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Best Practices for Portfolios: Minimize Bid Unit Constraints

Advertisers with Media Optimizer Premium Only

When you set a bid unit constraint, you override the bid optimization system’s decision and assume responsibility for the ROI on that bid unit yourself. Therefore, set bid unit-level constraints with caution, especially when constraining bid units to high positions or high bids, which can divert much of your budget to the constrained bid units and reduce conversions for other bid units as they are bid lower to compensate.

Some valid reasons for constraining bids include the following:

  • To quickly expose untested bid units.

  • To mitigate risks for new portfolios, accounts, campaigns, and ad groups. For example, before you launch a portfolio, you could set maximum bids on high-traffic bid units and then gradually raise the values each day. This allows the bidding model to adjust each day without the risk of big bid increases and dramatic overspend at positions that have never been tested.

  • To make sure that tail keywords with high conversion rates aren't bid down.

  • To bid up specific terms that are central to your brand or during promotions.

  • To satisfy business restrictions on ad positioning, such as contractual obligations or non-compete clauses.