can react to sudden changes (e.g. pause a term or increase a bid if needed).
• Works nicely even if you have very little historical data or a small budget

Cons

• Very time-consuming and doesn’t scale well. Humans can’t predict every auction’s nuance, and manual bids ignore the context signals (device, user history, etc.) that Google’s algorithms see.

Automated/Smart Bidding

This approach offloads that work to machine learning. It adjusts your bids in real time for clicks or conversions based on thousands of signals.

Pros

• You save time and often improve performance: Google’s AI can find the right bid at each auction.
• These models can optimize for your business goal (clicks, conversions, value) efficiently.

Cons

• You “lose control” in a sense. You’re trusting Google’s algorithm to bid on your behalf, and you cannot micromanage bids.
• It requires adequate conversion data (Google recommends ~15-30 conversions/month).
• Automated strategies might also hide bid changes (it may take time to see changes reflected).

Use manual bidding if you have a very small, tightly controlled campaign or are still in the early learning phase. 

Choosing the Right Strategy (The 6-Factor Matrix)

Consider some of these factors to pick a bidding strategy:

The Bidding Strategy Timeline (How We Phase It in)

Take a phased approach:

Phase 1: Launch & Data Collection (Weeks 1-4)

Use broad targeting and a bid strategy like Maximize Clicks or even Manual CPC. Your goal here is to gather clicks and some conversions (if possible) to inform the algorithm. Keep budgets moderate and allow traffic to flow. Simple.

Phase 2: Optimization & Testing (Months 1-2)

Once you’ve amassed ~15–30 conversions, you can start using Smart Bidding. Create duplicate campaigns (with Drafts & Experiments in Google Ads) because that lets you test Target CPA or Target ROAS against your existing strategy.

Then keep monitoring. Don’t just switch it immediately if performance dips (learning can take 1-2 weeks).

Phase 3: Scaling Up (Months 2+)

Make it primary if Target CPA/ROAS or Max Conversions beats your baseline. Then you can just increase the budget or maybe add keywords/product lines under the winning strategy. Now is also the time to raise or adjust targets gradually if performance exceeds goals.

Advanced Tactics: Scripts, Experiments, Bid Adjustments

There are a few other tools outside basic strategy selection if you know what you’re doing:

Google Ads Script

These are pieces of code you run on a schedule to manage bids and budgets. For example, a script could raise bids by 10% on keywords with sudden conversion spikes or lower bids on terms whose CPA creeps above target.

Scripts are ideal for automating repetitive bid work or alerts if you’re comfortable with code.

Campaign Experiments

Test any major changes you make. Use Google Ads Experiments (split testing) to compare two bidding approaches side by side. For example, you could run an “experiment” where 50% of traffic uses Target ROAS and 50% uses Target CPA, then just compare which one meets your goals better. 

Bid Modifiers (Adjustments)

For any campaigns still using any manual bidding component, use bid adjustments for device, location, time, etc.

Just keep in mind that Smart Bidding ignores most manual adjustments (because it already factors those signals).

Also, Maximize Conversions will ignore your existing bid adjustments (except it will respect a -100% mobile bid if you exclude mobile entirely). So if you switch to Max Conv from manual, you don’t need to remove every location modifier, but you should remove all device/hour/day adjustments or they’ll be unused.

Ad Copy and Bidding Strategy Synergy

Bids aren’t everything because you still need to consider your Quality Score and relevance. Google’s Ad Rank formula is based on your bid and ad quality relative to competitors.

So, a high-quality, relevant ad and landing page can effectively lower the CPC needed to win a top position. In short, better ads and pages = lower costs.

For example, if you improve your ad’s click-through rate or landing page relevance, Google may reward you with cheaper clicks for the same position.

• Ad Copy & Assets: Tailor your headlines and descriptions to the user’s query and offer. If bids alone aren’t producing conversions, try new ad hooks or calls-to-action. A small creative change can sometimes boost Quality Score or conversion rate more than a bid change.
• Landing Page Experience: Fast-loading, mobile-friendly pages that match the ad message will help conversion rate (and thereby improve your ROI). Even perfect bidding won’t fix wasted clicks if your landing pages underperform.
• Conversion Tracking: Automated bidding relies on good data, so you should make sure you’ve set up all your relevant conversion goals (including offline or cross-device conversions if possible). Google even lets you import offline sales, which can feed Target CPA algorithms. With poor tracking, the AI is just going to bid blindly.
  Platform-Specific Guidance

Platform-Specific Guidance

Got a specific platform in mind that you want to do your bidding on?

