Bid Adjustments
Also known as: Bid Modifiers
Bid adjustments raise or lower your bid by a percentage based on context such as device, location, time of day, audience, or demographics. A positive adjustment increases your bid when a condition is met, a negative one reduces it, letting you spend more on segments that convert and less on those that do not.
Key Takeaways
- Bid adjustments raise or lower your bid by a percentage based on context like device, location, or time.
- A positive adjustment increases the bid when a condition is met, and a negative one reduces it.
- They let you spend more on segments that convert and less on those that do not.
- Stacking many large adjustments at once can compound unpredictably and distort spend.
- Some automated bid strategies ignore manual bid adjustments.
How It Works
A bid adjustment is a percentage modifier tied to a condition. Set a plus 20 percent adjustment for mobile and your bid rises whenever a mobile user is in the auction; set a minus 30 percent for a weak region and it falls there. This lets a single campaign pay more for the contexts most likely to convert.
Adjustments layer across dimensions. Dayparting shifts bids by hour or day of week, Geotargeting pairs with location adjustments to favor high-value areas, and audience-based adjustments push bids up for segments identified through Audience Targeting. When multiple conditions apply at once, their percentages multiply rather than simply add, which is why stacking many large ones distorts spend.
Because the point is to align cost with value, adjustments work best when each is based on enough conversion data and changed one lever at a time. They also interact with Cost Per Click: raising a bid for a strong segment accepts a higher click cost where it is likely to pay off.
Why It Matters
Not every click is worth the same. Bid adjustments let you pay a premium for high-converting contexts, like mobile users in your top city on a weekday, without raising bids across the board, sharpening return on every dollar.
Example
A local HVAC company sees that mobile users in its home city convert best on weekday afternoons. It sets a positive device adjustment for mobile, a positive location adjustment for that city, and uses dayparting to raise bids during afternoon hours. Rather than lifting every bid, it pays a premium only when all three high-value conditions line up.
Common Mistake
Stacking large adjustments across many dimensions at once, which compound unpredictably and distort spend. Change one lever at a time, base each adjustment on enough conversion data, and note that some automated bid strategies ignore manual adjustments.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do bid adjustments work?
They modify your base bid by a percentage when a condition such as device, location, time, or audience is met. Positive adjustments raise the bid for valuable contexts, and negative ones lower it for weaker contexts.
Do bid adjustments stack?
Yes, when several conditions apply to the same auction their percentages multiply rather than add, so combined adjustments can compound quickly. Change one lever at a time and base each on enough conversion data to avoid distorting spend.
Do automated bidding strategies use bid adjustments?
Often not. Many automated strategies set bids in real time using their own signals and ignore most manual bid adjustments. Check how your specific bid strategy handles adjustments before relying on them alongside automation.