CPC bidding strategies

• Manual CPC: you set a max CPC per keyword or ad group. Full control, no machine learning, and the auction still usually charges under your ceiling.
• Maximize Clicks: automation spends your budget for the most clicks it can find. Simple, but it optimises for clicks, not customers.
• Target CPA: automation bids whatever each auction needs to average your target cost per conversion. Needs conversion tracking and history to work well.
• Target ROAS: the revenue version: bids to a target return on ad spend. Built for ecommerce with revenue tracking.

Google's own guide to matching strategy to goal: Google Ads Help, bid strategy guide.

Enhanced CPC, the half-manual option that let Google adjust your manual bids per auction, was retired: effective the week of 31 March 2025 it stopped being available for Search and Display campaigns, and campaigns not migrated beforehand became effectively Manual CPC Google Ads Help, ECPC notice, 2025. If an article recommends ECPC, it predates that date.

Start on Manual CPC. With a small budget you have few conversions, and conversion-based automation is guessing until it has data. Manual keeps your ceiling explicit: set it from the max CPC calculator rather than vibes. Once tracking shows a steady 15-30 conversions a month, test target CPA against your manual baseline. That progression is the one worked in the plumber scenario.

Remember the strategy changes who bids, not how pricing works: the auction still charges by ad rank either way Google Ads Help, 2026 data. That mechanism is on actual vs max CPC, and the cost levers on how to lower CPC.