Question

I have a Shopping ad with a daily budget of $30, using Maximize Clicks for three days. I got around 100 clicks, with a CPC of about $2. I checked my search terms and they are all relevant, but my ROAS is only 30% and CPA is around $90. My average order value is $30. Should I give up, or switch to Manual CPC to lower the CPC?

Answer 1

You're not getting the returns you need, but it's too early to give up—this is more of a bidding and optimization issue than a product problem.
- Maximize Clicks is good for volume, but it doesn’t care about purchase intent—you’re paying ~$2 per click and getting traffic that isn’t converting.

- With a $30 average order value, a $90 CPA is unsustainable. You’d need 3X the revenue just to break even.

What to Do Instead:
1) Switch to Manual CPC
Set lower bids—try around $0.75 to $1—to control spend and reduce CPC while testing better-quality traffic.

2) Refine Search Terms & Exclude Low-Intent Ones
Even if the search terms seem relevant, some might be too broad or bring in window shoppers. Use negative keywords to filter these out.

3) Optimize Product Feed
Ensure your product titles and images align with what your ideal customer is searching for. Small feed improvements can boost conversion rate.

4) Track by Product Performance
Some products may be driving clicks but not sales. Consider excluding poor converters to focus budget where it matters.

5) Pause Max Clicks for Now
Revisit automated bidding only after conversions start coming in and you have enough data (20–30 sales) for Smart Bidding to work properly.