AdWords Bid Adjustments: Finding the Optimal Settings

Online retailers want to reach users with suitable offers at the right moment. However, due to the increasing competitive situation on the internet, this is becoming increasingly difficult.

Google AdWords gives you the opportunity to showcase your products to users when they search for certain keywords (Search Network) or when they simply browse the internet (Display Network).

In the Display Network, you can automatically optimize your campaigns using Google's bidding strategies (Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) and Target CPA (Cost per Action)). In such cases, Google analyzes user behavior and adjusts the bid accordingly.

In the Search Network, there is also the possibility to display your ads more frequently or better placed when there is a high likelihood of purchase. Various bid adjustments are available for this purpose.

With these adjustments, you can, for example, increase your bid depending on where, with which device, and at what time your products are searched for.

In this article, you will learn how to optimally use bid adjustments in the Search Network.

The Different Types of Bid Adjustments in the Search Network

With bid adjustments, you can control even more precisely when and where your ads are shown. Different adjustments are available to you, which we will now introduce:

Bid Adjustment for Different Devices

At the campaign or ad group level, you can adjust your bid for different device types (computers, tablets, mobile devices) under “Settings” and “Devices.”

Fig. 1: Bid adjustments for different devices

Afterward, you can analyze the performance by devices and adjust your bid accordingly.

If you do not wish to advertise on mobile devices, reduce your bid for mobile devices by 100%. This is especially recommended if your website is not mobile-optimized.

Bid Adjustment for Different Locations

At the campaign level, you can adjust your bid for a specific country, state, or city under “Settings” and “Locations.”

If you have defined only one location as your target region, you can obtain more detailed information about this location under “Location reports.” For example, if you selected Germany as the target region, you will find statistics for states, cities, postal codes, or districts under “Location reports.” Add the locations where you would like to adjust your bid as targets and increase or decrease your bid.

Fig. 2: Bid adjustment for locations

Bid Adjustment for Your Ad Schedule

At the campaign level, you can adjust your bid for specific days or times under “Settings” and “Ad Schedule.” If your customers are mainly businesses (B2B), you can reduce your bid for the weekend as shown in the following example. Conversely, you can increase your bid on Mondays if you have found that users convert better on that day.

Fig. 3: Bid adjustment for ad scheduling

Bid Adjustments for Different Remarketing Lists

At the campaign or ad group level, you can adjust your bid for different remarketing lists under “Audiences.”

With the help of remarketing lists, you can re-engage users who have already visited your site. You can create multiple lists depending on what interaction the users had with the site. You can find more information on remarketing lists here. For example, increase your bid by 20% for users who have already visited your site and by 35% for cart abandoners (users who have added a product to their cart but have not yet purchased), as the likelihood of these users buying is even higher.

Fig. 4: Bid adjustments for remarketing lists

Example Calculation

Bid adjustments can be combined. For example, you can increase your bid by 20% when a user searches for your products in Bavaria and reduce it by 50% if the search query happens on Saturday. Here you will find the calculation with a maximum CPC bid of 1 EUR:

Fig. 5: Example calculation

What Can We Do for You?

If you need assistance with using bid adjustments, contact internetwarriors GmbH. Our certified AdWords specialists are happy to help you.