Manual Bidding is a critical component of the Ad Auction process. In an ad auction, each advertiser competes for ad placements by setting bids. The bid amount, combined with the Quality Score, determines the Ad Rank. Advertisers using Manual Bidding can directly influence their bid amounts to improve their chances of winning better ad positions.

Manual Bidding offers a high level of control over Campaign Budgeting and Cost Per Click (CPC). By adjusting bids according to campaign performance, advertisers can manage their budget more effectively. Enhanced CPC, an automated variant, can be used to complement manual efforts by adjusting bids in real-time to maximize conversions while staying within the manual bid limits.

Impression Share is the percentage of total impressions an ad receives compared to the total number of impressions it was eligible to get. Manual Bidding can help advertisers increase their Impression Share by allowing them to bid higher on valuable keywords, thereby improving their ad visibility and performance.

Keyword Bidding is the practice of setting bid amounts for specific keywords. Manual Bidding provides the flexibility to fine-tune these bids based on the performance of each keyword. This individual control is a vital part of the broader Bid Strategy, which encompasses various approaches to achieving advertising goals.

To prevent overspending, advertisers can set Bid Caps that limit the maximum amount they are willing to pay for a click. This is particularly useful in Manual Bidding, as it ensures that the budget is not exhausted too quickly and remains allocated to the most important keywords.