You can set your CPC in Google Ads manually or through automated strategies. With automated bidding, you choose a bidding strategy and Google sets your CPC based on that strategy.
Google Ads offers several automated bidding strategies, depending on what you’re trying to achieve:
But automated bidding isn't always the best choice. The team at YeezyPay, a service that connects you to reliable Google Ads agency accounts, has observed that automatic bidding can sometimes lead to loss of control, budget overruns, or inconsistent results. To determine when it's best to manage your bids manually, you first need to understand how automated bidding actually works.
Key things to know about automated bidding:
With manual CPC, you decide exactly how much you’re willing to pay per click. It gives you complete control over your ad spend and bidding strategy. Therefore, in some situations, manual bidding works better than automatic bidding.
That’s why most advertising experts suggest starting with manual bidding for the first 30 days or so. It gives you time to gather enough data and understand how your campaign performs before switching to automation.
There's a good chance autobidding will burn through your first $100, $200, or even $300 without getting you results. Manual bidding will save you money early on while you're still learning what works.
If you just throw in a random CPA hoping for quick profits, chances are your ads won’t get many impressions. Automated bidding will try to stay within that low target cost, which often means fewer people see your ads.
A smarter move is to start with manual bidding. That way, you can gather real data about conversion costs and your expected ROAS for that market, set of keywords, and offer.
Once you’ve got that data, you can switch to automated bidding with more accurate CPA or ROAS targets, and get more converting traffic as a result.
If your niche experiences these swings, stick with manual bidding. Automated strategies often lag behind these changes. By the time you need to lower bids, the system might still be raising them.
Manual bidding works so well for experienced advertisers because they know their business better than any AI. They understand exactly which keywords convert, what times work best, and how much each click is worth. When these pros try switching to automated bidding, they often can't match their manual campaign performance.
Don't mess with what's already working. If you want to test automated bidding, create a separate campaign and experiment there.
For affiliate marketers and advertisers, manual bidding often performs better. It gives you more control over your budget, helps you react quickly to changes, and can lead to some really impressive results.
The best approach is usually a mix of both methods. Start with manual bidding to test your ideas, gather real data, and protect your budget. Once you’ve got enough insights, gradually shift to automated strategies. This hybrid method gives you control of manual bidding during the risky early phase, then leverages automation's scaling power once you have solid data.
Note: Constantly changing bids manually can trigger account suspensions. Google flags frequent bid changes as suspicious activity. This is where Google Ads agency accounts from YeezyPay become essential. These trusted agency accounts have established credibility with Google, so you can adjust bids freely without raising red flags. Accounts from YeezyPay are built to handle the active management that performance marketing requires. They won't get frozen from the optimization activity that often triggers flags on regular accounts.
- Maximum clicks: Google automatically sets your bids to get you as many clicks as possible within your budget.
- Target Impression Share: Google gets your ad to appear according to your desired impression share percentage. It’s a good option if your goal is visibility rather than clicks or conversions.
- Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition): Through this strategy, Google sets bids to get you the maximum number of conversions at your chosen cost per action. It is a great option if you want to focus on results instead of clicks.
- Maximum Conversions: Google optimizes bids to generate the most conversions possible within your daily budget, regardless of cost per conversion.
- Maximum Conversions Value: Google focuses on getting conversions with the highest total value within your budget.
But automated bidding isn't always the best choice. The team at YeezyPay, a service that connects you to reliable Google Ads agency accounts, has observed that automatic bidding can sometimes lead to loss of control, budget overruns, or inconsistent results. To determine when it's best to manage your bids manually, you first need to understand how automated bidding actually works.
How Automated Bidding Works
The algorithm focuses on your business goal (for example, maximize conversions, target CPA, maximize clicks) and attempts to achieve it within your budget and targeting constraints. Here's how automated bidding works:- You choose a bidding strategy (for example, Target CPA - "target cost per conversion").
- Google analyzes the parameters of each click and determines which generated leads and which did not.
- For each impression, the system predicts the likelihood of conversion and decides whether to raise or lower the bid to win the auction.
