PPC Rule Builder
Build automated bid rules visually on a drag-and-drop canvas - combine conditions, AND/OR logic, and actions, simulate against history, then deploy to the same engine that powers Bid Rules.
Difficulty: 🔴 Advanced · Reading time: ~12 min
Open this page in your dashboard: Go to PPC Rule Builder [BETA] →
BETA: The PPC Manager is in beta, and the Rule Builder is one of its newest surfaces. A few advanced actions and OR-group logic ship in the interface ahead of the automation worker - the guide flags each one where it applies. Please report anything unexpected at info@sellermagnet.com.
📋 Overview
The Rule Builder is a visual, drag-and-drop canvas for assembling automated bid rules. Instead of filling in a form, you drag conditions (ACoS, CTR, spend, clicks, and more) and actions (raise or lower bids, pause a keyword, add a negative, send an alert) onto a canvas, wire them together with AND/OR logic, and save.
It is important to understand what the Rule Builder is not: it is not a separate automation engine. Under the hood the canvas serialises to the exact same JSON schema used by the Bid Rules page, and it saves through the same endpoint. A rule you build here shows up in your Bid Rules list, runs on the same schedule, and appears in the same execution history. Think of the Rule Builder as a richer editor over the same rule engine.
Rule Builder vs the Create Rule modal
The Bid Rules page has a simple Create Rule modal that is perfect for a single, one-action rule where every condition is joined by AND. The Rule Builder is the power-user surface for the same idea. Use it when you want to:
Add several AND conditions
Yes
Yes
Group conditions with OR logic
No
Yes (visual groups)
Choose from advanced actions (bid to breakeven, pause campaign, add negative, send alert)
No
Yes
Scope by campaign name pattern (wildcards)
No
Yes
Set a per-condition lookback window
No
Yes
Simulate the rule against history before saving
No
Yes (Test Rule)
Review the last 30 runs in-panel
No
Yes
Load a ready-made template
No
Yes
When to use which: Reach for the modal for quick guardrails like "ACoS > 35% and Clicks > 25, decrease bid 10%." Reach for the Rule Builder when a rule needs OR branches, a non-bid action, pattern scoping, or you want to preview its impact before it goes live.
The Canvas at a Glance
The Rule Builder is a three-pane workspace.
Building Blocks (left)
The palette. Drag Conditions, Logic (AND/OR), and Actions onto the canvas
Canvas (center)
Where the rule takes shape: a WHEN section for conditions and a THEN section for actions, with the campaign scope card on top
Properties / Last 30 runs (right)
Edit the selected block's settings, or switch tabs to review recent runs. Below it sits the action bar: Schedule, Active toggle, Test Rule, Run Now, Save Rule
The canvas reads top to bottom like a sentence: Apply to (scope) these campaigns, WHEN these conditions match, THEN do this.
Amazon Ads connection required. The Rule Builder needs a connected Amazon Advertising account. If you see a "Connect Your Amazon Advertising Account" banner, connect it in Settings first - otherwise the campaign scope selector and simulation have no data to work with.
Building a Rule Step by Step
Step 2: Set the scope (Apply to)
The scope card sits at the top of the canvas. Choose which campaigns the rule touches:
All campaigns
The rule evaluates every campaign, including ones you create later
Specific campaigns
Pick campaigns from a multi-select list (hold Ctrl/Cmd to select several)
Match by name pattern
Enter a wildcard pattern such as SP - Auto - * or *brand*. Case-insensitive
Match by tag
Coming soon - the option is visible but disabled
"All campaigns" is future-inclusive. A rule scoped to All campaigns will also run on any new campaign you launch later. If you only ever want it on today's campaigns, choose Specific campaigns and select them explicitly.
Step 3: Drag in conditions (the WHEN block)
From the Conditions section of the palette, drag a metric onto the canvas. Available condition metrics:
ACoS
%
Cap advertising cost of sale
CTR
%
Find low-relevance keywords
CVR
%
Spot strong or weak converters
Spend
€
Set a spend floor before acting
Clicks
-
Require enough data to be meaningful
Impressions
-
Gate on visibility volume
Orders
-
Target zero-order or high-order keywords
Sales
€
Filter by revenue
Each dropped condition starts with a sensible default (for example ACoS defaults to > 30). Select the block to open its Properties on the right and adjust the Metric, Operator (>, ≥, <, ≤, =), Value, and Lookback (days) - 7, 14, or 30. The lookback window is per-condition, so one rule can measure ACoS over 14 days while requiring Clicks over 30 days.
