mated Google Ads Rules that Will Make Your Life Easy //
Google SERP is a great place to see how quickly the world changes. Search interest can be influenced by global events, celebrity gossip and social trends.
Even the top search terms from 2022 feel outdated already!
Even the most diligent PPC manager cannot monitor their campaigns 24 hours a day. How can you update your ads even while you’re sleeping?
Google Ads gives PPC managers the ability to automate rules that will allow them to optimize, monitor and change their accounts before they even start. Automatic rules are a powerful tool if you plan and anticipate.
What is Google Ads automatic rules?
Automated Rules allows advertisers to schedule changes in their Google Ads accounts. Automated rules are incredibly flexible when it comes to scheduling changes in your Google Ads account. Automated rules can be used to schedule one or thousands of changes, and can run once or several times per day. They can be used to make big changes, such as pausing all campaigns in your account or even the smallest ones.
Microsoft Advertising offers automated rules that are similar to Google’s. These rules can be used together with Google’s. allows advertisers to import changes directly from Google Ads into Microsoft Advertising, keeping their campaigns in sync and current.
How to create an automated rule for Google Ads.
Google Ads’ “Tools and Settings” menu allows you to create rules that are automatically generated. Select “Rules” under “Bulk Actions.”
You can create a rule that will update any element in your account, including campaigns, ad group, keywords, ads, asset categories, audiences, demographics targets, display placements or display placements.
You can also create an automated rule when viewing these elements in your account by clicking the “More”, three-dot icon at the top right. Select “Create a rule” to open the automation framework for the account element you are viewing.
You can automate Google Ads campaigns by modifying the five main elements of each rule.
1. You can change your Google account by taking action. You decide how big or small you want to go. Automate actions like:
- Enable
- Pause
- Change Budgets
- Change Bids
- Change Bid Adjustments
- Change final URLs
- Change Labels
- Send Email
2. Choose where you would like this action to be performed. Do you want to apply it to all campaigns (ads, keywords, etc. )? Do you want it to apply to all campaigns (ads, keywords, etc.) in your account You can select specific campaigns (ads or keywords, for example)
3. Conditions: You can add additional conditions that Google will check before taking action. You can use any performance metric (clicks and cost, conversions CPA etc.) or attribute that you can see in Google Ads to create these conditions.
4. You can set the frequency at which you want Google’s algorithm to perform this action. These automated rules can be run automatically:
- Once at a future time.
- Hourly
- Daily
- Weekly
- Monthly
You can also select the time period that Google should use to evaluate your condition when setting your frequency. If you want Google’s data to be analyzed from earlier in the day, month or year, for example, then set your frequency accordingly.
5. You can choose whether Google emails you, a colleague or a client. Google can send an email every time the program runs, or whenever it takes a specific action.
Best Practices with Google Ads Automated Rules
Many people are afraid of letting Google post changes to their account automatically. Google Ads can turn from a useful tool into a saboteur if the rules are not followed correctly, especially for those who are just starting out.
1. You should read your rules aloud first.
The setup of your automated rule can sound and feel technical, because it is. Automated rules, like everything else in Google Ads were created by programmers and not marketers. Be sure to check your rules before you send them to Google.
Use the following sentence structure:
“At [frequency], use data from [date range set in frequency] to check if [conditions] have been met.” If the conditions are met then [take action] by [applying to groups].
See? A sentence that sounds technical on its own. This could be read as:
Check at 3 pm every day to see if the campaigns have already spent $5,000 this month. If this is the case, then you should pause these campaigns.
2. You can always preview the results
Google lets you “preview” your rule before saving it. Google can then check your conditions and tell you what would happen if the rule was run right now. Google does not post these changes. However, it is a great way to determine how many your new rule might post.
3. Frequency is important.
Advertising mistakes I often see are rules that run too frequently, or data that is from a time period other than the frequency. A rule that is automated and runs every hour using data from the previous day will only complete this action 0 times or 24 times. This small error could increase your budget by as much as $2,400 instead of $100.
4. Make small adjustments to your daily routine
Don’t automate the boldness of your campaigns! You don’t need to worry about a rogue rule spending your budget on the weekend, or changing your campaign beyond recognition. Google should first post small changes, say 5%-10% of the value of an ad each time. After you’ve verified that the automated rules work properly and contribute to improved performance you can then give them greater power to make larger changes.
22 Google Ads Automated Rules Every Advertiser Should Know
can be managed more easily with automated rules. You can plan to use automated rules to launch new campaigns on schedule, optimize current ads, stay informed about your performance or create a failsafe in case of an emergency. Here are some examples I use often:
Google rules to make campaign management easier
Use these automated rules to manage Google Ads more easily.
1. Pause your campaign before a holiday
You can use this rule if you know in advance that your company will be closed for several days. This is one less thing you have to worry about before your vacation.
- Rule Type: Campaign
- Action: Pause campaigns
- All campaigns:Apply to:
- Conditions:Campaign Status: All enabled
- Frequency : Once, the day before closing.
2. After a holiday, you can enable your campaign.
These rules are often reversed by a “sister” rule. This rule should be placed alongside the one that pauses your campaigns.
