Bid recommendations explained
When you ask the AI Assistant which bids to change, it evaluates each keyword against two signals and places it in a decision matrix.
This article explains the signals, the matrix, and the reasoning behind each outcome, so you can judge a recommendation before you apply it.
The assistant never changes a bid itself. Every recommendation comes with its reasoning, and applying it is your decision, made in the platform as usual.
The two signals
For each keyword, the assistant looks at two things over your chosen time window:
- Visibility: The keyword's average Impression Share. It shows how much of the available market you already reach.
- Headroom: Your bid divided by your actual CPT. It shows how far your bid sits above what you really pay per tap.
The two signals answer different questions. Impression Share tells you whether you have room to grow. Headroom tells you whether raising the bid can still change anything. Combining them avoids the common mistake of raising a bid that is already far above what you pay.
The decision matrix
Each keyword falls into one cell of the matrix. The cell decides whether the recommendation is to increase, hold, or decrease the bid, and by how much:
|
Headroom narrow (up to 1.05x) |
Headroom normal (1.05x to 1.25x) |
Headroom wide (over 1.25x) |
|
|
Low Impression Share (under 30) |
Increase (bid × 1.20) |
Increase (bid × 1.20) |
Hold |
|
Medium Impression Share (30 to 70) |
Increase (bid × 1.20) |
Hold |
Decrease (bid × 0.85) |
|
High Impression Share (over 70) |
Hold |
Hold |
Decrease (bid × 0.80) |
- Increase: Visibility is low or medium, and your bid is close to what you pay, so a higher bid is likely to win more impressions.
- Hold: Either you already have a good position, or visibility is low, but your bid is already far above CPT. In that case, raising the bid further is unlikely to change the outcome, so the assistant recommends holding.
- Decrease: Visibility is high, and your bid sits well above CPT. You already win most auctions and pay less than you bid, so a lower bid can protect your position while reducing overspend risk.
Example
“photo editor” in the US has a 28-day average Impression Share of 28% (low), a bid of $0.60 and a CPT of $0.55. Headroom is 1.09x (normal), so the recommendation is to increase the bid to $0.72.
Keep in mind!
- If you do not state a time window, the assistant asks for one.
- Keywords below the minimum data threshold for your time window are left out, so the recommendation is based on enough taps to be meaningful. The thresholds are listed in How the AI Assistant treats your data.
- Long lists arrive in batches. If 200 keywords qualify for a bid increase, they are presented in tables of 50 at a time, and the answer states how many matched in total.
- After you change a bid, give it a few days and check again before changing it further.
Related articles
AI Assistant FAQHow the AI Assistant treats your data
What the AI Assistant can and can't answer
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