Always add a data-volume gate. Pair any efficiency condition (ACoS, CTR, CVR) with a Clicks > or Spend > condition so the rule never acts on a keyword with two clicks and a temporarily wild ACoS.
Step 4: Add logic - AND vs OR
Conditions inside the same group are joined by AND (all must match). AND is the default: simply drop another metric into the same group and it chains automatically with an "AND" divider between blocks.
For OR logic, add a second group. Drag the OR block from the palette (or click + Add OR group) to create a new group. The canvas shows an OR divider between groups, so the rule reads "match group 1 OR match group 2." Each group carries its own set of AND conditions.
OR groups are ahead of the worker. You can build and save OR groups today, and Test Rule will evaluate them, but until the automation worker update ships, saved rules chain all conditions as AND when they actually execute. The Rule Builder shows a reminder toast when you save a multi-group rule. If you need true OR behaviour live right now, split it into two separate single-group rules.
Step 5: Drop an action (the THEN block)
From the Actions section of the palette, drag an action into the THEN zone. Available actions:
Change bid by %
Yes (e.g. +10 or -30)
Live
Set bid to value
Yes (e.g. 0.50 €)
Live
Pause keyword
No
Live
Enable keyword
No
Live
Bid to breakeven
No
Beta - simulates now, executes after worker update
Pause campaign
No
Beta - simulates now, executes after worker update
Add negative
No
Beta - simulates now, executes after worker update
Send alert
No
Beta - simulates now, executes after worker update
Actions carrying a Beta tag ship in the interface ahead of the worker. When you select one, its Properties panel shows the note: "This action ships in the UI but waits on a worker update before applying. Saved rules using it will simulate but not execute until then." They are safe to build and test - they just will not change anything in Amazon yet.
For Change bid by %, a positive value raises bids and a negative value lowers them; on save this maps to an Increase or Decrease rule type automatically.
Step 6: Test before you save
Click Test Rule in the action bar. The builder evaluates your conditions against the last 30 days of data and returns a plain-language summary, for example: how many times per day the rule would have fired, how many keywords and campaigns would have matched, an estimated monthly spend and sales impact, and up to five sample matched keywords. Treat the impact numbers as directional estimates from recent performance, not guarantees.
Step 7: Schedule, activate, and save
In the action bar:
Schedule: Daily, Hourly, or Weekly.
Active: leave the toggle on to deploy the rule live, or turn it off to save a draft that does not run.
Click Save Rule. The rule is written through the standard Bid Rules endpoint and now appears on the Bid Rules page.
Run Now applies a saved rule once, on demand. You must save the rule first - Run Now targets the saved rule, so it prompts you to save if you have not yet.
Load Template to start fast. The Load Template menu (top right) drops a fully wired starter rule onto the canvas - such as pausing low-CTR keywords, boosting strong converters, cutting wasteful spend, or auto-negating ACoS bombs. Load one, then tweak the thresholds to fit your account before saving.
How the Canvas Maps to the Bid Rules Engine
When you save, the Rule Builder flattens the visual canvas into the same JSON structure the Bid Rules engine reads:
Every condition block becomes a
{metric, operator, value, lookback_days}entry - identical to a modal condition row.The first action block becomes the rule's primary action. A Change bid by % action resolves to an Increase Bid or Decrease Bid rule type based on the sign of the value.
Your scope choice becomes the campaign filter (a specific-campaign list, a name pattern, or all campaigns).
The visual layout is stored alongside the rule so the canvas can be reconstructed.
Because the output schema and save endpoint are shared, everything you already know about Bid Rules still applies: the same daily/weekly cadence semantics, the same execution log, and the same Approval Center review flow if you run in manual-review mode. The Rule Builder is a friendlier way to author the rule, not a different thing to manage.
Worked Example: Stop Wasteful Keywords, Visually
Let's build a "pause the money drains" rule end to end.
Goal: Pause any keyword that has spent real money without converting, but only on the auto campaigns.
WHEN conditions (all AND)
Drag three conditions into one group so they chain with AND:
Orders
=
0
14 days
Clicks
>
20
14 days
Spend
>
15 €
14 days
The Clicks > 20 and Spend > 15 gates ensure the rule only fires on keywords with meaningful, statistically reliable data - not a keyword that has had three clicks.
Test, then deploy
Click Test Rule. Suppose it reports it would have matched 12 keywords across 4 campaigns and lists the worst offenders. That looks right, so set Schedule to Daily, leave Active on, and click Save Rule. The rule now runs daily and shows up in your Bid Rules list, where you can review its execution log a week later.
