Mobile Bid Adjustments for Local Businesses: A Guide

February 19, 2025 • 12 min read •Nicolas Fabjan

Over 75% of mobile users visit a store within a day after searching locally – and 78% of these searches lead to purchases. Mobile bid adjustments in Google Ads help local businesses address this audience deliberately.

The most important points at a glance:

What are mobile bid adjustments? Adjustment of ad bids for mobile devices, from -100% to +300%.
Why important? 60% of all searches come from mobile devices. Used correctly, they can raise click-through and conversion rates.
Successes: a pizzeria raised store visits by 30% and revenue by 12% through mobile bid adjustments.
Recommended starting values: +10-20%, depending on industry and audience.
Strategies: combination of location and mobile bid adjustments, time-based bidding, optimisation of mobile landing pages.

Quick comparison table:

With these measures, local businesses can specifically optimise their ads, lower costs and win more customers.

Mobile bid adjustment basics

Definition and core functions

Mobile bid adjustments in Google Ads are percentage changes that allow advertisers to adjust their bids specifically for mobile devices. The range goes from -100% (deactivation of ads on mobile devices) to +300% of the original keyword bid. This way ad spend can be steered deliberately.

Here is an overview of how these adjustments work:

An example: a mobile adjustment of +50% combined with a location adjustment of +20% gives a total adjustment of +80% (1.5 × 1.2 = 1.8) for users in the target area.

In the next section it is explained how such adjustments affect important performance metrics.

Effects on performance metrics

Mobile bid adjustments have a direct influence on various performance metrics:

Experts recommend making adjustments step by step – e.g. starting with a rise of 10-20% – to achieve the best results.

Important tips:

Regularly analyse device-specific performance reports.
Adjust bids based on the relative performance index (RPI).
Take time of day and user locations into account.
Optimise mobile landing pages to achieve higher conversion rates.

Data analysis for mobile bid decisions

Analysing device performance reports

To make mobile bid adjustments effectively, it is important to analyse the performance reports for various devices. The "Devices" area in Google Ads delivers valuable information on performance on different devices. For local businesses the following metrics are particularly relevant:

In addition, data on time of day and location should be considered to specifically adjust bids during peak times. This data-based approach helps to lay the foundation for a precise calculation of return on advertising spend (ROAS).

Mobile ROAS calculation

Evaluating return on ad spend (ROAS) for mobile campaigns requires a comprehensive analysis that includes both online and offline conversions. Here are the most important steps:

Set up conversion tracking, including mobile functions like click-to-call.
Isolate mobile performance by analysing device-specific segments.
Calculate ROAS by dividing mobile revenue by ad cost.

The mobile conversion rate is on average 1.53%, while on desktops it is about 4.14%. It is important to consider cross-device conversions, since many users research on one device and close on another.

Automated bidding strategies in Google Ads use real-time data to optimise mobile bids. The "Auction Insights" report also offers useful information on the competitive situation in mobile.

Setting up mobile bid adjustments

Setting bid adjustment levels

Recommended starting values by industry:

Start with an adjustment of +10% to +20%. Use the device reports in Google Ads to analyse performance and adjust bid adjustments accordingly.

Combining location and mobile bid adjustments

By combining location and mobile adjustments you can address your audience even more specifically. Location factors play a major role in optimising mobile campaigns.

Location-based analysis: a restaurant could, for example, find that mobile users in the immediate vicinity convert more often.
Combine bid adjustments: if you use a location adjustment of +20% and a mobile adjustment of +30%, the total adjustment is +56% (1.2 × 1.3 = 1.56).

Time control: use peak times specifically, e.g. lunchtime for restaurants or evening for entertainment offers.

Approach:

Add location extensions to raise mobile visibility.
Analyse performance by location and time of day.
Implement staggered bid adjustments.
Monitor and adjust results weekly.

Location extensions help mobile users see the distance to your store and make your ads more relevant. This combination is a central building block for further optimisations in more complex bidding strategies.

Advanced mobile bidding techniques

Time-based mobile bidding

With time-aligned mobile bids, local businesses can deploy their ad spend specifically in the periods when conversion rates are highest. Tools like Google Analytics and Google Ads reports help to identify these peak times.

What to watch:

Plan your strategy considering local events and seasonal trends.
Make step-by-step adjustments to bids to test results.
Tune your bidding strategy to business hours and the behaviour of your audience.

Mobile-specific ad content

Beyond temporal optimisation, mobile-optimised ad content plays a central role. It addresses mobile users specifically and raises engagement.

