Bidding & Pacing
Part of Programmatic bidding and pacing
Choosing a bidding goal that matches the campaign objective
Map an exposure, visit or conversion objective to a bidding signal, then decide how to balance an efficiency target with budget delivery.
Match the bidding option to the outcome you want the campaign to favour: Custom Bidding can use brand lift or revenue as a KPI, while conversion-led performance campaigns can use Maximize conversions or Target CPA. Choose the signal first, then consider any CPA efficiency target alongside the delivery trade-off.
Choose the buying signal
Start with the business outcome and choose the closest reliable platform signal. Clicks are not completed enquiries or sales, and viewable impressions measure exposure rather than whether someone remembered the message.
| Campaign objective | DV360 bidding option or signal | Check before using it |
|---|---|---|
| Exposure or brand lift | Viewable impressions or reach as exposure measures; Custom Bidding with a brand-lift KPI when brand lift is the goal | Check the exposure measure and coverage; a Custom Bidding signal must be measurable as a Floodlight activity or Google Analytics 360 goal |
| Visits to a useful page | Clicks as a proxy; pay-per-click under Outcome based buying | Check whether page visits and later actions support the click signal; payment per click is not itself a visit-optimisation goal |
| Enquiries or purchases | Maximise conversions | Check that the intended event is available and records the right action |
| Enquiries or purchases with a CPA efficiency target | Target CPA | Treat the target as a desired cost per acquisition, not a guaranteed result |
| Revenue or high-value purchases | Custom Bidding with revenue as the KPI and transaction value as a proxy | Check that the proxy is measurable and represents the value you want to favour |
When conversion count is the outcome, consider Maximize conversions; when the campaign has a desired acquisition cost, consider Target CPA. Custom Bidding lets you define a KPI such as brand lift or revenue and use proxy signals, including creative dimension for brand lift or transaction value for revenue.
For Custom Bidding, a script scores impressions using the chosen signals, and Display & Video 360 uses the scoring model to predict impression value and adjust bids. Choose signals measurable as Floodlight activities or Google Analytics 360 goals.
For revenue, Office Depot wanted to drive high-value purchases rather than total transactions. Wavemaker recommended Custom Bidding using transaction values, and the approach was tested with the cost per acquisition automated bidding strategy, with an immediate improvement in return.
For useful-page visits, clicks remain a proxy rather than the business result. Outcome based buying supports pay-per-click for performance campaigns using Target CPA or Maximize conversions; that describes a payment basis, not evidence that the bidding goal optimises visits.
Choose the bidding strategy at line-item setup in Display & Video 360. The documented pay-per-click option applies to performance campaigns using Target CPA or Maximize conversions.
Set the efficiency trade-off
Choose the outcome signal first, then decide whether CPA efficiency is a priority. Target CPA expresses a desired cost per acquisition; it does not promise that the bidder will achieve it.
A demanding target can leave budget unspent, while a spend-first setting may lift delivery without improving the result that matters. Decide whether missing the efficiency target or leaving budget unused is less acceptable, and record the target’s definition and who may revise it.
Key Performance Metrics for Bidding Strategies in DV360
- Target CPA
- Desired cost per acquisition, not guaranteed
- Maximize Conversions
- Optimises for highest number of conversions within budget
- Custom Bidding
- Uses scoring models with signals like transaction value or creative dimension
- Viewable Impressions
- Measures ad visibility, not engagement or recall
Check the signal and result
For a conversion goal, check that the selected event represents the intended action and is recording data before judging cost per conversion. For clicks, compare click volume with meaningful site activity; for exposure, check the measure and its coverage.
A learning period does not justify waiting through absent delivery, a wrong event or an eligibility block.
Review spend, the selected platform outcome and the business result together. If spend improves without a useful result, revisit the goal.
