Google Ads Budget Not Fully Spent? Here’s Why It Happens
If you’re running Google Ads and your daily budget isn’t spending, it’s frustrating—especially when your CTR looks strong and CPC is reasonable.
One of the most common warnings you’ll see is:
“Limited by bid strategy”
This usually means your current bidding settings are restricting how many auctions you can enter.
The SaaS Scenario (Real Example)
A new SaaS business launched a Search campaign with:
- Conversion goal: Purchase
- Bidding: Maximize Conversions (no Target CPA)
- Targeting: United States / English
- Keyword set: 7 exact match keywords
- Budget: €20/day
- Performance: 10.81% CTR, €0.80 CPC
But the campaign only spends a few euros per day.
Why This Happens (Simple Explanation)
When your account is new, Google’s algorithm has:
- Little to no conversion history
- Limited signals for predicting purchase behavior
- Low confidence in who is likely to convert
If you use conversion-focused bidding (like Maximize Conversions) without enough data, Google plays it safe. That means:
- fewer auctions
- limited impressions
- low spend
…and the warning shows up.
The Fix: Use a Data-First Bidding Strategy
✅ Step 1: Temporarily switch to “Maximize Clicks.”
For new campaigns, your first job is to collect search data:
- which queries trigger your ads
- which keywords bring qualified traffic
- how users behave on landing pages
Once you have traffic + tracking signals, you can move back to conversion bidding.
Don’t Skip This: Conversion Tracking Must Be Correct
If your conversion tracking is broken or incomplete, smart bidding will fail.
Make sure:
- Purchase conversion fires correctly
- You’re not double-counting
- The conversion action is set as Primary
- You have clean attribution + correct tags
Are Exact Match Keywords Limiting Spend?
Yes — exact match can restrict volume, especially when you only have a few keywords.
✅ Step 2: Add Phrase Match keywords (recommended).
Phrase match gives you more reach while still maintaining intent.
Then:
- check Search Terms
- add irrelevant terms as Negative Keywords
- keep tightening the targeting
When to Switch Back to Maximize Conversions
After you’ve collected enough meaningful activity (clicks + early conversions), you can shift back to:
✅ Maximize Conversions
Optionally add Target CPA later, once performance is stable.
Quick Checklist (Copy This)
- Change bidding to Maximize Clicks (short-term)
- Expand keywords: Exact + Phrase
- Review search terms weekly
- Add negatives to protect relevance
- Confirm conversion tracking is perfect
- Switch back to Maximize Conversions once data exists
Need Help Fixing Your Google Ads?
If you want a professional audit or management support, visit Aarswebs.com and reach out.