Ad groups is where you manage all sponsored activity running on your site or network. An ad group is a time-limited, budgeted unit that places an advertiser's ads in sponsored positions.
Reading the ad group list
Each row represents one ad group. Use the Search field to find a specific ad group by name, the Status filter to narrow by lifecycle stage, and the Filters button to filter the list by any combination of advertiser, campaign, dates, or other dimensions.
The Columns button lets you customize which metrics are shown. The full list available is: Advertiser, Campaign, Pacing, Ad Revenue, Sales Revenue, ROAS, Orders, CPA, Conv. rate, Clicks, Impressions, CTR, eCPC, eCPM, CPM, Target CPC, Progress, Start date, End date, Daily goal, Budget, and Creator.
Impression and click data refreshes every 10–15 minutes. Conversion data has a delay of 1–2 hours.
Key columns to watch
Pacing shows whether an ad group is spending its budget at the expected rate over time. We compare actual spend to date against expected spend, based on how much of the ad group period has elapsed.
The pacing icon indicates the current status:
- ↑ Ahead of pace – spending is above the expected pace.
- → On track – spending is progressing at the expected pace.
- ↓ Behind pace – spending is below the expected pace and may not deliver the full budget before the end date.
- 🎓 Learning – shown during the initial period while there is not yet enough delivery data to assess pacing reliably.
ROAS is the clearest signal of whether an ad group is generating value for the advertiser. It is calculated as revenue attributed to the ad group divided by the cost of the ads — a ROAS of 5 means the advertiser earned five units of revenue per unit of ad spend. A strong ROAS validates the placement and makes renewal conversations easier. A low ROAS is worth investigating; product selection and relevance are usually the first things to check.
Ad group statuses
- Draft: the ad group has been saved but not yet activated. No ads are serving.
- Scheduled: the ad group is configured and will start serving when the start date is reached.
- Active: the ad group is live and serving sponsored placements.
- Paused: the ad group has been manually paused. No ads are serving, but the ad group can be resumed.
- Completed: the ad group has reached its end date or exhausted its budget.
- Error: something has prevented the ad group from serving correctly. Review the ad group settings and contact support if the issue isn't immediately clear.
- Archived: the ad group has been archived and is no longer active or editable.
By default, the ad group list is filtered to show Active and Scheduled ad groups. You can change this using the status quick filter.
Creating an ad group
Select Create ad group in the ad group list menu to open the four-step wizard. Before you start, make sure the advertiser is already set up in Admin — ad groups cannot be created without an existing advertiser.
Step 1: Campaign selection
Select the advertiser and choose which campaign this ad group belongs to. If no suitable campaign exists, select Create new campaign and give it a name. Campaigns are containers that group ad groups for the same advertiser, a useful way to separate different activity periods or product categories for the same brand.
Step 2: Ad group details
- Ad group name: Use something descriptive that makes the ad group easy to identify in the list, for example "Nike, Summer Campaign June" rather than a generic label.
- Start / End date: The period during which the ad group is active. Ad groups do not serve before the start date or after the end date, regardless of remaining budget.
- Ad group budget: Ad group budget: The total spend cap for the ad group. The budget is not guaranteed to be fully spent, as delivery depends on available inventory. Set it based on what the advertiser has agreed to spend.
- Target CPC: The cost-per-click goal. The bidding system adjusts bids dynamically to hit this target over time. Must be at or above the minimum target CPC set in Admin > Auction & Bidding.
- Pacing: How the budget is distributed over time. Even spreads spend evenly across the ad group duration and is the right default for most ad groups. ASAP spends as quickly as possible, use this when an advertiser needs maximum early exposure, such as for a product launch or a time-sensitive promotion.
Step 3: Product selection
Search for and select the products that should be sponsored. You can search by product name, category, brand, SKU, or any other attribute available in Elevate. Click "Select all" to add all products in the search result to the ad group, switch to the "Selected" tab to review your choices before continuing. A broader product selection generally gives the ad group more opportunities to serve.
Step 4: Confirmation
Review the full configuration before saving:
- Advertiser
- Campaign
- Ad group name
- Dates
- Budget
- Selected products
Create ad group submits the configuration. The ad group will move to Scheduled and start serving when the start date is reached.
