Now that Google Ads has merged Maximize Conversions and Target CPA bid strategies together, many are wondering if they should be using Maximize Conversions Bid Strategy with a set Target CPA to start off a new campaign.

First of all, I rarely start a new campaign off with Maximize Conversions, usually, I'm starting it of with Maximize Clicks or Manual CPC until I start seeing a decent number of conversions every month (20-30 conversions).

Some clients don't have a budget large enough to ever reach this threshold, so sometimes it never makes sense to use Maximize Conversions in this cases.

If I were to start a new campaign off with Maximize Conversions, which can work sometimes, I don't set a Target CPA. I just want Google to focus on driving conversions no matter what the cost per conversion is to start.

I then go in to the campaign and make the necessary adjustments based on results we're seeing. I wrote more about my strategy for optimizing a campaign that is using Maximize Conversion bid strategy here.

I don't personally set a Target CPA on the campaign ever. I'm not saying it can't work, but it's just the system I've developed and has worked well for me. I may test it out at some point in the future but I just hate giving full control to Google's algorithm and that's what using Target CPA feels like to me.