Should You Use Manual Bidding for Brand Campaigns in Google Ads?

By: Jyll Saskin Gales, Google Ads Coach

Manual bidding for brand campaigns: is it a hidden gem or a time-wasting trap? While some advertisers swear by it, I'm firmly in the Smart Bidding camp, even for brand campaigns. Let's explore why.

In this post, we'll tackle the Manual Bidding vs. Smart Bidding for Branded Search debate head-on. Here's what you can expect:

• The Hidden Costs of Manual Bidding: It's about more than just the price of clicks.
• Why Smart Bidding Wins (Even for Brand Campaigns): Discover the power of automation and conversion focus.
• The Risk of Irrelevant Search Terms: See how manual bidding can open the door to wasted spend.

The Hidden Cost of Manual Bidding

Time is money, right? While manual bidding might seem like the more cost-effective option, it often involves hidden costs that can outweigh any potential savings. Think about it:

• Constant monitoring and adjustments: Manual bidding requires continuous attention to keep up with changing auction dynamics.
• Data analysis overload: You'll need to spend hours analyzing data to identify bidding trends and opportunities.
• Opportunity cost: The time spent on manual bidding could be used for more impactful activities like ad creative testing, landing page optimization, or audience research.

Why Smart Bidding Wins (Even for Brand Campaigns)

Smart Bidding, particularly with Target CPA or Target ROAS, offers several advantages for brand campaigns:

• Focus on conversions: Smart Bidding prioritizes conversions over cheap clicks, ensuring you're getting the most out of your brand campaign.
• Time savings: Automation frees up your time to focus on other strategic initiatives.
• Improved efficiency: Google's AI algorithms can often identify bidding patterns and opportunities that humans might miss.
• Reduced irrelevant traffic: By focusing on conversions, Smart Bidding helps filter out irrelevant search terms that can waste your budget.

The Risk of Irrelevant Search Terms

Manual bidding for brand campaigns can leave you vulnerable to irrelevant search terms. Why? Because Google's "close variants" can sometimes trigger your ads for searches that aren't truly related to your brand.

By using Smart Bidding and focusing on conversions, you signal to Google that you only want to pay for clicks that are likely to lead to valuable outcomes. This helps minimize wasted spend and ensures your brand campaign is working as efficiently as possible.