What role do bid modifiers (e.g., device, location, time of day) play in your bidding strategy?

Bid modifiers are super powerful tools for fine-tuning your bidding strategy—they help you push harder on what's working and pull back where performance is weaker, without overhauling your entire campaign setup. Here's how they work and how to use them strategically:

🎯 What Are Bid Modifiers?
Bid modifiers let you increase or decrease bids based on contextual factors like:

📱 Device (mobile, desktop, tablet)

📍 Location (country, city, region, radius)

⏰ Time of Day / Day of Week

👤 Audience (e.g., remarketing, in-market, customer match)

🌐 Demographics (age, gender, household income)

🧭 Top content / Placement / Ad schedule

They're expressed as percentages, e.g., +20% for mobile = you're willing to bid 20% more for mobile users.

🔧 How Bid Modifiers Fit Into Your Bidding Strategy
Even with automated bidding, bid modifiers still play a role by feeding better signals to the algorithm and shaping how your budget is allocated.

✅ With Manual/Enhanced CPC
You have full control—bid modifiers directly change how much you pay per click based on that context.

✅ With Smart Bidding (Target CPA, ROAS, etc.)
You can't use most bid modifiers, but you can:

Set ad schedules to limit when ads run

Use audience or device targeting layers to influence learning

Segment campaigns by location/device/time if you want more control

🔍 How to Use Each Modifier Strategically
📱 Device Modifiers
Boost mobile bids if mobile converts well (or has a better ROAS)

Reduce mobile bids if users drop off or site experience is weaker

Pro Tip: If performance varies wildly by device, consider splitting campaigns by device type

📍 Location Modifiers
Increase bids in top-performing regions (based on ROAS, LTV, or volume)

Decrease or exclude underperforming locations

Use granular targeting—city-level or radius-based around retail stores or high-intent zones

⏰ Time of Day / Day of Week Modifiers
Boost during high-converting hours or business hours

Decrease or pause during low-activity times (like overnight)

Use ad scheduling to control when your ads even show

👤 Audience Modifiers
Increase bids for high-intent audiences (e.g., cart abandoners, past converters)

Use different creative + landing pages for different audience layers

Helps prioritize budget toward users most likely to convert

⚙️ Real-World Example
Say you're running a lead gen campaign and you notice:

Mobile users convert 20% less than desktop

Users in NYC and LA convert 35% better than national avg

Most leads come in from 9 AM–5 PM weekdays

You might:

Set mobile bid modifier: -15%

Set location modifier: +30% NYC, +25% LA

Use ad scheduling: pause ads 10 PM–6 AM

That combo lets you squeeze more results out of the same budget without needing separate campaigns.

🧠 Pro Tips
Reassess modifiers monthly—performance shifts over time

Don't overcomplicate—start with 1-2 modifiers and expand

Use Google Ads reports (like the "Devices" and "Geographic" tabs) to spot trends before adjusting