The Paid Search Podcast – Episode 495: "Ranking Bid Strategies From Worst to Best"

Host: Chris Schaeffer, Certified Google Ads Specialist
Date: January 12, 2026

Overview

In this focused solo episode, Chris Schaeffer systematically ranks all of Google Ads' search campaign bid strategies from worst to best. Drawing from real campaign data and his decade-plus in the Google Ads trenches, Chris offers candid, practical advice for business owners, agency staff, and PPC freelancers looking to improve their account performance. He emphasizes the importance of boundaries in bid strategies and delivers actionable insights on which strategies provide optimal control, predictability, and long-term performance.

Key Points & Insights

1. The Purpose and Importance of Bid Strategies

• Bid strategies are the “engine” of your Google Ads.” They dictate how much you pay per click, and how much control (or lack thereof) you have (04:40).
• Some strategies give you micro-level control; others hand everything to Google; some let you set suggestion “boundaries.”

2. Chris’s Full Ranking: From Worst to Best

A. Absolute Worst: Maximize Conversion Value

• Quote:

  “Automation without regulation, automation without bidding capacities, without some kind of boundaries is trash. It's trash. It's junk.” (08:44 – Chris Schaeffer)

• Google spends as much as it wants for a click if it thinks the conversion value is high—there’s no bid cap.
• Can cause wildly inconsistent keyword and CPC allocation over time.
• Businesses lose budgeting oversight and risk huge costs from a few outlier clicks.

B. Second Worst: Maximize Conversions

• Focuses only on the number of conversions, not quality.
• No cap on what Google will pay for a click.
• Risks:
  • Attracts junk leads (“free sample” seekers, unqualified calls).
  • Blows through budget on low-quality conversions.
• Quote:

  “Screw your budget. It will spend whatever it needs to spend per click.” (14:04 – Chris Schaeffer)

C. Bottom-Tier, But Not the Worst: Target Impression Share

• You can set a max CPC and impression share percentage goal.
• OK for scenarios where showing up in a certain percentage of auctions matters.
• Limitations: Still risks high CPCs; offers little long-term strategic value for most advertisers.
• Quote:

  “It could be applied for very specific instances but in reality, it’s not really appliable to many situations.” (18:24)

D. The "Usable" Tier: Top Four

4. Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

• Mostly for e-commerce. Lets you set a return target, e.g., 200%, and Google tries to optimize for it.
• Major gripe: Unpredictability. Adjusting the ROAS target yields inconsistent results; it’s also strangely intertwined with campaign budgets.
• Quote:

  “Target ROAS is somehow mysteriously connected to my budget. And that's what really bugs me about it. The unpredictability...” (22:53)

• Suggestion: Use only if you’re okay with relinquishing some expected cause/effect control.

3. Maximize Clicks

• Prioritizes the greatest number of clicks within your daily budget and a set maximum CPC (if provided).
• Predictable, reliable, low-maintenance: Does not overreact to budget or conversion data changes.
• Suitable for driving traffic steadily, especially for top-of-funnel goals.
• Quote:

  “Maximize Clicks respects your boundaries. It respects your CPC capacities and it just runs.” (29:38)

2. Manual CPC

• The “OG original” strategy offering finite, micro-level control over every bid at the keyword or ad group level.
• Perfect for advanced users who know what metrics to watch and adjust routinely.
• Only strategy that allows nuanced bidding across different match types and keywords for ultimate campaign sculpting.
• Quote:

  “Manual CPC is absolutely the second best Google Ads bidding strategy, period. No way. And it almost beats out Target CPA.” (34:38)

• Downside: Needs ongoing management; inattention leads to loss of competitive edge.

1. The Best: Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition)

• Chris’s top choice for most advertisers—automated, with built-in boundaries tied to your target CPA.
• Adjustments to CPA goals produce predictable changes in campaign behavior (unlike Target ROAS).
• Balances automation’s ease with performance guardrails. Doesn’t require micromanagement but responds well to strategic guidance.
• Quote:

  “Target CPA is number one because it does not—unlike its sister Target ROAS—Target CPA maintains a bit more sanity. Whenever you change something...it reacts in a predictable manner.” (40:20)

• Accepts that the occasional CPC outlier can occur, but overall delivers reliable results closely aligned with business goals.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• The Importance of Boundaries:

  "For those of you who listen to the podcast long enough, you know, principle number nine, my ten principles of Google Ads is boundaries. You must have boundaries accounted for in your account." (06:18)

• On Wild Automated Bidding:

  "Maximize conversions is just going to get you as many conversions as possible. Who cares what they are? Who cares what the quality is?" (13:12)

• Manual CPC Masterclass:

  “Manual CPC... I can run broad match keywords, phrase match keywords, exact match keywords, and have them bid at different levels of authority...You cannot duplicate that anywhere else.” (36:20)

• Why Automated Doesn't Mean “Hands Off”:

  “Manual CPC can get out of hand. You don't touch it for six months and you come back—and you're losing positions. You're losing ranking.” (42:10)

• Ultimate Summary:

  “Number one is Target CPA because it is automated, because it has boundaries, it has capacities of success that you can measure and react to and adjust and it reacts and moves how you would expect it to move.” (44:48)

Chris’s Final Rankings Summary (44:00)

1. Target CPA (Best overall—predictable, automated, goal-driven)
2. Manual CPC (Maximum control, best for experts)
3. Maximize Clicks (Consistent, low-maintenance)
4. Target ROAS (Useful for e-commerce, but inconsistent)
5. Target Impression Share (Niche, limited utility)
6. Maximize Conversions (Indiscriminate, low-quality risk)
7. Maximize Conversion Value (No boundaries, budget risk—worst)

Recommended For

• Advertisers wanting the best balance: Use Target CPA (set and monitor target regularly).
• Advanced campaign managers: Consider Manual CPC for total bid control.
• Traffic growth objectives: Maximize Clicks, but always use maximum CPC.
• E-commerce specialists: Use Target ROAS—but watch for erratic behavior.
• Special use cases: Only consider Target Impression Share for very specific needs.
• Avoid: Maximize Conversions and Maximize Conversion Value unless you fully understand— and accept— their risks.

How to Take Action

• Switch strategies: If your campaigns use bottom-tier strategies, try migrating up Chris’s ranking for more control and predictability.
• Need extra help? Chris offers consulting and management services (chrisschaeffer.com).

To hear Chris’s detailed breakdowns and stories, listen between these timestamps:

• [04:40] – Introduction to bid strategies and methodology
• [08:44] – Why maximize conversion value is “absolute trash”
• [13:12] – Pitfalls of maximize conversions
• [18:24] – Target impression share use cases and limits
• [22:53] – Unpredictability of target ROAS
• [29:38] – Why maximize clicks is so reliable
• [34:38] – The power and pitfalls of manual CPC
• [40:20] – Why target CPA wins Chris’s top spot
• [44:00] – Quick recap of his full ranking

Chris’s wrap-up appeal:
If you want your Google Ads money to work harder, revisit your bid strategy and ask: "Does it give me the boundaries, predictability, and results I really want?"

Connect with Chris or ask questions:
chrisschaeffer.com | paidsearchpodcast.com