Why Did My Automation Not Adjust the Keywords?
Sometimes your automation does not add new keywords or adjust bids as expected – here’s what you should consider.
Answer
Often, keywords are not adjusted because the automation does not apply to the correct campaigns, ad groups, or keywords. Make sure that you have set the right conditions in your segment to target your intended structure, check that the status of your automation is set to Active, and see if other higher-priority automations might be overwriting the adjustments. Another common reason is a lack of up-to-date performance data for the relevant keywords or ad groups. The automation uses marketplace data at least 72 hours old. For the first adjustment, it can look back up to 60 days. Adjustments are usually made at night and can later be reviewed in the Adjustment Logs section. It's also possible that specific campaigns, ad groups, or targets have been paused or archived – in these cases, no automatic adjustments will occur.
Another possible reason your keywords were not adjusted is that a Schedule already applied changes, so the automation no longer considers the keyword.
Especially important: The automatic keyword management feature must be activated in the Keyword management settings, and the related structure must be set up correctly. If multiple rules could apply to the same element, only the one with the highest priority is used.
Also, check if your Amazon connections are up to date. These expire after a while, which means we no longer have access to your data and can't perform any adjustments.
Accessing the Function
- The actual adjustments made are shown in the Adjustment Logs.
- If you want to export the logs, use the Export logs option.
Settings & Options
- Apply to: In segment creation, define exactly which elements the automation will later affect.
- Keyword Management Settings: Enables the automatic addition of keywords and negative keywords to the associated ad groups.
- Automation Intensity: Controls the level of adjustments with the modes Cautious, Moderate, and Dynamic. This setting also determines how much valid performance data is required as a basis.
Limitations & Special Notes
- The automation only works with data at least 72 hours old. For the first use, it analyzes up to 60 days. If there is too little or no data available, no adjustments will be made.
- If a rule has a lower priority than another, it might not be applied. Priority is determined by both the order of automations and rules within a segment and the order of the segments themselves. The higher the automation is placed, the more likely it is to run.
- Archived or paused campaigns, ad groups, or targets often do not receive new keywords because their performance data is too outdated.
- All adjustments happen at night. Check the Adjustment Logs the next day.
Tips & Best Practices
- First, check if your automation truly affects the desired structure by using the Preview area in the segment to see if planned changes appear.
- Consult the Adjustment Logs to see if changes were made or simply logged as “No changes.”
- Ensure the Keyword Management Settings are active and that associated campaigns are correctly connected.
- Set the rule or folder to Active, and make sure no competing, higher-priority rule is overwriting your settings.
- Avoid overlaps with Schedules, short-term boosts, or external tools that can change performance indicators.
- For new or recently reactivated campaigns: Allow the system at least 72 hours to collect meaningful data and make sure there are enough impressions and clicks before expecting adjustments.