Budgets and bidding

Should a new B2B Google Ads campaign with only a few conversions a month use Manual CPC, Maximize Clicks or Maximize Conversions?

By The Tofu team ·

Usually Maximize clicks with a max CPC limit first, then Maximize conversions once the conversion you bid on reaches 15 in 30 days. Google says Maximize clicks can suit new campaigns without enough conversion data, and its lead generation guide asks for at least 15 conversions in 30 days on the goal you bid toward. Pick Manual CPC if you want to set each keyword's bid yourself. If the account already has steady conversion history, Maximize conversions can start sooner. Add a Target CPA once you know your real cost per lead.

As of October 2026.

Manual CPC vs Maximize clicks vs Maximize conversions vs Target CPA

Manual CPCMaximize clicksMaximize conversionsTarget CPA
What it aims forThe clicks your max CPC bids can winAs many clicks as possible within your budgetAs many conversions as possible while spending your budgetAs many conversions as possible at your average target CPA
Who sets each bidYou, per ad group or keywordGoogleGoogle, in each auctionGoogle, in each auction
Conversion trackingNot requiredNot requiredRequiredRequired
Conversion data Google asks forNoneNone; Google says it can help new campaigns that lack conversion dataNone to start; for lead gen, at least 15 conversions in 30 days on the goalNone to start; judge it over periods with at least 30 conversions
Spends the full budget?Not necessarily; spend follows your bidsAims toDesigned to, and can raise spend a lot if you now spend well under budgetNo; it aims for the target, and a target that's too low cuts traffic
Your cost controlsMax CPC per ad group or keywordAn optional max CPC bid limitThe budgetThe target; bid limits only on portfolio strategies, Search only, not recommended
Main risk with a few conversions a monthSlow to manage, and may underspendBuys clicks, not leadsLearns from very few conversions, junk includedA tight target can stop serving

Two notes on names. Enhanced CPC is gone: Google says it has not been available for Search and Display campaigns since the week of March 31, 2025, and campaigns not moved off it now effectively use Manual CPC. Google's "Determine a bid strategy" page still lists it as an option with Manual CPC. And since June 2026, Google has been renaming "Maximize conversions with a Target CPA" to "Target CPA"; the bidding behavior "remains exactly the same."

When Manual CPC is the right pick

When you want to set each keyword's bid yourself, for example high on a few high-intent terms and low on research terms, and you'll review bids regularly. Google says it fits when you "don't need to reach a target budget every month"; if you do, Maximize clicks "may be a better choice." Start from first-page bid estimates, Keyword Planner's cost estimates and the bid simulator. You give up the auction-time signals, such as device and location, that automated bidding uses.

When Maximize clicks is the right pick

When the campaign is new, has little or no conversion data, and you want the budget spent and traffic coming in. Google says Maximize clicks "can be useful for new campaigns that lack sufficient conversion data," and its "Why you may not see your ad" page says that for new campaigns or ones with limited data, it "might be a better starting point than 'Maximize Conversions' or 'Target CPA/ROAS'."

Set a max CPC bid limit so it can't overpay for a click, but Google warns that a limit that's too low can stop it reaching its goal. Because it chases clicks, not leads, watch your search terms and add negative keywords. Google says it "isn't a good choice" if your goal is a specific cost per conversion.

When Maximize conversions is the right pick

When conversion tracking works and the goal you bid on is near 15 conversions in 30 days, counted at the account level. Google's lead generation guide also prefers a conversion that happens within 7 days of the ad interaction, and a lead goal such as "qualified lead" or "book appointment", which turns on invalid traffic protections built for lead generation.

It can start sooner if the account already has conversion history: Google says Smart Bidding "can optimize based on data from all of your campaigns, so even new campaigns without data of their own may notice increased performance."

Two cautions. It tries to spend the full daily budget, so if you now spend much less, it "could increase spend significantly." And it optimizes to whatever you include in Conversions, so spam form fills teach it the wrong thing. If you're unsure your budget can buy 15 conversions a month, see whether Google Ads is worth it for B2B SaaS.

When Target CPA is the right pick

When you know your real cost per conversion and want to hold it. Google's recommended Target CPA is your average CPA over the last 30 days, adjusted for conversion delays. Set the target near your actual CPA: Google says one "significantly below your historical average CPA" may not be attainable while keeping reasonable traffic, and a campaign with too tight a target may not serve at all. To test a new target first, select Save as experiment instead of Save.

How many conversions does Smart Bidding need?

None to switch it on. Google says "you can turn on Smart Bidding without prior data," but recommends conversion baselines so the system can calibrate and you can judge results. Its lead generation guide asks for at least 15 conversions in the last 30 days on the goal you bid on. Its Target CPA and Smart Bidding pages say to measure performance over periods with at least 30 conversions, such as a month or longer.

Google's pages lean two ways on where to start. The Target CPA page says advertisers "can start using Target CPA with no conversion history"; the "Why you may not see your ad" page says Maximize clicks might be a better start for new campaigns with limited data. With a few conversions a month, the second fits better: 30 conversions at 5 a month takes six months.

When should I switch, and what happens when I do?

Move from clicks to conversions when the conversion action records reliably, is set as a primary goal, and is near 15 conversions in 30 days. Move from Maximize conversions to Target CPA when your CPA has settled and you want to hold it.

  • Learning. A new bid strategy shows "Learning", but ads keep running. Google's learning page says it "never lasts more than 7 days" and that budget or target changes never trigger it; its "Why you may not see your ad" page says learning typically takes 5 to 7 days but can be longer, and that frequent budget changes can reset it. More in whether changing your budget or Target CPA restarts the learning period.
  • No fresh start. With past conversion data in the account, Google says "Smart Bidding never starts from scratch."
  • Time to judge. Results typically settle in 1 to 2 conversion cycles. Then compare over 2 conversion cycles or 2 weeks, whichever is longer.
  • Spend. For Target CPA, Google recommends being comfortable spending up to 2 times your average daily budget.

Several small campaigns can share a portfolio bid strategy, which optimizes them collectively "for a single target." Applying one can show Learning for up to 7 days.

How does the August 2026 Target CPA change affect this?

It matters once you add a target. Since August 17, 2026 (fully live August 27), Target CPA campaigns that are "Limited by budget" bid more consistently toward the target; before, some beat it. Google's example: a $10 Target CPA campaign getting a $5 CPA "now delivers more closely to a $10 USD actual CPA."

So if a small campaign is limited by budget, set the target to the CPA you actually want, not a loose one. Google doesn't calculate a recommended target for campaigns with fewer than 7 conversions, so set those by hand. Maximize conversions without a target isn't among the strategies Google lists as affected, and Google suggests it if your budget is strictly fixed and you can accept CPA swings when budgets change. More in what changed with Target CPA in August 2026.

Where Tofu fits

Tofu Ads Agent (our product) sets the bidding strategy, budgets and schedule when it builds a Google Search campaign, and audits conversion tracking, which is worth doing before you move to Maximize conversions. Campaigns are staged in your own ad account switched off, and weekly bid and budget recommendations stay proposals until you approve them. It doesn't switch your bid strategy or change targets on its own, and its bid optimization agent works on LinkedIn, not Google. Its own Google conversion setup covers a page visit or a click, not CRM stages such as qualified leads. It costs a flat $2,500 a month, with a recommended media budget of at least $3,000 a month, so it doesn't suit a very small first test.

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