Both approaches have their upsides and downsides – Google’s automated bidding feature is free, but requires you to give up complete control, and it’s less than transparent.
Third-party bid management software is generally more robust, but (obviously) it comes with a price tag, so it may not be feasible for smaller, budget-strapped advertisers.
I was curious how most AdWords advertisers handle the PPC bid management process, so I asked 18 practicing PPC experts three questions:
• Do you use automated bidding in Google AdWords?
• If not, when do you raise and lower keyword bids?
• What's your best bid management tip?
We have an all-star lineup answering these bid management questions and sharing their best kept secrets.
Our first interview is with Aaron Levy, a PPC associate at SEER Interactive.
Do you use automated bidding in Google AdWords?
No-ish. SEER uses a third-party tool that can set up specific bid rules and alert us whenever a specific keyword or grouping meets the criteria. I prefer this to the AdWords automated bidding, largely because…