How to use Target CPA (tCPA) bidding in your Google Ads: A Step by Step Guide

Target CPA (tCPA) is a smart bidding strategy in Google Ads that optimizes your bids to achieve a target cost-per-acquisition (CPA) across your campaigns. This strategy can help you manage your ad spend more effectively and achieve your desired CPA. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use Target CPA bidding in your Google Ads:

1. Sign in to your Google Ads account: Log in to your account at https://ads.google.com/ and navigate to the campaign where you want to apply the Target CPA bidding strategy.
2. Access the campaign settings: From the left-hand menu, click on “Settings” and then select the specific campaign you want to edit.
3. Choose the bidding strategy: Under the “Bidding” section, click on the drop-down menu next to “Bid strategy.” Choose “Change bid strategy” and then select “Target CPA” from the list of options.
4. Set your target CPA: Enter your desired target CPA value, which is the average amount you’re willing to spend to acquire a customer. This value should be based on your historical CPA data, your conversion rate, and your profit margin.

Note: If you don’t have enough historical data, you can use Google Ads’ recommendations based on the performance of similar campaigns.

5. Adjust campaign-level settings (optional): You can customize the tCPA bidding settings at the campaign level by clicking on “Advanced options.” Here, you can set a minimum and maximum bid limit or exclude specific devices from the bidding strategy.
6. Apply portfolio-level Target CPA (optional): If you want to apply the Target CPA bidding strategy to multiple campaigns, you can create a portfolio-level bid strategy. To do this, go to “Tools & Settings” in the top-right corner, click on “Bid Strategies” under “Shared Library,” and follow the same steps to create a new Target CPA bidding strategy. Once created, you can apply it to multiple campaigns.
7. Save your changes: Click “Save” to apply the Target CPA bidding strategy to your selected campaign.
8. Monitor and adjust the target CPA: Regularly review the performance of your campaigns using the Target CPA bidding strategy. Adjust the target CPA based on the data to ensure optimal results. If your CPA is too high, consider lowering your target CPA, and if you’re not getting enough conversions, you may need to increase it.

Remember that it may take a few days or weeks for the Target CPA bidding strategy to fully optimize, as the system needs time to learn and adapt to your campaign’s performance. Continuously monitor and refine your target CPA to achieve the best results for your Google Ads campaigns.