- Bids can change frequently; two identical search queries can have different bids depending on device, location, or time of day.
- The algorithm needs data to work well. Having sufficient data, ideally at least 30 conversions over 30 days, is necessary for stable Target CPA or Target ROAS performance.
- Automated bidding doesn't rely on all important data. It is based on clicks and conversions alone and not things like profit margins on different products.
- It won't necessarily save you money. The goal is to hit your target, and not to reduce costs, so your CPC might actually increase.
With manual CPC, you decide exactly how much you’re willing to pay per click. It gives you complete control over your ad spend and bidding strategy. Therefore, in some situations, manual bidding works better than automatic bidding.
When Initiating New Campaigns
When you’re launching a new campaign or testing new keywords, ads, or landing pages, automated bidding doesn’t have any past data to learn from. Without that history, Google’s system can’t accurately predict which bids will get you good conversions or results.That’s why most advertising experts suggest starting with manual bidding for the first 30 days or so. It gives you time to gather enough data and understand how your campaign performs before switching to automation.
When Managing Limited Budgets
Google's automated strategies need time and budget to work. The system has to test different keywords, audiences, and bids to learn what works. This learning phase isn't instant. So if you're planning to spend just $50-$100 on a campaign, it’s best to avoid automated bidding.There's a good chance autobidding will burn through your first $100, $200, or even $300 without getting you results. Manual bidding will save you money early on while you're still learning what works.
When You Have No Existing Data
For example, say you want to promote crypto offers in Poland, something you've never done before. What should your target CPA be? Which keywords should you use?If you just throw in a random CPA hoping for quick profits, chances are your ads won’t get many impressions. Automated bidding will try to stay within that low target cost, which often means fewer people see your ads.
A smarter move is to start with manual bidding. That way, you can gather real data about conversion costs and your expected ROAS for that market, set of keywords, and offer.
Once you’ve got that data, you can switch to automated bidding with more accurate CPA or ROAS targets, and get more converting traffic as a result.
In Fast Moving Markets
In some niches, demand and competition for keywords can swing wildly, sometimes multiple times a day. This is especially true for betting and trading, which react heavily to news. One minute, a keyword is delivering solid traffic, then competitors flood in with ads, and your impressions tank. Or the opposite happens: someone pauses their campaigns, competition drops, and your traffic suddenly spikes.If your niche experiences these swings, stick with manual bidding. Automated strategies often lag behind these changes. By the time you need to lower bids, the system might still be raising them.
When You're Already Winning with Manual Bidding
Manual bidding can deliver excellent profits, especially when you run ads through trusted accounts like Google Ads agency accounts from YeezyPay. Agency accounts give you the flexibility and reliability needed to make manual bidding work at its best.Manual bidding works so well for experienced advertisers because they know their business better than any AI. They understand exactly which keywords convert, what times work best, and how much each click is worth. When these pros try switching to automated bidding, they often can't match their manual campaign performance.
Don't mess with what's already working. If you want to test automated bidding, create a separate campaign and experiment there.
Conclusion
Google Ads automated bidding strategies are convenient and efficient, but it's not always the right move. Automated bidding works well when you have enough data, a steady budget, and clear targets like CPA, ROAS, or traffic goals.For affiliate marketers and advertisers, manual bidding often performs better. It gives you more control over your budget, helps you react quickly to changes, and can lead to some really impressive results.
The best approach is usually a mix of both methods. Start with manual bidding to test your ideas, gather real data, and protect your budget. Once you’ve got enough insights, gradually shift to automated strategies. This hybrid method gives you control of manual bidding during the risky early phase, then leverages automation's scaling power once you have solid data.
Note: Constantly changing bids manually can trigger account suspensions. Google flags frequent bid changes as suspicious activity. This is where Google Ads agency accounts from YeezyPay become essential. These trusted agency accounts have established credibility with Google, so you can adjust bids freely without raising red flags. Accounts from YeezyPay are built to handle the active management that performance marketing requires. They won't get frozen from the optimization activity that often triggers flags on regular accounts.
