Google expanded its Smart Bidding Exploration feature to Performance Max and Shopping campaigns, letting Target ROAS advertisers accept controlled return tolerance to bid on more auctions. Here's how the feature works and what it means for your spend.
Google announced an expansion of Smart Bidding Exploration to Performance Max and Shopping campaigns as of October 2026. The feature, which previously operated only on Search, now lets advertisers running Target ROAS bidding accept a controlled return tolerance, anywhere from 5% to 30%, to compete for additional eligible auctions they would normally skip.
Smart Bidding Exploration is a way for Google to say: "You've set a return target. We can help you hit more auctions if you're willing to let the return dip slightly below that target for some of them." When you enable it, you're giving Google permission to bid on auctions where the expected return falls within your tolerance band, say, your target is 400% ROAS, but you'll accept 380% to 300% on some conversions if it means more total volume.
The trade-off is deliberate. By accepting a wider margin of return, you're asking Google to be bolder with your budget. In exchange, you pursue more traffic and more sales. For business owners scaling revenue, this can be the right move. For those optimizing for profit per transaction, it's not.
Google gives you control over how aggressive you want to be. Set it to 5% and you're saying "I'll barely budge from my target return to get more volume." Set it to 30% and you're saying "I'll take significantly lower returns per sale if it means much more volume." Most advertisers sit somewhere in the middle, around 10, 15%, balancing growth and margin.
This feature is most valuable for e-commerce and DTC brands with:
If you're already profitable at your Target ROAS and want to scale revenue faster, Smart Bidding Exploration gives Google more room to bid aggressively. If you're operating at thin margins or your Target ROAS is already conservative, the feature may not be worth enabling.
Start by auditing your Performance Max and Shopping campaigns. Look at your current return target and ask: "If we accepted 10, 15% lower returns, would the incremental volume justify it?" If the answer is yes, enable the feature at that tolerance level and monitor performance for 2, 4 weeks. If you see volume rise without hitting your profit floor, keep it on. If margins shrink too fast, lower the tolerance or turn it off.
Smart Bidding Exploration expands to Performance Max and Shopping campaigns, allowing Target ROAS advertisers to accept a controlled 5, 30% return tolerance to pursue additional eligible auctions.
PPC News Feed, October 2026
How WebKing runs this
We analyze your Performance Max and Shopping campaigns to determine if your return targets and budget capacity support Smart Bidding Exploration, then tune the tolerance threshold to match your growth appetite.
It lets Google bid on additional eligible auctions beyond your normal Target ROAS threshold. Instead of stopping at your target return, you accept a controlled dip, between 5% and 30%, to capture more volume. This is useful if you believe selling more units at slightly lower margins grows your business.
It's optional. You must be using campaign-level Target ROAS bidding and have uncapped budgets for the feature to appear. If you do, Google lets you choose whether to enable it and set your tolerance band.
A 5% tolerance means you'll accept auctions where your return dips only slightly below target; 30% means you'll bid more aggressively and accept returns much further below target to win more traffic. Higher tolerance = more volume but lower margins per sale.
Not necessarily. If your budget is already uncapped and performing well, you may see spend rise slightly as Google bids on additional auctions. If your budget is a constraint, the feature helps you allocate your existing spend more toward volume-generating auctions within your tolerance.
Sources
The Lab is original analysis by WebKing. We summarize and interpret developments from the sources above for industrial, commercial, and small business owners. Figures are reported as published by their sources.
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