Itinerary conversion value rules FAQs

Itinerary conversion value rules (iCVRs) allow you to adjust how you value customer actions based on details like their length of stay or how far in advance they book. By customizing these values, you can guide your Hotel or Performance Max for Travel goals campaigns to focus on the bookings that drive the most profit for your business.

This article answers frequently asked questions about configuring these rules and understanding their impact on Smart Bidding and reporting.

General frequently asked question

What's the difference between a dimension and a rule?

A dimension is a vector by which you choose to value differently, such as audience or location. A rule is the combination of the dimension with the value adjustment (such as +3, x2).

Setup and management

How many rules can I set?

You can set up to 500 rules at the campaign or account level. However, only one rule applies to a given conversion, even if you’re eligible for multiple rules. More on what happens if you meet the conditions for multiple rules can be found here.

How many conditions can I set per rule?

You can set a maximum of 2 conditions per rule. These include a primary and secondary condition (If/And). Conditions can be either inclusive or exclusive, for example, everyone not on this audience list.

At what account level can I set Conversion Value Rules?

You can set rules at the account or campaign level. If you set at the account level, rules apply to all biddable conversion actions. Rules applied at the campaign level only impact values reported in that campaign. If you set rules at both levels, the campaign-level overrides the one set at the account level. If an account opts into MCC conversion tracking, you must set up account-level rules at the MCC level. You’ll notice a message at the top of the screen indicating which account sets the rule.

How do I set a negative value?

By using the “multiply” function you can multiply by a value less than one in order to “subtract” from an overall value. For instance, you can set a rule for location that multiplies by .5 for all New Yorkers. If a value was originally set at $10 USD, value rules will adjust this to $5 USD.

0.5x of the original value is the lowest multiplier possible, lower values will result in an error.

You can’t use the “add” function with a negative value. This will result in an error.

Negative values, or values less than $0 USD, aren’t supported in Google Ads.

Smart Bidding and optimization

How do Conversion Value Rules impact how the Smart Bidding model learns? Will Smart Bidding ultimately take these Value Rules into account and then automate using the Value Rule as a signal?

When a conversion value rule is active at the account or campaign level, Smart Bidding considers these rules at serving time and factors them into bid optimization. Value Rules are designed to have near immediate reactivity at serving time in the Smart Bidding model.

What happens if I remove a Value Rule on a campaign or in an account using Smart Bidding?

Target ROAS (tROAS) for hotel ads aims to drive as much conversion value as possible within your ROAS target or budget, and will take into account the rules currently active in an account. If you remove a rule, tROAS for hotel ads continues to drive as much conversion value as possible, based on any remaining rules. The system reacts quickly to the addition, removal, or changes of value rules to optimize your current definition of value.

If I create a campaign-level Conversion Value Rule, will other campaigns using tROAS for hotel ads be impacted?

No, value rules created at the campaign level won’t affect bidding performance or reported conversions for other campaigns.

Can I set a rule on conversion actions that aren’t currently tracking value, or have a $0 USD value set? Can I set a rule to turn non-zero valued conversions into $0 USD values?

While you can do this, you may notice a negative impact on Smart Bidding performance. A recommended approach is to optimize all conversion actions in the "Conversion" column. Target Return On Ad Spend (tROAS) and Maximize Conversion Value (MCV) optimize to whatever is in the "Conversion value" column.

Reports

Why do impression volumes and ROAS vary across segments with different iCVR rules?

Variations in impression volumes and Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) across segments where different Itinerary Conversion Value Rules (iCVRs) are applied are expected and indicate the system is working as designed.

Impression volume differences: It’s normal to observe different impression volumes for segments with distinct iCVR multipliers. This is primarily driven by:

• Natural market dynamics: The inherent search volume and availability for the specific itineraries (for example, advance booking window, length of stay, travel start day) that trigger each iCVR. Some itineraries naturally have higher or lower demand.
• While iCVRs guide the tROAS bidding strategy to value certain conversions more highly, impression levels are a result of both this value signal and the underlying market opportunity for those specific itineraries.

Expected ROAS fluctuations: Differences in reported ROAS between these segments are a direct consequence of how iCVRs adjust conversion values:

• An iCVR acts as a multiplier on the base conversion value. For example:
  • A 0.9x rule lowers the reported conversion value for that segment, resulting in a lower calculated ROAS.
  • A 1.1x rule increases the reported conversion value, leading to a higher calculated ROAS.
• Since ROAS is calculated using these adjusted values, variations between segments with different multipliers are built-in.

Key takeaway: These variances don’t signify a technical issue. iCVRs are designed to help Google Ads optimize for what you define as the most valuable outcomes. Focus on whether the overall campaign ROAS aligns with your business objectives and if the iCVR setup is effectively prioritizing valuable conversions.