- Rule Type:Campaign
- Action: Enable campaigns
- Select campaigns (all you are running currently)
- Conditions:None
- Frequency : Once, on the first day of your return after a holiday.
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3. New ads can be enabled for a promotion or sale
Do you want to ensure that your new ads are live in time for an event or sale? You won’t have to worry about updating your ads the day of. To make automation easier, consider adding labels for various sales or promotions. You might also schedule a rule that allows your ads to be shown again after a purchase.
- Rule Type: Ads
- Action : Enable ads
- Select all ads or manually select each ad
- Ad text includes your special offer
- Frequency : Once, at the moment your promotion begins.
4. Pause your ads following a sale
This automated rule is a sister of the previous one. It will pause all your ads before the event, and then stop them after the event.
- Rule Type: Ads
- Action: Pause ads
- Select all ads or manually select each ad
- Ad text includes your special offer
- Frequency : Once, at the conclusion of your promotional period.
5. Run different ads at night
People respond differently to offers like “24/7 accessibility” or “Open Late”. If your team does not respond to requests outside of business hours, you can use a modest call to action to encourage people to fill out forms during off-hours.
- Rule Type: Ads
- Action Enable ads
- Select all ads or manually select each ad
- ConditionsAdtext includes [late-night messages in your ads]
- Frequency: Daily, at 5 p.m.
As with most rules, pair this rule up with three other rules. You can pause “daytime ads” daily at 5 pm, resume “daytime ads” at 9 am, and pause “nighttime ads” at 9 am.
This is an example of a search advertisement that would benefit from the rule. The business closes at five p.m.
6. Use different ads at the weekend
If you offer special weekend rates or are open when your competitors close, these messages will resonate with your weekend visitors. This rule should be used in conjunction with other rules that will allow you to pause the ads on Sunday, resume them on Monday and pause them on Friday.
- Rule Type: Ads
- Action : Enable ads
- Select all ads or manually select each ad
- Conditions: Ad text includes [your ads’ weekend messaging]
- Frequency :Weekly at 12am on Saturday
7. Please update your final URL
This rule will save you the trouble of updating the final URL for your keyword if you have a landing page that you want to use with your ads.
- Rule Type: Ads
- Action:Change keywords final URLs
- Select all ads or manually select each ad
- Conditions:None
- Frequency: Once, at a set time
This is because it’s proven that more landing pages will generate more leads. This Google Ads automated keyword rule will help you to create landing pages that are optimized for PPC keywords.
Budget management made easier
These Google Ads rules will simplify your budget management.
8. Stop your campaign from spending too much on daily budget
Google is notorious for spending twice the daily budget of your campaign on any given day. This trick allows you to take control of your campaign and limit Google from spending more than a certain amount per day.
- Campaigns Rule Type:
- Action: Pause campaign
- Select campaigns
- Conditions:Spend more than $[your daily budget]
- Frequency :Hourly using data from the previous day.
9. Activating your campaigns after they have spent their budget on the previous day
This rule is the sister to the one above. It will allow you to resume the campaigns that you had paused on the previous day.
- Campaigns Rule Type:
- Action Enable campaign
- Select campaigns
- Conditions:Spend more than $[your daily budget]
- Frequency :Daily, at 12am using data from the day before.
10. Keep your monthly budget the same every month
Although it’s silly, marketers are aware that their monthly budget does not divide evenly into daily budgets when the month has 28, 30, or even 31 days. It’s a hassle to manually recalculate budgets each month, and we all have other priorities the first of the month. Here are 10 rules that can save you an entire year of math.
- Campaigns Rule Type:
- Action: Change budgets
Create a rule that runs once at 12 am on each date. Adjust the budget accordingly.
- Feb. 1 – Increase your daily budgets by 10.7%
- Mar 1 – Reduce daily budgets 9.7%
- Increase your daily budget by 3.3% on April 1.
- Reduce daily budgets by 3.2 % on May 1.
- June 1: Increase daily budgets to 3.3%
- Reduce daily budgets by 3.2 % on July 1.
- Sept. 1: Increase daily budgets of 3.3%
- Oct 1: Reduce daily budgets by 3.2%
- Nov. 1: Increase daily budgets to 3.3%
- Dec 1: Reduce daily budgets by 3.2%
11. Establish a budget per week for your campaign
Do you have a budget set aside for the Holiday Week? You may prefer to budget your campaigns weekly. This rule will cover you.
- Campaigns Rule Type:
- Action: Pause campaign
- Select campaigns
- Conditions:Spend more than $[your weekly budget]
- Frequency : Hourly using data from the current week
12. Budget your campaign monthly
This rule allows you to set a maximum spending limit across your Google Ads account. However, if you wish to set a monthly budget for certain campaigns, this can be done as well.
- Campaigns Rule Type:
- Action: Pause campaign
- Select campaigns
- Conditions: Spend > $[your monthly Budget]
- Frequency :Hourly using data from the current month.
This is an example of how to set a limit on your monthly spending for the entire account. Google Ads’ automated rules allow this to be done at the campaign-level.
