Google Ads Manager

Your always-on optimization system for Google Ads.

The Google Ads canon is the input. What Cortex does with it is the output. Sentries watch every account every day for drift against documented best practice. Optimizers act on the findings. Every change is logged, measured, and traceable back to the docs and learnings that produced it.

29,112

Documents indexed

Active learnings

Source properties

Retrieve

Ads API · GA4 · Search Console · Merchant Center · CRM

Analyze

Match retrieved data against the corpus + learnings layer

Decide

Apply structured decision protocol with guardrails

Act

Execute via API or surface for human review

Measure

Track outcome vs intent · feed back into learnings

Google Ads AI

Google Ads questions, answered.

Hybrid retrieval · Opus 4.7

↵

Bid strategy migration Performance Max asset groups Disapproved ads Quality Score levers GAQL query patterns Brand exclusion lists

Sample answer

Cortex · answering with 7 sources

When should I switch a Search campaign from Maximize Conversions to Target ROAS?

Google's documented threshold is at least 15 conversions with reported values in the last 30 days^[1]. Before that, Target ROAS lacks enough signal to optimize against and will typically underspend the budget^[2].

Once you cross the threshold, set the initial target_roas within ±15% of your trailing 30-day actual ROAS^[3]. Setting it more aggressive at switch-over is the most common cause of immediate volume drops - Google's bidder will pull bids on auctions it judges unlikely to clear the target^[4].

If conversion values vary widely (e.g. ecom with a wide AOV distribution), enable value rules for first-time vs returning customers before switching^[5], otherwise tROAS will optimize toward whichever segment carries the higher average value.

Plan for a 2-week learning period with no structural changes^[6]. The Cortex Bidding Sentry will alert if CPA spikes > 25% beyond historic mean during the transition.

Answered in 1.42 seconds · 7 most relevant of 412 sources considered

Citations

[1]About Target ROAS bidding

support.google.com / google-ads / answer / 6268637

officialhelp-center

[2]Smart Bidding learning period guide

support.google.com / google-ads / answer / 9111897

officialhelp-center

[3]Choose the right Smart Bidding strategy

support.google.com / google-ads / answer / 10276703

officialhelp-center

[4]BiddingStrategy.target_roas (Ads API v24)

developers.google.com / google-ads / api / reference / rpc / v24 / BiddingStrategy

officialads-api

[5]About conversion value rules

support.google.com / google-ads / answer / 9888141

officialhelp-center

[6]Learning status for Smart Bidding

support.google.com / google-ads / answer / 9143380

officialhelp-center

[7]Cortex learning L-0184 · tROAS migration guardrail

cortex_learnings · evidence: 9 chunks

learningconditional_rule

Google Ads FAQ

What people actually ask.

Last 30 days

Bidding

Why is my Performance Max campaign underspending against a high tROAS?

14 cites1.1s

Creative

What's the minimum asset count for full Ad Strength on a PMax asset group?

9 cites0.9s

Policy

Why was my Shopping ad disapproved for "misrepresentation" with no clear violation?

11 cites1.3s

Measurement

How do I attribute offline conversions back to Performance Max channels?

8 cites1.0s

Structure

Should I split branded queries into a separate Search campaign in 2026?

13 cites1.2s

API

Show me a GAQL query for waste detection - high-impression, zero-conversion search terms.

6 cites0.7s

Audiences

When should I use custom segments vs in-market segments for PMax audience signals?

8 cites1.0s

Shopping

Why is my Merchant Center feed showing 60% of products as "limited" for free listings?

10 cites1.1s

Quality Score

What's the highest-leverage way to lift expected CTR on a Search ad in 2026?

7 cites0.9s

Conv tracking

How do I set up enhanced conversions without breaking my existing GTM pixel?

12 cites1.2s

PMax

Should I exclude my brand keywords from Performance Max at the account level?

15 cites1.3s

Smart Bidding

Why does Target CPA ignore the value I set during the learning period?

9 cites1.0s

Reporting

What's the best way to attribute view-through conversions in Demand Gen?

7 cites0.9s

Display

How aggressive should I be with placement exclusions on Display campaigns?

6 cites0.8s

Video

When should I use CPV vs CPM bidding for YouTube In-Stream campaigns?

8 cites0.9s

Budgets

What's the right way to test a 50% budget increase without resetting learning?

11 cites1.1s

Negatives

How do I scale negative keyword management across 200+ Search campaigns?

9 cites1.0s

Geo

Why is my location bid adjustment not applying to a Performance Max campaign?

7 cites0.9s

Assets

Which sitelink count actually improves CTR vs becoming visual noise?

6 cites0.8s

Account

When should I split into multiple MCC sub-accounts for one client?

8 cites1.0s

The Cortex Google Ads Management Playbook

Rules, patterns, and antipatterns - applied automatically.

61 active Google Ads learnings

conditional ruleL-0184

Don't switch to Target ROAS until 15+ conversion-value conversions in trailing 30 days.

Sources 9Confidence 92%

patternL-0227

Account-level brand exclusion lists beat PMax campaign-level negatives for branded-search containment.

Sources 12Confidence 88%

antipatternL-0091

Never enable Enhanced CPC on a campaign joined to a portfolio bid strategy. Silently breaks the bidder.

Sources 7Confidence 95%