Why did your brand CPC rise?
BrandGuardUpdated
Compare like-for-like searches before assigning a cause. A change in competitors, traffic mix, bids, quality or eligibility can alter the average; timing alone does not prove which one did.
On this page
Diagnose the change
| Possible cause | Check | Possible action |
|---|---|---|
| Different traffic mix | Query, device, location and day breakdowns. | Compare the same segments across periods. |
| Bidding or budget change | Change history and strategy settings. | Review the change against its objective. |
| Different auction conditions | Auction Insights and recorded ads. | Test whether additional defence improves net results. |
| Ad or landing-page issue | Approval status, relevance and landing experience. | Resolve specific quality or eligibility problems. |
| Campaign overlap | Search-term routing and campaign selection. | Use exclusions to direct traffic; do not assume self-bidding. |
Different traffic mix
- Check
- Query, device, location and day breakdowns.
- Possible action
- Compare the same segments across periods.
Bidding or budget change
- Check
- Change history and strategy settings.
- Possible action
- Review the change against its objective.
Different auction conditions
- Check
- Auction Insights and recorded ads.
- Possible action
- Test whether additional defence improves net results.
Ad or landing-page issue
- Check
- Approval status, relevance and landing experience.
- Possible action
- Resolve specific quality or eligibility problems.
Campaign overlap
- Check
- Search-term routing and campaign selection.
- Possible action
- Use exclusions to direct traffic; do not assume self-bidding.
Overlapping campaigns in one account
Google says eligible keywords targeting the same domain within an account do not compete with each other in the auction. Overlap can still complicate reporting and traffic routing. It is not evidence that your campaigns bid up their own price.
Compare CPC by search, device and market
Chart daily CPC alongside clicks and spend for the same query and device. Mark account changes separately. Investigate coincident changes; do not promise that a correction will reduce CPC within a fixed number of days.