What is Max CPC Bid Mode?
Kapoq offers a way to set your bids directly, based on Max Cost per Click (CPC). This is an alternative to our standard ACoS-based bidding and to CPA-based bidding.
Think of it this way: instead of Kapoq calculating a bid from your efficiency target and a conversion or order-value forecast, you tell Kapoq exactly what you want to pay per click, and Kapoq layers your modifiers on top of it.
How Does Max CPC Mode Work?
When you switch to Max CPC mode, your bid starts at the Max CPC you enter. Kapoq then applies:
Dayparting modifiers — your hour-of-day and day-of-week adjustments
Adjustment Factors — Kapoq then adjusts your bid to account for your placement, site, audience modifiers, and dynamic bidding strategy settings
Important: When using Max CPC mode, your Max ACoS, Max CPA, Initial Conversion Rate, and Initial Average Order Value settings won't affect your bids at all.
Where Can You Set Bid Mode?
Bid mode can be set at all levels:
Account — sets the default for everything underneath
Strategy — applies to all campaigns using that strategy
Campaign — overrides for a single campaign
Ad Group — overrides for a single ad group
Target — overrides for a single target
This lets you run Max CPC on a specific launch campaign, for example, while the rest of the account stays on ACoS-based bidding.
When Should You Use Max CPC Mode?
Max CPC mode works best when you want direct control over what you pay per click, rather than letting a performance target drive the bid.
Good Fits for Max CPC
Brand defense and priority keywords. When staying visible on a term matters more than its efficiency, you may want to name your own price and hold it.
Testing and validation. Holding CPC constant makes it easier to read the impact of a listing change, a price change, or a creative test.
Manual bidders who still want automation benefits. If you've historically managed bids by hand, Max CPC gives you your fixed bid while still letting dayparting and modifiers do their work.
Why It Makes Sense
Efficiency-based bidding is the right default in most cases — it moves money toward what converts. But there are situations where you have information the forecast doesn't yet have, or where visibility is the goal rather than ACoS. Max CPC lets you act on that without giving up dayparting entirely.
Running Dayparting with Max CPC
You can absolutely run dayparting with Max CPC bid mode. This effectively runs dayparting on a fixed bid.
One thing to note: you still need to turn full bid automation "on." Kapoq won't be calculating a performance-based bid — it will simply take your Max CPC input and adjust it with your dayparting and other modifiers. Automation has to be enabled for those adjustments to be applied.
How to Switch to Max CPC Mode
Add the columns you need (or choose "Default All"):
Go to your column filter
Add "Bid Mode" column
Add "Max CPC" column
Set your preferences:
Input your desired Max CPC amount
Toggle the bid mode to "Max CPC"
Check your results:
Your suggested bids will appear in the Target tab as usual
The bids will now be based on your Max CPC input plus your modifiers
Everything else works exactly the same as before
How to Turn On Dayparting in Max CPC Mode
Three settings need to be in place:
Switch "Automate Bids" on. This is what allows Kapoq to act on your Max CPC input.
Switch "Automate Bid Approvals" on. Dayparting adjustments happen on a schedule throughout the day, so they need to be applied automatically rather than waiting in the Bid Approvals queue.
Enable Dayparting — either automated or manual, depending on whether you want Kapoq to build the schedule or you want to set the hour-by-hour modifiers yourself.
Once all three are on, Kapoq will take your Max CPC and adjust it up or down according to your dayparting schedule and any other modifiers you have set.
Note: With "Automate Bid Approvals" on, bid changes are applied without the need to review them in the Bid Approvals tab. That's expected here — it's what makes an hourly dayparting schedule practical.
What Happens After You Switch?
Once you're in Max CPC mode, your bid will hold at your Max CPC except where your modifiers move it. If you have dayparting turned on, expect to see bids rise and fall on your schedule. If you have no modifiers active, your bid will simply sit at your Max CPC.
Max CPC Bid Formula
Max CPC × Modifiers = Kapoq Bid
Example: $1.20 Max CPC × 1.15 dayparting modifier = $1.38 Kapoq Bid