Optimized bidding (oCPC and oCPM)

With optimized bidding, the platform adjusts bids for each auction according to how likely the person is to convert, but the billing event stays a click or an impression. It sits between plain CPC or CPM, where you set the price per unit, and CPA billing, where you pay per conversion.

ChatGPT ads use it for the Conversions objective. OpenAI’s Help Center offers eligible advertisers oCPC or oCPM; its API docs list click billing only, so oCPM may not be available through the API yet. Either way, ChatGPT never bills per conversion. The objective optimizes toward one standard event, such as order_created or lead_created; custom events cannot be goals. From 2026-11-09 Ads Manager calls the automated strategy Intelligent bidding, formerly Maximize Results.

Other channels have equivalents. Google’s AI placements accept conversion-based bidding in the Search auction. Gravity’s Conversions objective optimizes for a chosen event and bills CPM, and it needs server-side proof of that event.

Optimized bidding needs reliable conversion data before it can work, so set up tracking first and choose one event that reflects real value. Give it time: Gravity quotes a learning period of 2 to 3 months for Conversions campaigns. Judge results on CPA over a full learning period rather than daily swings. Through Admux, the bidding choices available per channel are listed by GET /channels; Admux bills what the channel bills, a click or an impression, multiplied by one plus the disclosed markup, so optimized bidding never turns into per-conversion billing.