Bidding & Pacing
Part of Programmatic experimentation
Comparing bidding strategies with matched campaign conditions
Set up a bidding-strategy test with aligned targeting, budgets and measurement, then judge outcomes alongside spend and auction delivery.
Compare bidding strategies by splitting eligible traffic between two buys. The planned difference between them is the bidding rule. Judge the completed campaign outcome and what each strategy managed to buy.
Equal budgets do not guarantee equal spend, impressions or placement mix. Those differences may be part of the result.
Choose the strategies and decision
Name the baseline and variant exactly. For example, where both are eligible, a campaign might compare a conversion-focused automated strategy with a fixed CPM approach for qualified enquiries under an authorised budget. Define the completed enquiry, attribution settings, total cost basis and the improvement needed to justify a switch.
Check that both strategies are available for the intended line-item type and objective.
Record the bid settings used in each arm.
Steps to Run a Valid Bidding Strategy Test in Australia
- Define Baseline and Variant Strategiese.g., Conversion Optimisation vs Fixed CPM
- Match All Campaign ConditionsDates, geography, inventory, creatives, exclusions
- Set Aligned Budgets and PacingProportional split with equal pacing rules
- Monitor Delivery and FaultsCheck for creative rejections or targeting issues
- Evaluate Mature OutcomesWait for full attribution window; label early reads as provisional
Match the other conditions
Align dates, Australian geography, inventory routes or deals, formats, creative, landing page, audience rules, frequency controls and required exclusions. Use the same outcome definition and reporting cut-off. Set each arm's authorised budget in proportion to its experiment split and match pacing.
Display & Video 360 Help includes guidance on testing ads with experiments. Check current settings before launch and retain a dated configuration record.
Examine buying and outcomes together
Where reporting permits, compare incoming opportunities, bid responses, wins, actual spend, bought impressions and completed outcomes. Put counts beside rates and split-normalised values.
A strategy that spends little may show an attractive cost per action from too few actions to guide a larger allocation. A strategy that spends quickly may buy more outcomes at an unacceptable cost.
Display & Video 360 Help includes troubleshooting for deals and line items. Check whether targeting or creative filtering, rather than bidding, is affecting delivery. A creative rejection or unequal exclusion means the comparison no longer tests bidding alone. Record the fault, its timing and any correction applied to both arms.
Allow for automated learning and delayed outcomes while investigating serving faults promptly. Recent conversion figures can also change. Set the review window for the campaign's actual outcome and label an early read provisional.
Adopt a strategy only when its mature outcome and spending trade-off meet the pre-agreed rule under a valid comparison. If an arm lacks sufficient eligible delivery, report that deliverability finding separately from an inconclusive effectiveness comparison.
