Use the Ad Groups page to search for and view ad groups and to review the performance statistics and bid information associated with those ad groups. You can search for ad groups by various attributes such as name, status, CTR, or cost and compare statistics across your ad groups.
To create an ad group:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to first view other ad groups under one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Click the Create Ad Group link.
Follow the instructions on the Create an Ad Group page.
For instructions on downloading ad groups, refer to the Downloading Component Data topic.
The Status column on the Ad Groups page contains current status information to show you whether or not the ad group is active. For more information on statuses, refer to the Statuses help topic.
To set a date range for ad group statistics:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Click the calendar icon. The Select Date dialog box opens.
In the Select Date dialog box, select a start date and an end date from the calendars on the right, or select a predefined date range in the selection box.
Click Apply.
The dates you selected are applied to the Ad Groups page. The ad group statistics will only display data within the selected date range.
To search for an ad group:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Enter all or part of an ad group name in the search box.
Click the Search button to retrieve results. The search results will display all ad groups that contain your search term in the ad group name.
In the table, click the column name in any column header to sort by the information in that column.
Click the Clear Search link to return to the default ad groups list.
Searching for Ad Groups with Advanced Search
To search for an ad group using advanced search:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Click the Advanced Search link. The Advanced Search dialog box opens.
Enter criteria for your search (you can enter as many advanced search criteria as you wish).
Click the Search button to retrieve your ad group search results.
In the table, click the column name in any column header to sort by the information in that column.
Click the Edit Search link if you want to refine the search, or click the Clear Search link to return to the default ad groups list.
To search for ad groups that are currently paused:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Click the Advanced Search link. The Advanced Search dialog box opens.
In the Status list, select Paused.
Click the Search button.
To search for ad groups that do not meet Content Match minimum bid requirements:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Click the Advanced Search link. The Advanced Search dialog box opens.
In the Status list, select Inactive, CM Bid Too Low.
Click the Search button.
To search for ad groups in your watch list:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Click the Advanced Search link. The Advanced Search dialog box opens.
In the Watch List menu, select On.
Click the Search button.
To search for ad groups that belong to specific campaigns:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Click the Advanced Search link. The Advanced Search dialog box opens.
In the Campaign Name dropdown menu, select whether you want to search for an exact campaign name or only the beginning portion of the campaign name.
In the Campaign Name field, type the campaign name or portion of the campaign name on which you want to filter.
Click the Search button.
Note: You can also view the ad groups that belong to a specific campaign by accessing that campaign’s Campaign Details page. To do so, click the Campaigns tab and then click the campaign link under the Campaign column in the table.
To search for all ad groups with fewer than 1,000 impressions whose name starts with "2008":
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Click the Advanced Search link. The Advanced Search dialog box opens.
Select Begins with from the Ad Group Name dropdown menu and type the word 2008 in the Ad Group Name field.
In the Impressions From field, enter 0.
In the Impressions To field, enter 1000.
Click the Search button.
To search for all Sponsored Search Only ad groups:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Click the Advanced Search link. The Advanced Search dialog box opens.
In the Tactic dropdown menu, select Sponsored Search Only.
Click the Search button.
Pausing and Unpausing Ad Groups
To pause or unpause ad groups:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Select the checkboxes that correspond to the ad groups you want to pause or unpause.
Click the Pause or Unpause buttons, depending on which action you want to take on the selected ad groups.
When the confirmation dialog box opens, click Submit to apply your changes.
Note: If you unpause an ad group that has become inactive because of another circumstance (for example, if a Content Match ad group is inactive because its minimum bid is not met), then the ad group will still remain inactive until the circumstance is corrected.
To add or remove ad groups from your watch list:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Select the checkboxes that correspond to the ad groups to add or remove from your watch list.
Click the Edit Watch List button. The Edit Watch List dialog box opens.
In the Watch Selected Ad Groups field, select Yes or No.
Click the Submit button to apply your changes.
If optimization is off for the campaign to which an ad group belongs, then you can set a bid amount for that ad group. The bid will apply to the keywords in the selected Sponsored Search ad groups and/or the selected Content Match ad groups (depending on your selection). Your bid is the maximum amount you are willing to pay each time your ad is clicked.
To set an ad group bid for one or more ad groups:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Click the checkboxes that correspond to the ad groups you would like to update. Note that optimization must be off for the campaigns to which the ad groups belong.
Click the Bid button. The Set a Bid dialog box opens.
In the Set a Bid dialog box, you can specify an ad group bid for Sponsored Search, Content Match, or both.
For Sponsored Search, specify an ad group bid. This will serve as the default bid for Sponsored Search keywords in your ad group.
For Content Match, specify an ad group bid.
