A portfolio bid strategy is a shared, automated bidding strategy in Google Ads that can be applied to multiple campaigns, ad groups, and keywords simultaneously. Unlike standard bidding strategies that are applied individually within each campaign, a portfolio bid strategy optimizes bids collectively across all selected entities to achieve a unified goal—such as maximizing conversions, maintaining a specific return on ad spend (ROAS), or achieving a target cost per acquisition (CPA). By using shared data and performance signals across campaigns, portfolio strategies help Google Ads make smarter, real-time bidding decisions, which often leads to better overall performance and more efficient budget use.
Types of Portfolio Bid Strategies
Maximize Conversions – Automatically sets bids to help you get the most conversions within your budget.
Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) – Sets bids to try and get as many conversions as possible at your specified average CPA.
Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) – Bids to maximize conversion value while trying to achieve your target return on ad spend.
Maximize Clicks – Focuses on getting as many clicks as possible within your budget.
Enhanced CPC (Cost Per Click) – Adjusts manual bids automatically to increase the likelihood of conversions while still under manual bidding control.
Why Use a Portfolio Bid Strategy?
Centralized Bidding Logic – Instead of setting up bid strategies for each campaign, you define one shared strategy and apply it across many.
Better Optimization – Google uses more data from across your campaigns, which leads to better-informed and more accurate bidding decisions.
Easier Management – Managing and updating one bid strategy is faster and more consistent than managing several individual strategies.
Smarter Budget Allocation – Portfolio strategies adjust bids where they’re most effective, allowing you to shift spending automatically to top-performing campaigns or ad groups.
Scalability – Ideal for large advertisers, agencies, or businesses running multiple campaigns in the same account.
Example for Myntra
Myntra is running campaigns for different fashion categories including Men’s Casualwear, Women’s Party Dresses, Footwear, and Accessories. Each campaign has a different budget and audience but a common business goal: achieving a Target ROAS of 500%. Instead of creating a separate bidding strategy for each category, Myntra sets up a portfolio bid strategy named “Myntra ROAS 500%” and applies it to all campaigns. Google Ads then optimizes bids across all campaigns collectively. If the Women’s Party Dress campaign is performing exceptionally well and delivering more revenue per rupee spent, Google automatically shifts more bid strength toward that campaign while maintaining the overall ROAS goal across all campaigns. This helps Myntra ensure optimal budget use and maximizes returns.
How to Create a Portfolio Bid Strategy
Log in to your Google Ads account
Go to Tools & Settings > under “Shared Library” click on Bid strategies
Click the plus (+) button to create a new bid strategy
Choose your bidding strategy (e.g., Target CPA, Target ROAS)
Name your strategy (e.g., “Myntra India – Max Conversions”)
Set your target values and other optional settings like device or ad schedule bid adjustments
Save and apply the strategy to your chosen campaigns, ad groups, or keywords
Key Metrics to Monitor
Once a portfolio strategy is in use, monitor its performance by:
Viewing metrics like conversions, CPA, ROAS, and conversion value under Bid Strategies
Using the “Bid Strategy Report” to see how each campaign within the portfolio contributes to overall results
Adjusting target values based on business goals or market changes
Best Practices
Group campaigns with similar goals and conversion types in one portfolio
Avoid mixing campaigns with very different objectives (like brand awareness and ecommerce sales) in the same strategy
Monitor frequently, especially when first launching the strategy
Give the algorithm enough data (at least 30+ conversions per month per strategy is ideal for Target CPA or Target ROAS)
Adjust targets gradually if results are inconsistent
Conclusion
A portfolio bid strategy is a powerful way to scale and optimize your Google Ads account by using automation and collective performance data. For a large ecommerce platform like Myntra, which runs hundreds of campaigns across various categories, portfolio strategies allow for smarter bid management, better budget utilization, and improved return on investment. By grouping campaigns under a single strategy, Myntra gains centralized control, better optimization across campaigns, and simplified account maintenance—all while achieving more predictable and profitable results.
