Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out about the Google Ads situation you're dealing with. Taking over an account after an agency hasn't delivered results is frustrating, but good on you for diving in and already seeing improvements! It's pretty common to find things aren't set up quite right in those situations.
Let's dig into this weird issue you're seeing with your CPC bids. Paying double what you set as your max bid definitely shouldn't be happening, especially after 24 hours.
We'll need to look at your bid strategy first...
The absolute first thing I'd check is what bid strategy is actually applied to that campaign you're seeing the high clicks on. You mentioned changing CPC bids, which suggests you *think* you're on Manual CPC. However, if the campaign is actually set to an automated bidding strategy like 'Maximise Conversions', 'Target CPA', 'Maximise Clicks', or 'Target ROAS', Google will completely ignore any manual bids you set at the keyword or ad group level.
Automated strategies are designed to hit a specific goal (like getting as many conversions as possible within your budget, or hitting a target cost per acquisition). To do this, Google's system will automatically adjust bids in real-time for every auction based on its prediction of whether a click is likely to lead to that goal. This can mean bidding way higher than a manual bid you tried to set if Google thinks it's necessary to secure a valuable click. So, paying €24 on a €12 'manual' bid while on an automated strategy is totally expected behaviour, even if it's painful!
To check this, go into the campaign settings and look under 'Bidding'. It will clearly state which strategy is being used. If it's anything other than Manual CPC (or Manual CPC with ECPC), that's likely your culprit right there.
Is Enhanced CPC turned on?
Now, if you *are* definitely on Manual CPC, the next thing to check is if 'Enhanced CPC' (ECPC) is enabled. ECPC is a semi-automated feature that works alongside Manual CPC. It allows Google to automatically increase your manual bid (by up to 30% in most cases) if it predicts a click is highly likely to lead to a conversion.
While ECPC *can* increase your bid, paying €24 on a €12 bid is exactly double, which is a 100% increase, well over the typical 30% limit for ECPC. So while ECPC *could* make you pay a bit more than your max bid, it doesn't explain paying double. This strongly points back to the bid strategy itself being automated, rather than just ECPC being on.
Still, it's worth checking. If you're on Manual CPC, look for the checkbox that says something like "Help increase conversions with Enhanced CPC". If it's ticked, Google has permission to go over your bid, but again, not usually by that much.
Where did you apply the bid change?
Another, less likely but possible, reason could be how and where you applied the bid change. Did you set the €12 bid at the campaign level, ad group level, or keyword level? Google Ads uses a hierarchy, and more specific settings override broader ones. Keyword-level bids override ad group bids, which override campaign-level bids.
It's possible you set the €12 bid at the campaign or ad group level, but a specific keyword in that ad group still had an older, higher bid set directly on it. When that specific keyword triggered a click, Google would use the keyword-level bid. This doesn't fully explain paying €24 if the keyword bid was lower than that, but it's worth double-checking that the intended bid actually got applied at the most specific level relevant to the click you saw.
What about timing?
You mentioned it's been 24 hours since you changed the bid. For a simple bid change on Manual CPC, 24 hours is definitely enough time for it to take effect across the account. Bid changes usually propagate much faster than that, often within an hour or two, although it can sometimes take a bit longer to fully reflect in all reports.
The fact that you paid double isn't really about a timing delay of the bid change itself. The bid level should have updated. The issue is why the system allowed a bid that was seemingly double your intended maximum. As discussed, the most probable reason is that an automated bid strategy was active and overrode your manual setting to achieve its own goal.
Beyond the bid issue: Account health after agency handover
Since you've taken back control, this bid issue might be just one symptom of a wider setup that wasn't optimised for your goals. Often, agencies have their own standard setups that might not perfectly align with what the business actually needs, or they might just focus on spending budget rather than driving profitable results.
Beyond fixing this bid issue, I'd recommend a thorough review of the account setup you inherited:
-> Check conversion tracking: Is it set up correctly? Is it tracking the *right* actions that indicate a lead or a valuable customer interaction? Automated bidding strategies rely heavily on accurate conversion data to work effectively. If tracking is broken or tracking the wrong things, the system can't optimise properly.
-> Review campaign structure: Does the structure (campaigns, ad groups, keywords) make logical sense? Is it too broad or too narrow? A good structure helps with targeting and managing bids effectively.
-> Look at targeting: Are you reaching the right audience with the right keywords? Are there any irrelevant keywords draining budget? Negative keywords are crucial.
-> Evaluate ad copy and creative: Are the ads compelling? Do they match the keywords and the landing page? Poor creative leads to low CTR and higher costs.
-> Assess landing pages: Do the landing pages the ads point to align with the ad message and the user's search intent? Are they persuasive and easy to convert on? High bounce rates or low conversion rates here kill performance, no matter how good the traffic is.
Often, improving the conversion rate on your website or landing page is one of the most impactful things you can do. Even a small bump in conversion rate can significantly lower your effective cost per lead or acquisition, allowing you to bid more aggressively if needed while staying profitable.
Recommended Action Plan
Here's a quick overview of what I'd suggest you look at immediately:
| Step | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Diagnose Bid Strategy | Check campaign settings to confirm the active bidding strategy. | Identify if an automated strategy is overriding manual bids. |
| 2. Confirm Bid Application | Verify the intended bid (€12) was applied at the correct (most specific) level (keyword/ad group). | Ensure there isn't an overriding higher bid set elsewhere. |
| 3. Review ECPC | If on Manual CPC, check if Enhanced CPC is enabled (and disable if you want strict manual control). | ECPC can increase bids, though double is unlikely. |
| 4. Check Conversion Tracking | Ensure conversion actions are correctly defined and tracking accurately. | Essential for automated bidding and understanding performance. |
| 5. Broader Account Audit | Review structure, keywords (inc. negatives), ads, and landing pages. | Identify other areas for improvement and wasted spend after agency handover. |
Getting these foundations right after taking control is super important. The bidding issue you spotted is likely a symptom of a setup geared towards different priorities than yours.
Sometimes, after inheriting an account, there are just so many layers of changes and legacy setups that it can be a bit overwhelming to unpick it all and figure out the optimal path forward. Paid advertising has a lot of moving parts, and getting them all working together effectively takes quite a bit of experience to diagnose issues like this quickly and implement solutions that drive real results.
If you'd like a second pair of eyes on your account to help pinpoint these issues and map out a strategy to get the most out of your ad spend, we'd be happy to book in a free consultation to take a look together.
Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh
