I’m struggling to choose between "Maximize Conversions" and "Target CPA" for my B2B lead gen campaign. We need at least 50 leads a month, and our budget is $2,000. Currently, I’m using Manual CPC because I like the control, but everyone says automated bidding is the way to go now. If I switch, will Google just spend my money as fast as possible, or will it actually find better leads?
3 answers
For a budget of $2,000 and a goal of 50 leads, your ideal CPA is $40. If you are currently using Manual CPC and have at least 30 conversions in the last month, I would suggest moving to Target CPA (tCPA). This strategy tells Google’s AI to find leads at or below your $40 target. "Maximize Conversions" is better when you have a leftover budget and just want volume regardless of cost, but for B2B where quality matters, tCPA is usually more stable. Just make sure your conversion tracking is 100% accurate before switching, or the AI will optimize for the wrong actions.
Have you considered using "Enhanced CPC" as a middle ground before jumping fully into the deep end of automated bidding?
I always start with Maximize Conversions to gather data, then switch to tCPA once I know what a realistic cost per lead looks like.
That's exactly what I did for my SaaS client, Susan. It took about three weeks for the algorithm to stabilize, but now our cost per lead is very consistent.
Mary, I actually tried ECPC but didn't see much of a lift compared to my manual bids. I think my biggest fear with tCPA is that if I set the target too low, my ads will just stop showing entirely. Have you ever experienced a "campaign freeze" after setting a Target CPA? I’m worried that if I tell Google I only want to pay $30, and the market average is $45, I’ll essentially be invisible to my potential clients.