Smart Bidding readiness scorecard — 36 checks before you change targets
Most “Smart Bidding failed” post-mortems are tracking, volume, fantasy economics, or weekly strategy thrash. This 36-point scorecard is what we run before Maximize Conversions, Target CPA, Maximize Conversion Value, or Target ROAS changes — so the algorithm is not blamed for a broken brief.
- Tracking purity (8 checks) — fail these and fix measurement first
- Volume and data floors (5 checks)
- Conversion values and finance economics (6 checks)
- Budget stability and capacity (5 checks)
- Seasonality, structure, hygiene (6 checks)
- Strategy fit and learning discipline (6 checks)
Who this is for
US and UK SMB owners and marketing leads about to switch or tighten Smart Bidding — especially after a Target CPA that killed volume or a Target ROAS that never exited learning. Score honestly before you touch the bid strategy dropdown.
How to use it
Work section by section. More than three fails in Tracking Purity means rebuild measurement with our conversion tracking guide before any Target CPA. Use the Smart Bidding SMB playbook for strategy selection, break-even CPA / Break-Even ROAS for the numbers, and the learning phase insight for edit discipline. Bring your scored PDF to a free Google Ads audit for a second opinion.
Related frameworks
Pair with the Smart Bidding SMB playbook, Maximize Conversions vs Target CPA, break-even CPA for services, Target ROAS when volume is low, Google Ads Health Score, and the 47-point Google Ads audit checklist for full-account review. The Performance Max launch checklist is the PMax-specific sibling.
Want this run on your accounts?
The checklist is free. Applying it properly takes senior time — that's what our audits are for.
Free 24-hour audit