Google Ads (Search & Performance Max)

Smart Bidding is king for Google. Use search campaigns with Broad Match + broad-match keywords, then combine that with Smart Bidding whenever possible (this lets Google’s AI discover new queries).

Performance Max (Google’s cross-channel campaign) is also good for automation, but it uses the same underlying bid strategies (essentially, Maximize Conversion Value with an optional ROAS target).

For Google Shopping, you’re best off using Maximize Conversion Value with Target ROAS if you have revenue data. Or just use Max Conversions/Target CPA for simple conversion goals.

Furthermore, Google Ads recently enabled first-price auctions (you pay your bid, not the second-highest bid), which means being conservative in manual CPC or bid caps. But broadly, all Google networks allow the above strategies.

Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads)

Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising) is generally identical to Google’s approach. Most Google strategies have counterparts in Bing. Microsoft automated Native campaigns last year (no new Manual CPC allowed), so expect them to follow Google’s lead.

From a strategic view, Bing often has lower volume but also lower CPCs (because fewer advertisers). It’s a good complement: you can often scale profitable campaigns on Bing after testing on Google.

Use similar approaches (Target CPA/ROAS on mature campaigns, Max Clicks for testing). Also, unlike Google, Bing still allows eCPC and Maximize Conversions with CPA. Its UI even lets you copy Google campaigns over, but always double-check bids and budgets (we find Bing CPCs are often 20-30% lower for the same keyword).

Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram)

Meta’s ad auctions are quite different from Google’s. You don’t set manual CPC bids per keyword. Instead, you choose an objective (e.g., conversions or traffic) and set a budget, and Meta’s system optimizes the bid automatically.

The controls are in the form of bid strategies like Lowest Cost (default), Cost Cap, and Bid Cap. There’s also Minimum ROAS control when optimizing for value.

• Lowest Cost: Meta tries to get the most results for your budget with no cost constraint. If you need more predictability, move to a cost cap.
• Cost Cap: You set a target cost-per-result (e.g. $10 CPA) and Facebook will try to keep your average CPA at or below that.
• Bid Cap: You cap the maximum bid Facebook can place in auctions. This is very advanced; it’s like telling Facebook, “don’t pay more than $X on any impression.” Only use this if you have high volume and want strict control. Most advertisers stick to Cost Cap or Lowest Cost.

Can I Switch Bidding Strategies After Launching a Campaign?

Absolutely. You’re not locked in once a campaign is live. Swapping strategies helps you rescue underperforming ads.

That said, before switching, note that every major change triggers a “learning phase” of about 7-14 days. Your performance can fluctuate during that period.

So to minimize this risk, run your new strategy as an experiment or duplicate campaign at a smaller budget slice. Then check out some of the key metrics (CPA, ROAS, conversion rate) and fully migrate once the new approach clearly outperforms the old.

What Is the Most Cost-Effective PPC Bidding Strategy?

There’s no single winner here. Cost-effectiveness just depends on your goals and data volume. That said, in mature campaigns (30+ conversions/month), Target ROAS or Maximize Conversion Value often deliver the best return on ad spend because they optimize for revenue, not just clicks or conversions.

But if you’re focused purely on keeping CPA low, Target CPA can be more efficient than manual bidding. New or low-volume campaigns tend to see better early results from Maximize Clicks or Manual CPC so you can build enough data before moving to smart strategies.

When Should I Use Enhanced CPC?

Google retired eCPC for new Search and Display campaigns in Q1 2025. If you’re still on an existing eCPC campaign, you’ve got to plan your exit:

• Switch to strict Manual CPC (for full control)
• Move fully to a Smart Bidding strategy (Target CPA, Max Conversions)

Unfortunately, Enhanced CPC’s mix of manual control and AI tweaks is gone, so your best alternative is a Target CPA or Maximize Conversions setup with realistic targets.

Is Manual Bidding Still Effective?

It is, but the scenarios where it works best is limited. Use it when you have:

• Very tight budgets
• Niche keywords
• Low-volume, high-intent terms where precision is more important than volume

It’s also the go-to for brand-protection campaigns where you want exact control over bids. But automated strategies will generally outperform manual bidding for broader campaigns or when you have enough conversion history. In terms of both efficiency and scale.

Final Takeaways

A good PPC bidding strategy is less about “set and forget” and more about smart automation and being strategic.

Some final tips:

• Use data and testing to guide your choice
• Focus on ROI over clicks

Let machine learning handle the heavy lifting once you’ve given it solid data and realistic targets.