Google Ads Target Impression Share Bidding Strategy

Target Impression Share is a bidding strategy in Google Ads that allows advertisers to set a target percentage of ad impressions to be shown in specific positions on the search engine results page. This bidding strategy helps businesses increase brand awareness and reach by showing their ads more frequently.

Understanding Impressions and Impression Share

To understand the Target Impression Share strategy, you must first understand ad impressions and the impression share metric.

What is an Ad Impression?

An Ad Impression simply means that your ad was rendered – presented on a page. It does not necessarily mean that a user saw the ad. Of course, if your ad is not rendered, it cannot be clicked.

What is Target Impression Share?

Impression share is a metric that represents the percentage of times your ad is shown to potential customers compared to the total number of times it could have been shown. In other words, it’s a measure of how often your ad is appearing in the search results for the keywords you’re targeting.

For example, if your ad was eligible to appear 100 times based on your targeting, but it was only shown 70 times, then your impression share would be 70%. This means that 30% of the time, your ad was not shown to potential customers who were searching for the keywords you were targeting.

Impression share is important because it can affect the visibility and performance of your ads. If your impression share is low, it may mean that you’re missing out on potential clicks and conversions. By increasing your impression share, you can improve the visibility of your ads and increase your chances of reaching potential customers.

Learn more: [a href=”/blog/impression-share-vs-conversion-rate/”]Everything You Need to Know About Google Ads Search Impression Share[/a]

Target Impression Share vs. Manual CPC Bidding

Target Impression Share and Manual CPC Bidding are two different bidding strategies that businesses can use in Google Ads. The key difference between them is that Target Impression Share is focused on ad position whilst largely ignoring CPC, while Manual CPC Bidding is focused on cost-per-click rather than specifically ad rank.

With Target Impression Share, businesses can set a target percentage of ad impressions to be shown in specific positions on the search engine results page, whereas with Manual CPC Bidding, businesses set the maximum amount they’re willing to pay for a click on their ads.

Learn more: [a href=”/blog/manual-cpc-bidding-strategy-comprehensive-guide/”]Manual CPC Bidding in Google Ads: A Comprehensive Guide[/a]

Target Impression Share vs. Maximise Clicks

Target Impression Share and Maximise Clicks are also two different bidding strategies that businesses can use in Google Ads. The main difference between them is that Target Impression Share is focused on ad position, while Maximise Clicks is focused on getting as many clicks as possible within a set budget.

With Target Impression Share, businesses can set a target percentage of ad impressions to be shown in specific positions on the search engine results page, whereas with Maximise Clicks, businesses aim to get the most clicks possible within their budget.

Learn more: [a href=”/blog/google-ads-maximise-clicks-bidding-strategy-explained/”]Google Ads Maximise Clicks Bidding Strategy Explained[/a]

Benefits of Target Impression Share Bidding Strategy

• Increase brand awareness and reach by showing ads more frequently
• Improve ad position and visibility on the search engine results page
• Increase the likelihood of users clicking on the ad
• Allows for more control over ad positioning
• Helps meet specific advertising goals, such as increasing brand awareness

How to Set Up Target Impression Share Bidding Strategy

To set up Target Impression Share bidding strategy in Google Ads, follow these steps:

1. In Google Ads, navigate to the campaign you want to edit.
2. Click on the “Settings” tab.
3. Scroll down to “Bidding” and click “Change bid strategy”.
4. Select “Target Impression Share” from the list of available strategies.
5. Choose your desired impression share percentage and set your maximum bid limit.
6. Click “Save” to apply the Target Impression Share bidding strategy to your campaign.

Learn more: [a href=”/blog/google-ads-absolute-top-metrics/”]Google Ads Absolute Top Metrics Explained[/a]

Target Impression Share Best Practices

To get the most out of Target Impression Share bidding strategy, consider implementing the following best practices:

• Monitor ad performance regularly and adjust bids if necessary to meet your desired impression share percentage.
• Consider increasing your maximum bid limit to improve your chances of winning ad auctions and increasing ad visibility.
• Use ad scheduling to show ads during peak times when your target audience is most likely to be searching for your product or service.
• Use relevant keywords and ad copy to improve ad relevance and quality score.
• Use location targeting to show ads to users in specific geographic locations.

What is the Best Percent (%) Impression Share to Target?

As with all Google Ads strategies, you should experiment, measure and optimise based on performance data.

If you’re starting a new campaign, try starting with 60% Target IS and gradually increasing based on the CTR, Clicks and Impression Share achieved. Typically, we’d recommend repeating the performance analysis every two weeks or so.

If you’re changing the bid strategy for an existing campaign to Target Impression Share, you should check the Impression Share achieved in the previous 2-4 weeks and set the target to the same percentage. After a 2-week learning period, review the data and consider increasing the impression share target further.

When to Apply the Target Impression Share Strategy?

The Target Impression Share bidding strategy is most suitable for brand campaigns, particularly search campaigns focused on bidding for your own brand keywords and search terms.

The primary objective of employing the Target Impression Share strategy is to enhance the exposure of your advertisements when users are actively searching for your brand. These clicks often signify a crucial juncture when users are on the brink of converting into valuable leads or sales.

Additionally, this strategy serves to safeguard your brand’s integrity by countering competitors who might be bidding on your brand-related terms.

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Target Impression Share bidding strategy is a valuable resource for businesses aiming to enhance their brand awareness and expand their reach. This strategy involves defining a specific goal percentage for ad impressions that you intend to display in particular positions on search engine results pages.