Note: If the bids you specify are below the minimum amount required to keep the Sponsored Search keywords or Content Match ad groups active, then you will be prompted either to change the bid amount to the minimum amount required or to keep your specified bid and allow keywords that use their Sponsored Search ad group default bid or the Content Match ad groups to be inactive. If you want to keep all keywords active in a Sponsored Search ad group, then you should set the Sponsored Search ad group default bid to an amount that satisfies the highest minimum bid of the keywords using the ad group’s default bid. Keep in mind that keywords for which you have specified a custom bid do not use the ad group default bid.
Click the Submit button to apply the new bids to the selected ad groups.
To edit the Sponsored Search ad group default bid:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Identify an ad group with the Sponsored Search tactic. Note that optimization must be off for the campaign to which the ad group belongs.
Click the SS Bid link in the row that corresponds to that ad group. The Sponsored Search Ad Group Bid dialog box opens.
Specify the bid to apply to the Sponsored Search keywords in that ad group using the ad group default bid.
Note: If the bid you specify is below the minimum amount required to keep all of the keywords using the ad group default bid active, then you will be prompted to select one of the following options:
Change the bid to the minimum amount required to keep all of the keywords using the ad group default bid active.
Keep your specified bid and allow some keywords using the ad group default bid to be inactive.
Click the Submit button to apply the new Sponsored Search ad group default bid.
To edit the Content Match ad group bid:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens.
Click the checkboxes that correspond to the Content Match ad groups you would like to update.
Click the Set CM Bids button. The Set Content Match Ad Group Bids page opens.
In the Set Content Match Ad Group Bids page, you can select from the following options to set your keyword bids:
Set bids to the minimum required. If you want to set any Content Match ad group bids to the minimum required, click the corresponding checkboxes, and then click the Set CM Bids to Minimum button.
Specify a bid. If you want to specify a specific Content Match ad group bid, type the bid amount in the New Bid text box.
The down arrow button next to the text box for the first ad group on the page applies mass changes using the same bid amount. When you click the button, all Content Match ad groups on the page are automatically updated to the same bid as the first ad group.
Click the Save Changes button to apply the new bids to the Content Match ad groups.
If you are editing only one Content Match ad group bid, you can also use the following instructions:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Identify an ad group with the Content Match tactic.
Select the CM Bid link in the table that corresponds to that ad group. The Set a Content Match Ad Group Bid dialog box opens
Specify the bid to apply to the Content Match ad group.
Note: If the bid you specify is below the minimum amount required to keep the Content Match ad group active, then you will be prompted either to change the bid to the minimum amount required or to keep your specified bid and allow the ad group to be inactive.
Click the Submit button to apply the new Content Match ad group bid.
If campaign optimization is on, you can set ad group bid limits.
To set an ad group bid limit:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Click the checkboxes that correspond to the ad groups you would like to update. Note that optimization must be on for the campaigns to which the ad groups belong.
Click the Bid Limit button. The Set a Bid Limit dialog box opens.
Set a bid limit for Sponsored Search, Content Match, or both. You can either use the default bid limit that you set for the campaign or specify a custom bid limit for the ad group.
Note: If the bids you specify are below the minimum amount required to keep the Sponsored Search keywords or Content Match ad groups active through the ad group default bid, then you will be prompted either to change the bid amount to the minimum amount required or to keep your specified bid and allow keywords that use their Sponsored Search ad group default bid or the Content Match ad groups to be inactive.
Click the Submit button to apply the new bid limits to your ad groups.
Turning On and Off Ad Optimization
For ad groups that employ the Sponsored Search tactic, you can optimize ads so that only your top-performing ads display. The optimizer measures performance based on the guidelines you provide. If you enable analytics and tag your web site, you can optimize for metrics like conversions and revenue; impression and click metrics are always available.
To optimize ads in one or more ad groups:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Check the boxes for the ad groups whose ads you want to optimize.
Click the Optimize Ads button. The Optimize Ad Display dialog box opens.
Select Yes.
Click Submit.
To turn off ad optimization for one or more ad groups:
Follow steps 1 through 3 above, click No, and then click Submit.
To learn more about:
Alternate ways to turn ad optimization on or off for a single ad group at a time, see Ad Group Settings and Ad Group General Information
Ad optimization and how to specify optimization guidelines at the ad group-level, see Ad Group Optimization Guidelines
How to set default optimization guidelines for all ad groups in a campaign, see Define Campaign Optimization Guidelines
To delete ad groups:
Click the Campaigns tab and then the Ad Groups subtab. The Ad Groups page opens. (Alternatively, if you want to work with ad groups from one specific campaign, you could click only the Campaigns tab. When the Campaigns page opens, identify the campaign in the table and click its link to open the Campaign Details page.)
Click the checkboxes that correspond to the ad groups to delete.
Click the Delete button. The Delete Ad Group dialog box opens.
Click Yes to delete your ad groups or No to keep them.
To learn more about ad groups, see: