Device Bidding is a component of Marin Bidding that takes device-level performance and outputs group-level device multipliers.
Note: If you'd like to learn more about Marin Bidding as a whole, check out our dedicated article.
Benefits
The benefits of Device Bidding include:
- Multiplier calculations: For Google, Device Bidding will calculate desktop, tablet, and mobile group-level multipliers.
- Improved stability: Device Bidding is more accurate than previous solutions and helps prevent wild swings in performance.
- Honors Bid Rules: Multipliers honor Strategy rules, such as bid cap and bid floor.
- Multiplier Overrides: You can override groups from using recommended group multipliers as you see fit.
Compatibility With Publisher Bidding Features
We discourage the use of eCPC with bidding multipliers such as Device Bidding and Audience Bidding. Using eCPC with these multipliers will result in double-boosting.
According to Google Ads, "eCPC automatically takes into account different conversion rates for all types of traffic, but sets adjustments separately for mobile devices. This means you don’t need to set any bid adjustments (aside from mobile) for eCPC to maximize conversions." With the more recently introduced eCPC for value, bid adjustments for mobile are also set.
Because of the above, if the eCPC is used and an additional device adjustment is applied, this will lead to double boosting.
Workflow
1. Device Bidding runs within a Strategy. You can enable Device Bidding in the Traffic to Publisher section of the Strategy side panel.
Device Bidding settings are dependent on the status of the Strategy and whether the Device Bidding box is ticked. In the chart below, you can learn more about when device bidding status will be calculated.
| Strategy | Device Bidding box | Device Bidding Status |
|---|---|---|
| Disabled | Unticked | No adjustments calculated |
| Preview | Unticked | No adjustments calculated |
| Preview | Ticked | Adjustments calculated on Preview |
| Traffic | Unticked | Adjustments calculated on Preview |
| Traffic | Ticked | Adjustments calculated and trafficked to the publisher |
2. The engine uses 91 days (13 weeks) of historical group-level conversion rate for desktop, tablet, and mobile as input.
3. combination of click thresholds and statistical tests are used to measure performance differences before recommending multipliers.
4. In instances where groups do not have enough data, the engine expands to use parent campaign device performance data. This will only take place if groups perform similarly within that campaign. Otherwise, the engine does not recommend or change group multipliers.
5. Google bids are now the base bids and Device Bidding (allowable values -100% to 900%) are calculated to provide device-specific bids.
For Yahoo! Japan and Microsoft Ads, the bid represents the desktop and tablet bid, while the mobile multiplier (allowable values -100% to 300%) is calculated relative to desktop and tablet performance.
6. For Strategy with separate mobile targets, the ratio of mobile to desktop targets produce a boost % that is applied to the mobile multiplier.
7. Marin Bidding rules are applied to both the desktop bid and mobile multipliers. The following rules are honored:
- Bid cap
- Bid floor
- Bid dampening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Device Bidding Only Impact Strategies Where Device Bidding Has Been Enabled?
Yes, Device Bidding will only impact Strategies where "Device Bidding" has been enabled. If Device Bidding has not been enabled, Marin Bidding won't push any device modifiers to the publisher.
If Device Bidding Is Enabled, Will Device Bidding Change Campaigns With A -100% Adjustment?
No, Device Bidding will not make adjustments if there is a -100% bid adjustment in place.
Is Bid Override Supported For Device Bidding?
Yes. Apply a multi-edit from the group grid. Simply select the groups for which you would like to enable or disable a Bid Override, click the Edit button, and select Bid Override from the drop-down. Select On to enable or Off to disable.
Please note that at the current time, this functionality is only available in Marin Search, not in Marin.
How Will Bids Be Calculated With Device Bidding Enabled?
With this setting enabled, bidding will be a two step process. Step 1 will occur as long as bidding is turned on. Steps 2 will only occur if the Device Bidding is enabled and a group/campaign has sufficient data.
- Each keyword/product group/dynamic target will calculate its bid using data off all devices combined.
- The system will calculate and apply a desktop/tablet/mobile bid adjustments.
Does The Adjustment Work For Both Google And Yahoo! Japan?
Yes, the system will calculate group-level device bid adjustments for all Google Campaigns and all Yahoo! Japan Campaigns in the client account with sufficient data when the client-level settings are activated.
Which KPI Will Be Used For Device Bidding?
Device Bidding always calculated device bid adjustments based on conversion rate.
Will A Device Bid Adjustment Be Calculated For All Groups?
In the case where groups do not have enough data, the engine expands to use parent campaign device performance data. This will only take place if groups perform similarly within that campaign. Otherwise, the engine does not recommend or change group multipliers.
What Are Other Specifications Of This Feature?
The system will observe account-level excluded dates and Strategy-level excluded dates when calculating device bid adjustments.
The Recommended Bid Adjustment Is Displayed As "N/A" In The Group Settings History. What Does This Mean?
This might also be displayed as Delete: Trafficking Mobile Bid Adjustment for Groups in the Activity Log.
This happens sometimes in low-volume ad groups when there's not enough data for the optimization engine to calculate recommended Bid Adjustments.
Marin Has Been Deleting My Bid Adjustments And Reverting The Value To N/A. What Causes This?
When Device Bidding reverts a bid adjustment to N/A in your settings history, it simply means that there is not enough data for the optimization engine to calculate a recommended Bid Adjustment for the group.
