Add actions to an automation
Actions are the “then” part of your automation: what the system does when your conditions are met.
How actions work
Available actions depend on the level you selected for the automation. If you’re not sure how levels are defined, see Create an automation from scratch.
You can add multiple different actions to the same automation, but each action type can be used only once in that rule. All actions run based on the same set of conditions. To understand how conditions are structured, see Set conditions for an automation.
To review past action results, see How to read automation logs.
Action availability by level
|
Action |
Campaign group |
App |
Campaign |
Ad group |
Keyword |
Search term |
|
Send email notification |
Available |
Available |
Available |
Available |
Available |
Available |
|
Send Slack notification |
Available |
Available |
Available |
Available |
Available |
Available |
|
Pause |
Not available |
Not available |
Available |
Available |
Available |
Not available |
|
Activate |
Not available |
Not available |
Available |
Available |
Available |
Not available |
|
Add labels |
Not available |
Not available |
Available |
Available |
Available |
Not available |
|
Change daily budget |
Not available |
Not available |
Available |
Not available |
Not available |
Not available |
|
Change lifetime budget |
Not available |
Not available |
Available |
Not available |
Not available |
Not available |
|
Change default CPT bid |
Not available |
Not available |
Not available |
Available |
Not available |
Not available |
|
Change CPA cap |
Not available |
Not available |
Not available |
Available |
Not available |
Not available |
|
Change bid |
Not available |
Not available |
Not available |
Not available |
Available |
Not available |
|
Add as keyword |
Not available |
Not available |
Not available |
Not available |
Available |
Available |
|
Add as negative keyword |
Not available |
Not available |
Not available |
Not available |
Available |
Available |
Common action patterns
These are the most common ways teams use actions in Automations:
- Change bid (keyword level): Increase or decrease bids based on performance signals and volume trends. Often paired with Apple SOV conditions for brand protection.
- Change daily budget (campaign level): Keep budget consumption healthy by comparing spend against daily budget (or using a budget consumption metric).
- Change default CPT bid (ad group level): Common for Today Tab and Product Page campaigns to help spend a fixed budget efficiently.
- Add as keyword (search term level / keyword level): Keyword discovery by promoting promising search terms into keywords. Also used to move coverage between campaigns (add keyword to a target area, then negate in the original).
- Add as negative keyword (search term / keyword): Exclude budget-wasting traffic using Apple performance metrics.
- Pause (campaign / ad group / keyword): Stop spend on low-performing entities. A common best practice is to apply a label when pausing so you can revisit later.
- Slack / email notifications: Stay informed whenever an automation takes action (either as the only action, or alongside bid/budget changes).
Related links
- Set conditions for an automation
- Set the schedule for an automation
- Create an automation from scratch
- How to manage Automations
- How to read automation logs
Need more help?
If you have questions about your setup or the best rule structure for your account, contact your dedicated Customer Success Manager or reach out to the support team via live chat.