Google Ads is testing a new bidding strategy within Demand Gen campaigns: Target Cost-Per-Click (tCPC). With this option, advertisers can automatically generate as many clicks as possible while keeping the average cost per click within a pre-set target. The feature recently appeared in an updated help document from Google, although an official announcement is still pending.
What is Target CPC (tCPC)?
With Target CPC, you indicate the average amount you are willing to pay for a click. Google's machine learning system then dynamically adjusts bids during each auction, taking into account signals such as device, browser, location, and time of day. Some clicks may cost more than the set target amount, while others may cost less, but the system aims for an average CPC that aligns with your specified value.
For example, if you set your Target CPC at €10, Google will sometimes bid higher and sometimes lower, but ultimately strive for an average of €10 per click across the entire campaign.
Why is this important?
Where Target CPA focuses on conversions after the click, Target CPC is solely about generating traffic. It is therefore a smart choice for campaigns whose primary goal is to attract as many visitors to the website as possible, without losing complete control over your budget.
For marketers looking to implement automation without letting the cost per click spiral out of control, this is a welcome addition to existing bidding strategies such as
Maximize Clicks
and
Manual CPC
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When do you use tCPC?
When you want to maximize traffic, not necessarily conversions.
If you are looking for automation, but with a budget limit.
For branding campaigns or top-funnel promotion
In situations where predictability of click prices is important
Set at campaign level or ad group level
Target CPC can be applied at both the campaign level and the ad group level:
At the campaign level, it is considered the standard strategy for all ad groups.
You can overwrite it per ad group for more granularity.
How do you set up this bidding strategy?
1. Choose 'Clicks' as the campaign objective
2. Go to Campaign settings
3. Expand the Target CPC menu
4. Check the option and enter your desired CPC
For more control, you can set a separate Target CPC for each ad group.
Market response
The addition comes as a surprise. Google Ads expert Jyll Saskin Gales even calls it "shocking" that Google is introducing a click-based bidding strategy in 2025, given the emphasis on conversion-based Smart Bidding in recent years. She wonders whether Target CPC might become a replacement for Manual CPC and why this option remains limited to Demand Gen campaigns.
No official launch or visibility in accounts yet.
So far, there has been no official announcement from Google, and advertisers do not yet see the feature in their accounts. It is still unclear if and when the feature will be rolled out more broadly.
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