Recovery plan: Review paused keywords monthly. Some fail because of a listing problem (out of stock, weak images) rather than being bad keywords. Fix the root cause and re-enable them.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
No data-volume gate. A rule of "ACoS > 40%, lower bid" with no click or spend condition will fire on keywords with almost no data. Fix: always add
Clicks > 20orSpend > 10 €in the same group.Expecting OR to run live today. Two groups joined by OR will simulate correctly, but until the worker update, execution treats every condition as AND. Fix: for true OR behaviour right now, save two separate single-group rules instead.
Saving a Beta action and expecting Amazon changes. Bid to breakeven, pause campaign, add negative, and send alert are Beta - they simulate but do not execute yet. Fix: for live automation today, use Change bid by %, Set bid to value, Pause keyword, or Enable keyword.
Percentage changes too aggressive on a daily schedule. A daily
-30%bid change collapses a 1.00 € bid to about 0.08 € in a week. Fix: keep daily percentage changes modest (roughly 5-15%) and reserve larger swings for weekly schedules.
Forgetting to save before Run Now. Run Now acts on the saved rule. If you have not saved, it will ask you to. Fix: click Save Rule first, then Run Now.
Scoping to All campaigns by accident. All campaigns includes future campaigns too. Fix: use Specific campaigns or a Name pattern when you want a bounded scope.
✅ Best Practices
Simulate every rule before saving. Test Rule against 30 days of history is the cheapest way to catch a rule that would match far too many (or zero) keywords.
One clear job per rule. A rule that both cuts waste and scales winners tends to fight itself. Build focused rules and let them run side by side.
Gate on volume, then on efficiency. Put a Clicks or Spend condition alongside every ACoS/CTR/CVR condition so thin data cannot trigger action.
Start from a template. Load Template gives you a sane baseline; adjust the thresholds to your margins rather than starting from a blank canvas.
Keep names descriptive.
[Action]-[Condition]-[Scope]makes a growing rule list self-documenting.Draft with Active off. Save promising ideas with the Active toggle off, test them over a few days, then flip them live.
🔧 Troubleshooting
The canvas is empty and I cannot drag anything
Is your Amazon Ads account connected?
Look for the connect banner at the top. Connect in Settings first
Did you drag onto a drop zone?
Drop conditions in the WHEN zone and actions in the THEN zone; the target highlights when you drag over it
Test Rule returns zero matches
Are the thresholds too strict?
Loosen one condition (e.g. lower a Spend floor) and test again
Enough data in the lookback window?
Widen the per-condition lookback to 30 days
Does the scope actually match campaigns?
Check your name pattern - it is case-insensitive but must still match the campaign names
I saved a rule but nothing changed in Amazon
Is the action a Beta (worker-parity) action?
Bid to breakeven, pause campaign, add negative, and send alert simulate but do not execute yet. Use a live action
Did you build OR groups?
Multi-group OR logic executes as AND until the worker update. Split into separate rules if needed
Is the Active toggle on?
A rule saved with Active off is a draft and does not run
Has the schedule elapsed?
A daily rule runs once per day; a weekly rule once per week. Use Run Now to apply immediately
Run Now does nothing
Run Now targets a saved rule. Save the rule first, then click Run Now.
❓ FAQ
Is a rule I build here the same as a Bid Rule?
Yes. The Rule Builder saves through the same endpoint and schema as the Create Rule modal on the Bid Rules page. Your rule appears in that list and runs on the same engine. The builder is just a richer way to author it.
Can I edit a rule I made in the modal using the Rule Builder?
Both surfaces write to the same rule store, so rules live in one place on the Bid Rules page. The Rule Builder is best for authoring new rules visually and for rules that need OR groups, advanced actions, pattern scoping, or simulation.
Why can I select an OR action but the guide says it runs as AND?
OR grouping is built into the interface and the simulator ahead of the automation worker. Until the worker update ships, a saved multi-group rule chains all conditions as AND when it actually executes. The builder reminds you with a toast when you save one.
What is the difference between Test Rule and Run Now?
Test Rule is a dry run: it evaluates your rule against the last 30 days of data and shows what would have matched, without changing anything. Run Now executes a saved rule once, for real, on demand.
What does the lookback window do?
It sets how many past days each condition measures - 7, 14, or 30. It is per-condition, so one rule can require ACoS over 14 days and Clicks over 30 days at the same time.
Where do I review what a rule actually did?
Switch the right pane to the Last 30 runs tab to see recent executions (started time, entities matched, entities changed, and status) once the rule is saved. For full history, open the rule on the Bid Rules page and check its execution log.
➡️ What's Next?
PPC Bid RulesPPC Approval CenterLast updated