Automation rules can help you streamline campaign management and optimization. Instead of applying filters every day and going through hundreds of keywords to find the ones that could help you succeed and manually changing the bids for keywords, you can allow the system to give you timely insights and take action depending on specified conditions.
To successfully automate your campaign management process, ensure:
That all account setup steps are completed, and you have all data needed within your account.
Proper campaigns structure.
Understanding of the user journey in your app. That is, how much time usually passes between the click/tap and an in-app event you would like to optimize towards.
Understanding the target metrics most suitable for the optimization of your app (what's the value of your target CPI, CPA, CPG, what's the ROAS percent, etc.). You need this to be able to distinguish between a high-performing keyword and a spend waster.
⭐️ Note:
If there are multiple apps in the account, your automation approach may differ for them depending on the settings and optimization budget for each one.
Be careful not to transfer the results you see and have achieved in other channels to Apple Ads, as this channel is different.
SplitMetrics Acquire allows you to quick-start your automation setup by using Automated rules templates. Templates cover the most popular cases for managing your campaigns, top-performing and non-performing keywords, and optimizing discovery campaigns. Make sure to give templates a try while working with automation.
Automated rules templates are customizable, meaning the system will create rules based on the metrics and values you choose to provide flexibility and relevance.
Currently, there are 3 spheres that templates cover:
Basic rules templates that help with the most elementary actions to show value on the spot.
Performance rules templates are CPA-based oriented rules that help you understand and optimize the results that keywords bring in.
Discovery rules templates can help with researching new keywords and doing that in the most optimized way.
Every template has a detailed description that can be seen once you click it to help you understand why certain conditions are needed and the logic behind them. Those descriptions are best practice reference points for specific actions, so pay close attention to them to gain valuable insights into the optimization process.
🔷 Mind conversion cycle time periods in rules.
Use shorter periods of time in rule conditions for taps/installs data and longer periods of time for conversions (in-app events), e.g., 3-7 days for taps and 7-14 days for conversions. Think of your sales cycle and how quickly a target action happens after the install, and apply these date ranges accordingly.
🔷 Manage keywords in different campaigns separately.
Apply rules to “Keywords in selected campaigns/ad groups” to avoid affecting Broad Match keywords in Discovery campaigns and applying the same rules to all storefronts. You can also exclude certain keywords that you want to manage manually with labels.
🔷 Set a "tolerance window" in the rule’s conditions for target metrics.
To prevent excessive bid changes, think of your target CPA/ROAS not as an exact value you’re aiming for but as a range. Which CPA range would you be okay with? Usually, +/- 5-10% of the target CPA is good. In rules, only optimize keywords outside of that range.
🔷 Don’t forget the “Goals > 0” condition in the rules for top-converters.
Add “target action > x” condition to ensure that the rule only applies to well-performing keywords.
🔷 Set spend/tap/installs threshold in rules for low-ROAS keywords.
When setting “decrease bid” rules for keywords with ROAS below target (e.g., if ROAS D7 < 10%), it’s important to add spend/taps/installs threshold. Otherwise, rules will also reduce bids for new keywords that haven’t had a chance to gain traction yet. Think of how many taps/installs are enough to ensure you’re not making hasty decisions.
🔷 Correctly use the "Limit action frequency" setting.
Run rules frequently enough to quickly spot and change any new keywords falling under the conditions, but limit action frequency to prevent excessive changes to the same keywords.
🔷 Use the right percentage values for schedule-based automation.
If you decrease/increase bids for a specific time, for example, on weekends, calculate the % needed to return to the initial bid. So if you decrease bids by 20% on Saturday, then increase bids by 25% on Monday. You can use one of many percent change calculators available online. 🔗 Learn more
🔷 Consider your account's timezone while creating schedule-based rules.
All automation in SplitMetrics Acquire is run based on your account time zone (Apple Ads ORTZ). If your account time zone is different from the time zone your target users are in, then you should consider this difference while setting rules scheduling. 🔗 How do I find out my account time zone?
🔷 Consider data collection timings from Apple for Impression Share.
When setting the run frequency for automated rules that include Impression Share as a condition, consider running the rule after 6-7 pm UTC or later. This timing ensures that you are working with the most precise and final values provided by Apple Ads, as earlier values may differ due to ongoing updates and recalculations performed by Apple throughout the day. 🔗 Learn more
🔷 Don’t overcrowd your rules with conditions.
Pick 1-2 metrics that matter the most and make your rules based on them. Do not overcomplicate, as this might lead to inefficiency and obstruction of the whole process.
🔷 Mind the “pause in the original ad group” option.
This option is enabled by default, so when adding Exact Match keywords as negatives to Discovery, or moving top-performing keywords to Broad Match, remember to unselect the Pause in the original ad group option.
🔷 Use ROAS D0 metric in rules.
Protect your brand by increasing the bid once in 24 hours when ROAS D0 for the last 7 days exceeds the target ROAS. The goal is to protect your brand by ensuring that your ads continue to show prominently and reach your desired audience, while also maximizing your advertising return on investment. Specify the upper bid limit in the rule to stay within your budget.
Optionally, you can also add a condition for a conversion to avoid wasting your advertising budget on ineffective campaigns.
Decrease the bid for your advertising once every 24 hours if ROAS D0 for the previous 7 days is below the target ROAS. The goal is to prevent overspending on advertising by reducing your bid when your ads are not performing as well as desired, thereby avoiding wasting money on ineffective ads.
Make sure to take advantage of a comprehensive view of your active automation rules to enhance transparency and management! You can effortlessly see all your active rules with their key details directly from the Ads Manager dashboards and manage them with one click. All you have to do is add the Active Rules column to the Campaigns, Ad groups, Ad groups settings, Keywords or Search Terms dashboard 👇
Great news! We've added a by rule name filter in the Active Rules column across all tabs in Ads Manager. This means you can now:
✅ Identify Opportunities – Easily find objects without any active rules and apply automation to boost performance.
✅ Resolve Conflicts – Quickly filter objects with competing rules to keep your automation strategy smooth and disruption-free.
🔍 Where to find it?
Head to Ads Manager, locate the Active Rules column, and use the by rule name filter to refine your search instantly 👇
🔎 Hover over the rule to see a hint that provides essential details, such as the rule name, date created, last run, and next run – and always have up-to-date information at your fingertips.
🔎 Keep track of how many automation processes are ongoing at any time with the running rules counter, displaying the number of currently active rules for the given campaign, ad group, keyword, or search term.
🔎 Click on the expand button to access more in-depth information about each active rule and manage it directly from the pop-up window: pause, edit, view logs, and access Change History in one click.
Note. If a rule was created at the campaign level, it will appear in the Active Rules column on the Campaign dashboard. Similarly, rules created at the ad group level will be shown in the Ad Groups dashboard.
These features make it easier for you to manage and optimize your automated rules, ensuring that your campaigns perform at their best with minimal manual intervention!
Remember that automation is a friend of yours, but you are the one in charge of the process. Take a systematic approach, and automation will surely help you reach your goals efficiently 🚀