09/14/2026
Choosing a Google Ads bidding strategy is not about preference. It is about what your account actually knows.
Running Target CPA on a new account with no conversion data gives the algorithm nothing to learn from. It spends your budget guessing.
Here is the order that works:
Start with Manual CPC until you have at least 30 conversions a month and clean tracking in place. You control the bids while the account builds data.
Move to Maximize Conversions once real data is coming in. Google targets users most likely to convert and spends your full daily budget to find them.
Add a Target CPA once you have run Maximize Conversions for 4 to 6 weeks with 30 or more monthly conversions. Now you are telling Google what a booked call or job is worth, and it optimizes to that target.
The most expensive mistake we see is running Target CPA on a thin account. Without conversion volume, the algorithm guesses, and those guesses cost more than Manual CPC ever did.
Which bidding strategy are you running right now, and does your monthly conversion volume actually match it?