What is Smart Bidding Exploration?
Smart Bidding Exploration is a Google Ads feature that allows Smart Bidding to test new search traffic that it normally would not target.
Normally, Smart Bidding is quite strict. It focuses on traffic that is very likely to meet your ROAS goal.
With Exploration turned on, Google is allowed to experiment a little, to find new opportunities that could perform well in the future.
What is the purpose of Smart Bidding Exploration?
The main goal is growth.
Smart Bidding Exploration helps Google:
- Discover new search queries
- Reach new users
- Find additional conversion opportunities
Some of these new searches may not convert immediately, but they can help the system learn and improve results over time.
How does Smart Bidding Exploration affect ROAS?
When you enable Exploration, Google slightly relaxes your ROAS target.
Example:
- Target ROAS: 200%
- ROAS tolerance: 10%
- Effective ROAS target: 180%
This gives Smart Bidding more room to:
- Test new traffic
- Learn which searches can work
- Scale performance later
Important:
This does not mean Google ignores your ROAS goal. It only allows controlled testing.
When is Smart Bidding Exploration useful?
Smart Bidding Exploration works best when:
- You want to scale your campaigns
- Your account already has stable performance
- You are using Target ROAS
- You want to find new demand, not just protect current results
It is especially useful in:
- Growing markets
- Competitive industries
- Accounts that feel “stuck” at the same volume
When should you be careful?
Be cautious with Exploration if:
- Your budget is very limited
- Your ROAS target is strict and cannot drop
- Your account has very low conversion volume
- You are still fixing basic tracking or structure issues
In these cases, stability may be more important than testing.
Where can you enable Smart Bidding Exploration?
You can enable Smart Bidding Exploration in two ways:
1. Campaign level
You can turn it on for one specific campaign in the campaign settings.
2. Portfolio bid strategy level
You can also enable it in a portfolio bid strategy.
Important:
If you do this, all campaigns in that portfolio will use Smart Bidding Exploration.
How Smart Bidding Exploration fits with AI Max
Smart Bidding Exploration works very well together with AI Max:
- AI Max expands search reach
- Exploration allows bidding on new traffic
- Smart Bidding learns which new searches actually perform
Together, they help you:
- Reach more users
- Discover hidden opportunities
- Grow performance over time
Best practices
- Start with a small ROAS tolerance (for example 5–10%)
- Monitor performance over a longer period
- Avoid frequent changes while the system is learning
- Measure success beyond short-term ROAS only