Google Ads Is Phasing Out Enhanced CPC For Search & Display

In October 2024, Google Ads will phase out Enhanced CPC (eCPC) for Search and Display campaigns, marking a significant shift in the way advertisers manage bidding strategies. As part of Google’s ongoing effort to encourage the use of advanced machine learning, all new campaigns will no longer have access to eCPC, and by March 2025, existing campaigns will automatically be converted to manual CPC. In this blog post, we’ll explore what’s changing, why Google is making this move, and how advertisers can effectively adapt their strategies to maintain or even improve performance. Let’s dive in!

What Is Changing:

Next month (October 2024), new campaigns will not be able to use enhanced cost per click (eCPC), and by March 2025 existing campaigns with eCPC will be converted to manual CPC automatically.

Why Is Google Making A Change?

Google hopes to promote advanced machine learning strategies such as Maximize Conversions and Maximize Conversion Value. These strategies combined with an optional target CPA or target ROAS are typically expected to comparably perform or outperform eCPC. Deprecating eCPC is Google’s way of clearing out the bid strategy kitchen cabinet. As advancements happen, the older tools are removed. Another example of this is expanded text ads replacing text ads and now responsive ads have replaced expanded text ads.

What Options Do You Have?

A more advanced bidding strategy that maximizes clicks or conversions is probably your best bet. We reviewed our clients’ accounts for any impacted by this change and found that out of everyone we no longer had any eCPC campaigns. This is due to the improved performance at a lower cost by utilizing a more advanced strategy such as max clicks or conversions.

What Your Next Steps Should Be:

You can prepare to use a more advanced bidding strategy for new campaigns. We typically recommend Max Clicks until you’ve recorded a decent number of conversions before switching to a maximize conversion strategy. It is also recommended that all existing bid strategies be reviewed. If you are running an eCPC campaign, it should be switched to a maximize clicks or conversions campaign depending on the campaign goals. This should be done before Google automatically switches the campaign to a manual strategy to maintain or improve performance.

As Google Ads phases out Enhanced CPC in favor of more advanced bidding strategies, it’s essential for advertisers to adapt quickly. Transitioning to strategies like Maximize Clicks or Maximize Conversions will ensure continued performance improvement and cost efficiency. By reviewing current campaigns and making adjustments before the automatic switch to manual CPC, you can stay ahead of the changes and maximize the benefits of Google's machine-learning advancements.