Important elements for mobile ads:

Short, concise headlines with local reference.
Clear calls to action.
Location and call extensions to provide users with additional information.
Mobile-exclusive offers specifically attractive for smartphone users.

Extensions like location and call extensions offer practical advantages: they show, for example, the distance to the store or enable direct contact without overloading the ad.

Example from practice:

A restaurant in Chicago deployed time-based mobile bidding in 2021 and achieved a 35% rise in customer traffic during lunchtime. By raising mobile bids between 11 am and 2 pm on weekdays by 20%, the click-through rate rose by 15% and store visits by 22% compared to the previous quarter.

How to implement these techniques

For optimal use of these strategies a step-by-step approach is recommended:

Analyse previous mobile performance data.
Define the most important time windows for your business.
Develop ad copy specifically tailored to mobile users.
Use relevant ad extensions to provide additional information.
Monitor results and continuously adjust your strategy.

In addition, smart bidding strategies can be helpful. They use machine learning to adjust bids automatically based on factors like device, time and location.

Mobile bidding mistakes you should avoid

Balancing device bids

Data shows that an adjustment of ±15% often delivers the best results. To develop an effective bidding strategy, you should regularly analyse the performance of your campaigns by device type. Differences in conversion rates between desktop and mobile must not be ignored. Flat adjustments across all campaigns are no solution.

An example: Zappos optimised its mobile strategy in Q2 2022 with the help of data-based adjustments. The result? A 12% higher mobile conversion rate, 18% fewer bounces and a 7% revenue rise.

With a considered, data-based approach you avoid over-adjustments and use the full potential of mobile conversions. But not only the bidding strategy counts – the landing page must also convince.

Problems with mobile landing pages

Even the best bid adjustments bring nothing if the landing page does not work. Did you know that 53% of mobile users leave a page if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load?

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Here are common problems and possible solutions:

Additional measures you can take:

Use tools like Google's Mobile-Friendly Test.
Integrate click-to-call functions.
Make sure important information is visible without scrolling.

A well-optimised mobile landing page can lower CPCs by up to 30% – compared with desktop campaigns. For local businesses it is particularly important to provide location information and directions directly on the mobile page.

Technical requirements for mobile landing pages:

Maximum load time: 3 seconds
Responsive design for all screen sizes
Optimised images and reduced code
Clear calls to action for mobile users

An optimised landing page is the key to securing the success of your mobile bidding strategy.

Success story of a local business

Results of location-based bid adjustments

A pizzeria in Chicago has impressively shown how effective mobile bid adjustments can be. An analysis showed that 80% of walk-in customers came from a 2-mile radius.

To use this advantage, the following measures were implemented:

Mobile bids in the target area raised by 50%, specifically for smartphone users.
Location extensions integrated into the ads.
Introduction of a mobile coupon code to track conversions.

The results speak for themselves: the pizzeria was able to raise the number of store visits by 30% and improve ROAS by 35%. In addition, 22% of on-site sales were directly attributed to the mobile campaigns.

As a next step, optimisation by time of day was tested.

Performance during peak times

After the location-based adjustment, temporal optimisation was tackled.

Results by time of day:

This strategy led to impressive results: a 35% higher ROAS, 22% lower cost per conversion and a 40% higher mobile conversion rate. The wins are clearly measurable and show the potential of targeted optimisations.

Conclusion

Results of mobile bid adjustments

Mobile bid adjustments play a central role for the success of local businesses. Through targeted campaign adjustments, companies can reach their audiences more precisely and raise return on ad spend (ROAS). Especially when addressing smartphone users in the immediate vicinity of a store, the potential clearly shows.

These results offer a solid basis for concrete measures.

Implementation steps

To fully exploit the advantages of mobile bid adjustments you should tackle the following steps:

Data analysis:
Set strategy:
Technical optimisation:

A regular review and adjustment of bids is decisive to stay successful long-term. With professional support, as offered by Nordsteg OnlineMarketing, you can use the full potential of mobile bid adjustments.

FAQs

How do I change bids for mobile devices in Google Ads?

You can adjust bids for mobile devices in Google Ads as follows:

To calculate the optimal adjustment, you can use this formula:

Bid adjustment for mobile devices = 100 * [(value per click (mobile) / value per click (desktop and tablet)) - 1]

Important factors for adjustment

Analyse the performance of mobile devices in comparison with other device types.
Consider proximity and peak times to better reach relevant audiences.
Regularly review conversion rates and return on ad spend (ROAS) for mobile devices.

Regular checks and adjustments are decisive to raise the efficiency of your campaigns. Pay particular attention to mobile conversion rates to deploy your budget optimally.