Semi Manual (previously called Semi Automatic) Conversion Bid Strategy generates traffic for top-converting sections by taking several factors into consideration, and adjusts CPCs at the right time to drive increased traffic on these sections in order to control your CPA.

What’s the difference between Automated and Semi Manual modes?

The main difference is that Semi Manual brings traffic to top-converting sections, but requires you to monitor the campaign’s CPA and spend by manually changing the campaign’s baseline CPC.

On the other hand, automated modes (Target CPA, Target ROAS and Max Conversions) automatically optimize your CPC in order to bring you as many conversions as possible.

How do I set up my Semi Manual CBS campaign?

After choosing Semi Manual as the Conversion Bid Strategy, you can select your base CPC, which will always be used as the CPC bid unless the system sees potential for a conversion or thinks one isn’t likely on a specific publisher.

When bidding, the system will automatically try to get the lowest price possible, although it will only go as high as the max CPC listed below the base CPC. You can adjust the max CPC using the “Change” link.

Please note that Semi Manual mode is programmed to not raise your CPC more than 100% above the entered CPC. For instance, if the entered CPC is $1.00 USD and you set your CPC adjustment at 100%, the max optimized CPC is $2.00 USD.

Important to Note:

• Consider removing your section-level CPC adjustments, since these override the system’s CPC auto-optimization in this bid strategy. The sections that have manual adjustments will not be included in the A/B reporting and may lead to a reporting discrepancy.

If Semi Manual doesn’t sound like it’s best suited to achieve your goals, check out our Conversion Bid Strategy Help Center article to learn more about the other three modes.