Learn more about How Search Ads 360 bidding works.
On this page
- Benefits
- Types of automated bid strategies
- How portfolio bidding works
- Supported campaign types
- Auction-time bidding
- Budget bid strategies
- Google Ads bid strategies
- Select bidding strategy based on your goals
- How to create a bid strategy
Benefits
Automated bidding in Search Ads 360 provides numerous benefits for effectively managing and optimizing campaigns across various search engines.
- Portfolio bidding: Search Ads 360 enables the grouping of campaigns with shared business goals into a single Portfolio bid strategy, even across different platforms. This approach can lead to improved target attainment, quicker response to performance changes, and smarter bidding decisions. Search Ads 360 bidding is powered by advanced machine learning models that analyze extensive data, generate accurate predictions for conversion rates and values at various spend levels, and intelligently adjust bids across the entire portfolio to meet set targets and maximize results.
- Publisher auction-time bidding: Search Ads 360 is integrated with publisher-specific auction-time bidding features, such as Google ads auction-time bidding and Microsoft auction-time bidding, allowing for real-time bid adjustments at the moment of the auction.
- Cross-engine & cross-channel optimization: The platform's bidding intelligence can optimize performance across various search engines and different campaign types within one bid strategy. Google internal data shows that advertisers utilizing Search Ads 360 multi-channel/multi-engine optimization portfolios typically achieve approximately 5% more conversions or conversion value compared to optimizing platforms individually.
You can use Budget bid strategies and take advantage of flexible conversion sources including Google Ads, Google Analytics, Bulk uploads, and Floodlight, while applying custom variable adjustments to enhance campaign performance.
Types of automated bid strategies
- Multiple Target CPA: Allows you to set different Target CPA goals for separate ad groups or campaigns within a single portfolio bid strategy, optimizing bids for each specific target rather than using a single average across all of them.
- Multiple Target ROAS: Allows you to set different Target ROAS goals for individual ad groups or campaigns combined under a single portfolio bid strategy, maximizing conversion value based on the unique return goals of each segment.
- Target CPA: Sets bids to help you get as many conversions as possible at or below the average cost-per-acquisition goal you specify.
- Target ROAS: Automatically optimizes bids to maximize conversion value while maintaining a specific return on investment goal.
- Target impression share: Automatically sets bids with the goal of showing your ad on the absolute top of the page, the top of the page, or anywhere on the page of Google search results.
- Budget Bid Strategies: Set a spend goal with Clicks, Conversions, or Conv. Value goal.
Tip:
Use multi-target portfolio bid strategies to share conversion data across campaigns while maintaining unique performance goals for different product categories. This grouping allows Google AI to learn faster from a larger dataset, which improves auction-time bidding accuracy.
By setting specific targets within a single portfolio, you ensure your budget is fluidly allocated to the highest-performing auctions without sacrificing granular control over individual campaign margins.
How portfolio bidding works
Portfolio bidding calculates bids and targets for all your campaigns to create an overall portfolio target. Portfolio bidding accounts for different portfolio segments to optimize overall campaign performance and can help increase ROI.
Learn more about How portfolio bidding works.
Supported campaign types
Search Ads 360 bid strategies can be applied to the following campaign types:
- Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Yahoo! JAPAN Ads, and Baidu Search campaigns
- Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising shopping campaigns
- Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising Performance Max campaigns
- Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, and Yahoo! JAPAN Ads Dynamic Search Ad campaigns
Learn how to Create a Search Ads 360 portfolio bid strategy.
Learn how to Create or edit a budget bid strategy.
Auction-time bidding
Search Ads 360's bidding system integrates with publisher bid strategies through auction-time bidding (ATB) to further enhance performance. Auction-time bidding means that bids are optimized at the exact moment an auction takes place, using real-time signals to set the most appropriate bid for each individual impression.
When a Search Ads 360 bid strategy uses auction-time bidding, it works in conjunction with the publisher's own automated bidding capabilities to optimize bids. Search Ads 360 provides the target ROAS or CPA goal, and the publisher's system uses its real-time auction data to achieve that goal.
Bids are always optimized using auction-time bidding for Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising Performance Max campaigns.
For other campaign types, such as Search and Shopping, you can choose to enable auction-time bidding for either Microsoft Advertising or Google Ads campaigns within your Search Ads 360 bid strategy.
Budget bid strategies
A budget bid strategy lets you automatically optimize spend toward the key metrics you have chosen for a plan. For example, if your key metric is clicks, then your budget bid strategy automatically optimizes spend to get the most clicks at the lowest average cost per click given the amount you want to spend over the date range of the plan.
Learn more About budget bid strategies.
Google Ads bid strategies
You can manage your bidding in Search Ads 360 using either SA360's native strategies or by implementing Google Ads bid strategies.
For optimal performance, we recommend using Search Ads 360 bid strategies to take full advantage of portfolio bidding.
Learn more About Google Ads bid strategy functionality in Search Ads 360.
Select bidding strategy based on your goals
Understanding your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and clearly defining your goals is the foundation for successful Search Ads 360 automated bidding. Following these best practices ensures your bid strategies align perfectly with your business objectives, utilizing Google AI for optimal performance and maximizing results.
Learn how to select your bidding strategy based on your goals.
How to create a bid strategy
- Sign in to your Search Ads 360 account.
- Navigate to a sub-manager account.
- In the page menu on the left, select "Bidding & planning" drop down, then select Bid strategies.
- Click the plus button to create a new bid strategy.