Turn on Google Ads adaptive location targeting

The steps that follow describe how to let Search Ads 360 automatically create locate targets in Google Ads campaigns using a conversion goal or a bid strategy's goal.

If you want to change an adaptive setting in multiple campaigns at once, you can upload a bulksheet. For more information, see the following articles:

• Use a bulksheet to change the adaptive setting in campaigns with a conversion goal.
• Use a bulksheet to change the adaptive setting in campaigns with a Search Ads 360 bid strategy.

Turn on adaptive location targeting in a campaign

1. Navigate to a Google Ads campaign.

   Steps for navigating to a campaign

   1. In the left navigation panel, click All accounts.
      What if the left navigation pane isn't visible?

   2. Click the navigation bar to display navigation options.

   3. In the "Agency" list, click on the agency that contains the advertiser. You can search for an agency by name or scroll through the list.

   4. In the "Advertiser" list, click on the advertiser that contains the engine account.

   5. In the "Account" list, click on the engine account that contains the campaign.

   6. In the "Campaign" list, click on the campaign.

   7. Click Apply or press the Enter key.

   Search Ads 360 displays the campaign page.

2. Under the name of the campaign, click the campaign settings icon . 

3. In the Bid strategy section, in the left panel, click Google Ads bid strategies to verify that a Google Ads bid strategy isn't applied to the campaign. If a Google Ads bid strategy is applied to the campaign, please remove it first:

   Under Google Ads bid strategy, click the arrow ▼ to display the list, and then click No bid strategy (manual bidding).

4. Apply a conversion goal to the campaign:

   1. In the Bid strategy section, in the left panel, click Search Ads 360 bid strategies.
   2. In the right panel, under Search Ads 360 bid strategy, click the arrow ▼ to display the list.
   3. Click Manual bidding.
      Manual bidding is required if you want to apply a conversion goal to the campaign.
   4. Optionally, select the On save, bid strategies applied to individual ad groups and keywords in this campaign will be removed, and they will instead inherit this bid strategy check box to remove bid strategies from the campaign's ad groups and keywords. The campaign and its ad groups and keywords will use manual bidding.
   5. Under Campaign goal, click the arrow ▼, and then select a conversion goal.
5. Optional, but recommended step. Under Bid adjustments, select the Location target bid adjustments check box. 
   If you let Search Ads 360 automatically adapt location targets in a campaign, a best practice is to also let Search Ads 360 set the bid adjustments for all of the location targets. Whether the conversion goal is being used to set or only recommend bid adjustments, adapted location targets initially inherit the bid adjustment from the original location target.

   The adapted location target bid adjustment is reevaluated and may be updated at least once a day.

   
6. Under Adaptive settings, select the Location targets check box.  
7. If you want to be notified when new location targets are created, select the Notify me by email when entities are created check box and enter one or more email addresses, separated by commas.
8. Click Save to close the campaign settings editor.
9. If you haven't already added location targets to the campaign, select high-level geo-location targets such as a country, state, or province. 
   On the Campaign location targets tab, if Search Ads 360 is using a conversion goal to set the location target bid adjustments, the Bid adjustment % column shows the bid adjustment. If Search Ads 360 is using the campaign goal to only recommend bid adjustments, the recommendation is shown in the Recommended bid adjustment % column.

Turn on adaptive location targeting with a bid strategy

1. Navigate to a Google Ads campaign.

   Steps for navigating to a campaign

   1. In the left navigation panel, click All accounts.
      What if the left navigation pane isn't visible?

   2. Click the navigation bar to display navigation options.

   3. In the "Agency" list, click on the agency that contains the advertiser. You can search for an agency by name or scroll through the list.

   4. In the "Advertiser" list, click on the advertiser that contains the engine account.

   5. In the "Account" list, click on the engine account that contains the campaign.

   6. In the "Campaign" list, click on the campaign.

   7. Click Apply or press the Enter key.

   Search Ads 360 displays the campaign page.

2. Under the name of the campaign, click the campaign settings icon . 

3. In the Bid strategy section, in the left panel, click Google Ads bid strategies to verify that a Google Ads bid strategy isn't applied to the campaign. If a Google Ads bid strategy is applied to the campaign, please remove it first:

   Under Google Ads bid strategy, click the arrow ▼ to display the list, and then click No bid strategy (manual bidding).

4. Apply a Search Ads 360 bid strategy to the campaign:

   1. In the Bid strategy section, in the left panel, click Search Ads 360 bid strategies.
   2. In the right panel, under Search Ads 360 bid strategy, click the arrow ▼ to display the list.
   3. Click the name of a Search Ads 360 bid strategy.
   4. Optional, but recommended step. Under Bid strategy goal, if necessary, click the Edit optimization settings button to select the Location target bid adjustments check box.
      If you let Search Ads 360 automatically adapt location targets in a campaign, a best practice is to also let Search Ads 360 set the bid adjustments for all of the location targets. When Search Ads 360 auto-generates a location target, it initially inherits the bid adjustment from the original location target.
   5. If you made changes to the bid strategy, click the Save bid strategy button.
   Changes to bid strategy settings impact all campaigns and other biddable items that are managed by the bid strategy. In this case, the bid strategy will set location target bid adjustments only in Google Ads campaigns and ad groups because location target bid adjustments are supported in Google Ads accounts only.
5. In the Campaign settings editor, under Adaptive settings, select the Location targets check box.
6. If you want to be notified when new location targets are created, select the Notify me by email when entities are created check box and enter one or more email addresses, separated by commas.
7. Click Save to close the campaign settings editor.
8. If you haven't already added location targets for the campaign, select high-level geo-location targets such as a country, state, or province.
   If a bid strategy is setting the bid adjustment, the Bid adjustment % column on the Campaign location targets tab shows the bid adjustment. If the bid strategy is only recommending bid adjustments, the recommendation is shown in the Recommended bid adjustment % column.  

Other settings required for adaptive location targets

In addition to turning on adaptive location targeting, Search Ads 360 also requires that auto-tagging is enabled and that the campaign has a minimum of about 32 days of performance history to auto-generate location targets. 

To turn on auto-tagging, do the following:

1. Sign into your Google Ads account.
2. Click the settings icon , and then click Account settings.
3. In the Tracking section, next to Auto-tagging, click Edit.
4.  Select the Auto-tagging check box.

To verify that a campaign has a sufficient amount of performance history, do the following:

1. Navigate to an account.
2. Click the Campaigns tab.
3. Add the Creation time column to the report.