Configure feed data settings

Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, Yahoo! Japan Ads (delete actions only), and Yandex accounts only

You can configure how to handle ad groups, keywords, and ads in feed data files, and how to process the data in FTP files specifically, via the feed settings.

  1. In the main menu, click Search > Campaigns > Advanced (ACM).

  2. In the toolbar above the data table, click Settings.

  3. Specify the feed data settings:

    1. In the Obsolete Item Auto-Processing section, select information in the fields.

    2. (Advertisers uploading data via FTP or via a direct link to a merchant center account) In the FTP/GMC Account Auto-Processing section, select information in the fields.

    3. In the Miscellaneous Auto-Processing section, select information in the fields.

  4. Click Save.

Feed data settings feed-data-settings

Enable obsolete item auto-processing for: Applies all of the Obsolete Item Auto-processing settings to:

  • Ad Groups Only: Obsolete ad groups only.

  • Keywords Only: Obsolete keywords and product groups only.

  • Ad Variations Only (the default): Obsolete ads only.

  • Keywords and Ad Variations: Both obsolete keywords/product targets/product groups and obsolete ads.

NOTE
  • For Google Ads shopping ads, only the lowest-level product group is affected.
  • For Yandex accounts, obsolete item auto-processing tasks are always performed on ad variations, regardless of this setting.

When the Scheduled End Date is reached: (Manually posted data only) What to do with line items in a feed file posted with a specified end date and time once the end time arrives:

  • Delete (the default): Delete all relevant components when the specified end time arrives. You can’t reverse this operation.

  • Pause: Pause all relevant components when the specified end time arrives. You can reactivate the components later, if necessary.

  • None: Don’t change the status of the relevant components.

Missing line items in a manually uploaded feed: What to do with existing items when they aren’t included in a new feed file that was uploaded manually or when they don’t map to existing campaigns or ad groups per the Map Only settings in the template:

  • Delete: Delete the existing components.

  • Pause: Pause the existing components. They’re reactivated if a new feed file contains any of the same line items, and they retain their history and quality scores. Note: If all of the child product groups for a parent product group are missing, then the parent product group is deleted because you can’t pause product groups.

  • None (the default): Don’t change the existing components.

Missing line items in an FTP feed/GMC account: What to do with existing items when 1) they aren’t included a) in a new feed file that was uploaded to an FTP directory or b) in a merchant center account the next time that Search, Social, & Commerce syncs with it, or 2) when they don’t map to existing campaigns or ad groups per the Map Only settings in the template.

  • Delete: Delete the existing components.

  • Pause: Pause the existing components. They’re reactivated if new data contains any of the same line items, and they retain their history and quality score. Note: If all of the child product groups for a parent product group are missing, then the parent product group is deleted because you can’t pause product groups.

  • None (the default): Don’t change the existing components.

When a numeric stock level reaches N units, or where a text-based value is ‘out of stock’: What to do with line items that include a stock level when:

  • (For feeds with numeric-only stock values in the specified column) The stock level is at or below a specified quantity. The default quantity is zero (0).

  • (For feeds with text values in the specified column) The value for Availability is “out of stock”; the value isn’t case-sensitive. Note: **In feed templates, indicate text-based stock level columns using the check box for “This column has non-numeric values.”

Select the action for both cases:

  • Delete (the default) Delete the components.

  • Pause: Pause the components. When the data is updated, the components are reactivated if the numeric stock values go above the specified quantity or if the Availability is “in stock” or “preorder”. The components retain their history and quality score.

The stock level for each line item comes from a column in the feed file, as specified in the “Stock Level” field for each template.

TIP
  • For products or services that you expect to restock or increase availability for, you should pause ad groups, keywords, and ads rather than deleting them and recreating them. Pausing allows them to retain their quality scores.
  • If you enable obsolete auto-processing for ad groups, and new data includes a stock level for the ad group, then it’s meaningful to delete or pause the ad group only when the specified stock level is at the category level rather than at the brand/item level. For example, if you have an ad group “convertibles,” then the stock level for the ad group should be the total for all individual convertible models represented in the ad group.

Propagate feed data through all applicable templates: (Advertisers uploading data files via FTP or a merchant center account) Automatically propagates new data through the applicable templates. The option is selected by default. If you disable the option, then you can still manually propagate data for any feed file or account, or for any template.

NOTE
  • For FTP files, the feed service checks for updates in the FTP directory every two hours (even-numbered hours in the PST time zone). This option processes all files that were uploaded since the last check.
  • For merchant center accounts, Search, Social, & Commerce synchronizes with the account daily at approximately 06:00 in the advertiser’s time zone. This option processes all data that was updated since the last sync.
  • Propagated data is available from the Campaigns, Ad Groups, Keywords, and Ads tabs until the data is posted to the ad network or to the Bulksheets view.

Post to the SE: (Advertisers uploading data files via FTP or a merchant center account) Automatically creates bulksheet files in the correct formats for the relevant ad networks after new data is propagated through the applicable templates. This option also removes the data from the Campaigns, Ad Groups, Keywords, and Ads tabs, unless any subcomponents have errors.

This option is disabled by default. To enable this option, select the check box and then specify whether to post bulksheet files to the ad networks:

  • Immediately (the default): Posts the bulk sheet files to the relevant ad networks after the data is propagated through the templates. The bulksheet files remain available in the Bulksheets view for 30 days.

  • Preview in Bulksheet Management area only, post later:* Doesn’t post the bulksheet files to the relevant ad networks but lists them in the Bulksheets view, from which you can post them later. The bulksheet files remain available in the Bulksheets view for 30 days. When the bulksheet file is more than 10 MB but smaller than 2 GB, the file is in ZIP format; you don’t need to unzip the file to post it. Tip: If you haven’t previously validated your landing pages, then use this option so you can validate them from the Bulksheets view before you post the data to the ad network.

Exclude keywords from posting when keyword length is greater than: Precludes posting keyword phrases with more than a specified number of words to the ad network. When this option is selected, keyword phrases with more than the maximum number of words are propagated and listed on the Keywords tab, but they aren’t posted when you try to post the data.

This option is disabled by default so that all keywords are posted, regardless of how many words the phrase includes. If you select this option, select the maximum number of words to post (from 3-10).

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