How it worked
ECPC sat on top of your manual CPC bids. Google described it as a form of Smart Bidding that used auction-time signals such as browser, location and time of day, though not to the full extent of Target CPA or Target ROAS. It raised your max CPC (after bid adjustments) for auctions that looked likely to convert and lowered it for the rest. It tried to keep your average CPC below your max CPC but could exceed it for short periods, and it never took an explicit target.
What Google retired, and when
Google's ECPC help page now opens with the notice: effective the week of March 31, 2025, ECPC is no longer available for Search and Display campaigns. Campaigns that weren't moved to another bid strategy before then are now effectively using Manual CPC, and Google said ECPC would keep appearing in the interface until May while it finished the update. The same page still describes ECPC for Hotel campaigns, which the notice doesn't mention.
What to move to
Google's suggestions: Maximize conversions or Target CPA if you want conversion volume; Maximize conversion value or Target ROAS if you track two or more differentiated conversion values; Maximize clicks or an impression-based (CPM) strategy if you only want visits or impressions; and Pay for conversions on eligible Display campaigns. Google also advises watching performance closely while bidding adjusts. For a lead gen account with working conversion tracking, we move to Maximize conversions, for the reasons in why we start every campaign on Maximize conversions.
Common questions
Is Enhanced CPC still available in Google Ads?
Not for Search or Display. Google retired ECPC for both effective the week of March 31, 2025. Its help page still describes ECPC for Hotel campaigns.
What happened to campaigns that used Enhanced CPC?
Google says campaigns that weren't moved to another bid strategy before the deprecation are now effectively using Manual CPC. Your max CPC bids still apply, without the conversion-based adjustments.
Was Enhanced CPC a Smart Bidding strategy?
Google calls it a form of Smart Bidding, but a partial one. It adjusted your manual bids using auction-time signals and didn't let you set a CPA or ROAS target.
Could Enhanced CPC bid above my max CPC?
Yes. Google says ECPC tried to keep your average CPC below your max CPC, including bid adjustments, but could exceed it for short periods, so reports sometimes showed average CPCs above the max.
What should I use instead of Enhanced CPC?
Google suggests Maximize conversions or Target CPA for conversions, Maximize conversion value or Target ROAS for value, and Maximize clicks or CPM strategies for traffic. With reliable conversion tracking, we start on Maximize conversions.