6 Manual Bidding Mistakes to Steer Clear of

In September of 2024, Google made an announcement that the enhanced CPC bid strategy would be phased out of most accounts by March 2025. This change means that advertisers will need to adapt their bidding strategies, and one alternative is to switch to manual CPC bidding.

As someone with experience running paid search ads since 2010, I believe that manual CPC bidding can help marketers become better practitioners. However, it’s essential to avoid common mistakes when using this bidding strategy to see optimal results.

### Mistakes to Avoid When Managing Manual CPC Google Ads Bidding

#### 1. Not Knowing When to Use Manual CPC Bidding
With the elimination of ECPC, advertisers will need to decide between automated or manual bidding strategies. While automated bidding can be efficient, manual CPC may be a better choice in certain situations, such as when starting a new campaign or dealing with low conversion volume.

#### 2. Irregular Performance Reviews
Many accounts using manual CPC bidding lack a regular review process, leading to inconsistent performance. Establishing a structured review schedule, such as weekly, monthly, and quarterly evaluations, can help optimize bids and improve ad performance.

#### 3. Incorrect Lookback Windows
It’s crucial to use the right lookback window when evaluating performance data for bid adjustments. Weekly reviews should focus on recent data without including past performance, while monthly and quarterly reviews should consider longer-term trends.

#### 4. Poor Degrees of Bid Adjustment
Avoid making drastic bid changes, as large swings can impact the performance of keywords. Instead, opt for percentage-based bid adjustments that scale with your account’s performance goals.

#### 5. Not Conducting Long-Term Performance Reviews
In addition to short-term reviews, it’s essential to analyze performance over longer periods to identify trends and address underperforming keywords. Long-term reviews can reveal the impact of specific keywords on overall campaign performance.

#### 6. Not Leveraging All Bid Modifiers
Take advantage of bid modifiers, such as audiences, devices, demographics, and ad scheduling, to optimize your manual CPC bidding strategy. Incorporate these modifiers into your regular review process to adjust bids based on performance data.

### FAQs

#### 1. When should I consider using manual CPC bidding?
Manual CPC bidding is a suitable strategy for campaigns with specific needs, such as low conversion volume, new campaigns, or budget constraints.

#### 2. How often should I conduct performance reviews for manual CPC bidding?
Regular performance reviews, including weekly, monthly, and quarterly evaluations, are essential for optimizing manual CPC bidding.

#### 3. What are the benefits of using percentage-based bid adjustments?
Percentage-based bid adjustments help maintain consistency in bid changes and scale with your account’s performance goals.

#### 4. How can long-term performance reviews improve campaign performance?
Long-term reviews reveal trends, identify underperforming keywords, and help make informed decisions about keyword optimization.

#### 5. Why is it important to leverage all bid modifiers in manual CPC bidding?
Using bid modifiers allows you to optimize bidding strategies based on specific audience segments, devices, demographics, and ad scheduling for better campaign performance.

In conclusion, manual CPC bidding requires time and effort to implement effectively, but it can be a valuable strategy for campaigns that need more attention. By avoiding common mistakes and following a structured review process, advertisers can maximize the performance of their Google Ads campaigns.