The most you tell the platform you are willing to pay for a click, an impression or a result. You are usually charged less than your bid, because the price depends on the auction.
Example
Meera sets a maximum CPC bid of ₹15 on 'cotton kurtis Pune'. Over the month her average CPC on that keyword works out to ₹10.
How you'll hear it
“Let's lift the bid on the brand keyword; we're losing top spots to the mall store.”
Don't confuse it with
- CPC: what you actually paid per click, usually below the bid.
- Budget: the total you are willing to spend per day or month, not per click.
Related terms
Want to use this at work? AI-led PPC Excellence is aFactor's 16-week program for paid ads.
Sources
- Understanding bidding basics, Google Ads Help
- Actual cost-per-click (CPC): Definition, Google Ads Help