AdWords now applies recommended bids to new DSA categories automatically

Google has announced that it will now automatically apply recommended bids when setting up categories in AdWords dynamic search ad (DSA) campaigns.

That sounds a bit terrifying, I know, but before you panic about losing control, know that you can still easily override the automated recommended bids when setting up new categories.

I actually see this coming in pretty handy as a way to quickly get a lot of DSA categories up and running. From the announcement:

For example, if you have four categories selected: “sandals”, “running shoes”, “loafers”, and “flip flops,” you no longer have to manually set bids for each one. You can also adjust recommended bids or leave the field empty to use the ad group’s default bid.

The bid recommendations are “based on the performance of your existing keywords that are targeting similar search queries”. So while you should absolutely review the bid recommendations before launching a new campaign, the fact that the recommendations are based on your own account activity means they should at least be a good starting point. Should being the operative word — again, you have the opportunity to review everything and adjust any bids that look out of whack before going live. Only accounts with sufficient data will see bid recommendations.

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