13. Budget for the weekend
According to your audience, the search traffic may peak on weekends or lag. You can adjust your bids and ad schedule on weekends using dayparting. But you can also adjust budgets during the week so that you have enough money to pay for more traffic at the weekend when your best clients are searching for your services.
- Campaigns Rule Type:
- Action: Change budgets
- Select campaigns
- ConditionsNone
- Frequency :Weekly on Saturdays, 12am.
Create a rule that reverses this change every Monday at 12 am.
Google Ads automates rules to manage campaign performance
Google Ads performance can vary depending on the advertiser. What’s good for a lawyer might not be so great for an ecommerce company. When creating conditions for these rules, keep in mind your own account’s performance.
14. If your keywords don’t show, increase bids
It is difficult to optimize keywords that do not show. This rule will catch keywords that don’t show because they are bid too low.
- Keywords: Rule Type
- Action:Raise the bids to the first page CPC
- All keywords are applicable.
- Conditions:Keyword Status Reason contains any bid below the first page.
- Frequency :Daily
15. Budget increases if performance is high
This rule will help you give your campaigns more budget fuel if they are performing well. This is a great rule to use during big sales events and holidays.
- Campaigns Rule Type:
- Action: Increase budget by 5%
- Select campaigns
- ConditionsConversions > 5, and CPA (or ROI) is meeting your goals
- Frequency :Daily, at 10 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, and 6 pm; using data for that day
16. When performance is good, increase bids
Smart Bidding will automatically optimize your keyword bids to achieve a certain goal. If you want a bit more control, you can use Manual CPC bidding.
- Keywords: Rule Type
- Action: Increase bids by 5%
- All keywords are applicable.
- Conditions:Conversions 5 and CPA or ROAS is meeting your goals
- Frequency :Weekly using data from previous week.
17. If performance is poor, you may want to pause campaigns or reduce budgets.
Not all media is good for your campaigns. You’ll never know when your account will be bombarded with low-quality searches. Use this rule to stop a bad day getting worse.
- Rule Type:Campaign
- Action: Pause campaign or reduce budget
- Select campaigns
- Conditions:Spend more than [70%] of your budget and CPA or ROAS is very poor
- Frequency : Daily at 12 pm, 3 pm, and 6 pm, using data for that day.
Remember that Google may not attribute conversions for a few days, so set your benchmarks low for “very poor” results. Google will also likely email you whenever this rule is applied so you can be alerted to the cause of a bad day.
18. Reduce bids when performance is poor
You can make small bid adjustments to keep your keywords in line and save money without even logging into Google Ads.
- Keywords: Rule Type
- Action: Reduce bids by 5%
- All keywords are applicable.
- Conditions:Conversions > 5, and CPA or ROAS is at least 20% away from your target.
- Frequency :Weekly using data from previous week.
You can still stay ahead of the game by selecting the most effective keywords for your Google Ads account. You can use our free keyword tool to find the best keywords for your account.
19. Pause low-performing keywords
Even carefully researched keywords might not yield the results you expected. Plan to stop a keyword if you notice that it is generating a lot traffic, but there are no conversions.
- Keywords: Rule Type
- Action: Pause keyword
- All keywords are applicable.
- Conditions:Clicks over 100, high spend, and poor CPA
- Frequency : Monthly, using data from previous months.
20. Stop low-performing advertisements
Ad Testing plays a crucial role in managing Google Ads campaigns. This rule will help you determine which ad test was the winner and can be used to pause a poor-performing ad within an adgroup.
- Rule Type: Ads
- Action: Pause ad
- Applies to: Ads selected campaigns (consider, for example, only search campaigns)
- Conditions Ad Impressions > 1000 and Ad Group CTR > 1.0%.
- Frequency :Monthly using data from previous months.
Rules to monitor your campaign activities
Google Ads automatism rules can help you monitor campaign activity.
21. You will receive an email when your campaign budget is not being spent.
This rule will alert you if your campaign isn’t spending its monthly budget on time. You can then fix any issues before the end the month.
- Rule Type:Campaign
- Action:Send an email
- Please apply to: all campaigns
- ConditionsSpend less than 33% of your monthly budget
- Frequency : Monthly on the 15th using data from the current Month
22. You will receive an email when your team is not active on your account.
It can be frustrating if you trust someone to manage your account, only to find out that they don’t do anything. This little rule alerts you to the fact that a week has passed without any activity. You don’t have to check. This rule will help you maintain your trust with your trusted partners. Some accounts do not need daily or weekly updates to remain healthy.
- Rule Type:Campaign
- Action:Send an email
- Please apply to: all campaigns
- Conditions:Change History = 0
- Frequency :Weekly using data from last week
Want to learn more about optimizing your Google Ads Account? Use our Google ads grader for free to gain key insights into Quality Score, Impressions Share, and much more!
Your account management hero could be a good Google Ads automated Rule
Google Ads automatic rules will make managing your PPC campaign much easier. You can automate a number of manual tasks with a bit of planning. This will allow you to focus on your other priorities or relax during your breaks. Google Ads automated rule are only as powerful as the rules you create. Be careful about how often and how many changes you want to make and keep checking them until they’re perfected.
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