Smart Bidding does the heavy lifting — but the accounts that beat their targets all share one habit: deliberate bid adjustments layered on top of automation. Here are the five our buyers apply to nearly every account.
1. Split mobile and desktop by margin, not traffic
Mobile usually brings the clicks; desktop often brings the revenue. Segment conversion value by device, then set device modifiers so each one bids to its own return — not a blended average that overpays on both.
2. Bid the hours that buy
Pull an hour-of-day report and you will almost always find dead windows eating 20% of spend. Dayparting those hours down — and boosting the two or three that convert — is the fastest win in any audit.
3. Pay more for audiences that already know you
Past purchasers, cart abandoners and high-value site visitors close at multiples of cold traffic. Observation-mode audiences with positive modifiers let you bid up exactly where intent is warmest.
4. Discount the geos that never convert
National campaigns hide regional dead zones. A geo report almost always reveals states or cities with spend and zero sales — exclude them, and redirect the budget to the regions carrying your ROAS.
5. Let seasonality move the bids, not the budget
Instead of pausing campaigns around peaks, use seasonality adjustments and promo calendars so bids rise into demand and settle after it. The account stays live, learns continuously, and never restarts cold.