Save as draft saves the configuration without activating, useful when preparing ad groups in advance or before a final review.
How ad groups are served
Once an ad group is active, it may take up to 15 minutes before sponsored ads appear on your site.
Delivery depends on available inventory and the ad group's configuration. If an active ad group is not delivering as expected, see Troubleshooting delivery.
Viewing ad group details
Select any ad group to open its detail panel. At the top, you'll see the ad group's status, date range, and a budget bar showing how much has been spent relative to the total. The campaign name is also shown here — select it to see a dropdown of other ad groups belonging to the same campaign, useful for navigating between related ad groups without going back to the list.
Use the date picker to adjust the reporting window inside the panel. This only affects what data is displayed, not the ad group itself.
The detail panel has two tabs:
Financial Performance
Shows Ad Revenue, Sales Revenue, ROAS, and Pacing. Use this tab to assess whether the ad group is delivering financial results relative to what was agreed with the advertiser.
Delivery Metrics
Shows Impressions, Clicks, CTR, Orders, Conversion rate, eCPM, CPA, and eCPC. Use this tab to understand whether the ad group is reaching shoppers and driving action, not just spending budget.
Data in the detail panel refreshes every 10–15 minutes. Metrics such as impressions, clicks, and spend may not reflect the most recent activity immediately.
Ads report
Below the ad group-level metrics, the Performance section shows how individual sponsored ads are performing within the ad group.
For each ad, you can see metrics such as Ad Revenue, ROAS, Impressions, eCPM, Clicks, CTR, eCPC, Orders, CPA, and Sales Revenue.
The Total row shows the combined performance of all ads in the ad group. Use Columns to choose which metrics are displayed.
Page report
Use the Report selector to switch from Ads to Pages. The Pages report shows the same performance data broken down by the pages where the ads were displayed.
Use this report to understand which pages are driving delivery, engagement, and sales. The Total row shows the combined performance across all pages.
Managing an ad group
Once an ad group has been created, you can update or manage it throughout its lifecycle. The available actions depend on the ad group’s current status.
Editing an ad group
Select Ad group settings in the top right of the detail panel to edit the ad group. The settings available for editing depend on the ad group’s current status and can include:
- Ad group name
- Budget
- Dates
- Pacing strategy
- Target CPC
Modifying a live ad group causes it to retrain, so avoid frequent adjustments. Make changes when there’s a clear reason, and give the ad group time to stabilise before evaluating the effect.
Editing ads
You can add or remove ads from an ad group after it has been created, including while it is running.
Open the ad group and select Edit ads in the Performance section. Search or browse available products to add or remove ads, and use the Selected tab to review the products currently included before saving your changes.
Archiving an ad group
To archive an ad group, select the three-dot menu at the far right of any row in the ad group list and choose Archive ad group. You will be asked to confirm before anything is removed.
Archived ad groups are not permanently removed, they are archived and can appear in the ad group list by selecting "Show archived" with an Archived status. Historical data is preserved, and the ad group remains visible for reporting purposes, but it can no longer be edited or reactivated.
Duplicating an ad group
To duplicate an ad group, select the three-dot menu at the far right of any row in the ad group list and choose Duplicate (see screenshot above). The new ad group copies all metadata from the original, including campaign, dates, budget, target CPC, pacing, and selected products.
The duplicate is named after the original with a "- Duplicated" suffix added.
If the original ad group's end date has already passed, the end date is left empty on the duplicate, and you need to set a new one before the ad group can serve. If the original ad group's start date has already passed, today's date is set as the new start date automatically.
Troubleshooting delivery
If an active ad group is not delivering as expected, check these common causes before making changes:
Pacing
An Even-paced ad group may intentionally hold back delivery if it has already reached its expected spend for the current period.
Bidding
If the target CPC is too low, the ad group may not win enough auctions to generate the expected number of impressions.
Product relevance
The selected products need to be relevant to the searches, pages, or recommendation contexts where sponsored placements are available. A narrow or less relevant product selection can limit the available inventory.
Available inventory
Delivery also depends on site traffic and competition from other active ad groups. Even with relevant products and a competitive bid, there may not always be enough eligible inventory to spend the full budget.
Allow time for recent changes to take effect before evaluating the ad group again. Modifying a live ad group causes it to retrain, so avoid making several adjustments in quick succession.