Your bid strategy tells Meta how to spend your budget in its ad auctions. Most small businesses should start simple.
The main strategies
| Strategy | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Highest volume (lowest cost) | Gets as many results as possible for your budget | Most campaigns, especially at the start |
| Cost per result goal (cost cap) | Tries to keep average cost near your target | Advertisers who know their profitable cost per result |
| Bid cap | Sets a maximum bid in each auction | Experienced advertisers |
| ROAS goal | Aims for a minimum return on ad spend | Stores with reliable purchase tracking |
Start with highest volume
It needs no guesswork and gives you data on real costs.
Using a cost cap
- Know the most you can pay per lead; calculate it with our cost per lead calculator.
- Set the cap near your real cost, not far below it.
- Expect spend to be lower if Meta cannot find results at that cost.
Using a ROAS goal
Know your break-even ROAS first with our break-even ROAS calculator.
The risk
Caps set too low mean your ads barely spend. If delivery stops, raise the cap or switch back to highest volume.
Want the full picture? This article is part of Meta ads: the complete guide, our in-depth guide with everything in one place.
