CPA vs ROAS

Search Terms judges every campaign on the same basis Google bids on - cost or value, and picks which automatically.

How the mode is chosen

• Target CPA or Maximize Conversions bidding means CPA mode (judged on cost per sale).

• Target ROAS or Maximize Conversion Value bidding means ROAS mode (judged on value returned).

Nothing to set - it reads the campaign's bidding strategy. Built-in checks keep the two from ever mixing, so a CPA campaign never picks up a stray ROAS value and vice versa.

How each judges a term

• CPA mode compares cost per sale to your target. Below target is good; near it can be fine; far above it triggers review, pausing, or negative logic depending on the term.

• ROAS mode compares value returned per dollar to your target ROAS, and is deliberately more protective. The only terms it auto-blocks are ones that returned zero value; anything that brought back revenue is never auto-blocked, and value-based changes always go to review.

Example. CPA: a term at $120 cost per sale against a $50 target is well past 2.0x and becomes a pause/negative candidate. ROAS: a term that spent $120 for $0 value is a zero-return block, while one returning $300 on $100 (3.0x) against a 4.0x target is kept but flagged for review rather than blocked - it's still making money.

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