12/08/2026
Most PPC accounts are still optimizing for the wrong thing. If you're not using Value-Based Bidding in 2026, you're probably short-changing your PPC strategy.
The issue isn’t just that accounts treat conversions equally - it’s that they don’t define what those conversions are actually worth to the business. A basic form fill often gets the same weight as an SQL or high-intent inquiry. In ecommerce, it’s the same problem when all revenue is treated equally, despite big differences in margin across products.
That lack of weighting means Google will happily optimize toward cheap volume or headline revenue, not real business value.
Value-Based Bidding fixes this by assigning proper value across the funnel - lead, MQL, SQL, and product margin - so the system optimizes toward outcomes that actually matter.
We’ve built value modeling frameworks that map LTV and conversion likelihood to set more accurate values and ROAS targets. In practice, that reduces spend on MQLs that don’t progress, improves cost per SQL, and shifts budget toward higher-AOV, more profitable purchase outcomes.
When value is defined properly, the system behaves differently: it stops chasing the easiest conversions and starts prioritizing the ones that actually drive growth.
If you don’t define true value in your Ads account then Google will define it for you. And it doesn’t care if it gets it right.
Thank you, Tom Ritchie for this Pro-Tip!
