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How to Set Up Bidding Rules

Create and manage automated bidding rules that tell Trellis how to adjust bids based on your performance conditions.

Overview

Bidding rules give you flexibility and control over how Trellis optimizes bids.
They let you define when and how bids are adjusted, based on campaign performance metrics such as ACOS, ROAS, or clicks.

You can apply rules during campaign creation or directly in Configuration later.

🧭 Step 1: Open the Rules Library

From the left-hand navigation, go to
➡️ Configuration → Rules

This section contains your Rules Library, where you can view, edit, or create new bidding rules.

➕ Step 2: Create a New Rule

Click Create New Rule to open the setup window.
Give your rule a clear name and optional Comment for description.

💡 Tip: Use descriptive naming (e.g., “High ACOS Bid Decrease Rule”) to easily identify rule behavior later.

⚙️ Step 3: Define Conditions

Conditions determine when your rule activates.

Each condition includes:

  • Metric – e.g., ACOS, ROAS, Clicks, Conversions

  • Operator – greater than, less than, equals

  • Threshold – the performance value that triggers your action

  • Lookback Window – how many past days Trellis reviews before triggering

Example:

If ACOS > 35% over the past 7 days

🆕 New Keyword/Target Action

This setting defines what Trellis does when new keywords or targets are added to a media plan that uses this rule.

You can choose to:

  • Set a fixed bid for new keywords

  • Use the Optimal Bid — the bid automatically calculated by the Trellis algorithm based on your campaign’s current parameters

💡 Tip: Using Optimal Bid ensures new targets start with data-backed bid values that align with your ACOS range and optimization strategy.

🎯 Step 4: Define Actions

Actions tell Trellis what to do when your rule’s conditions are met.

You can choose to:

  • Increase bid by X%

  • Decrease bid by X%

  • Set bid to a specific amount ($)

  • Use Optimal Bid — allows Trellis to automatically apply its suggested bid for that target

🔁 Step 5: Set Frequency and Evaluation

Define how often Trellis should evaluate this rule and how much past data to consider.

  • Evaluation Frequency: Choose how often the rule runs (e.g., daily, weekly).

  • Lookback Period: Specify how many previous days Trellis looks at when evaluating the condition (e.g., 7 days).

➕ Step 6: Add Additional Rules

You can add multiple rules within the same set to handle different situations.

For example:

  • Rule 1: If ACOS > 35% → Decrease bid by 10%

  • Rule 2: If ACOS < 20% → Increase bid by 10%

To add another rule:

  1. Click Add Another Rule to add more rules to the overall rule set.

  2. Define new conditions and actions following the same process.

  3. Save each rule to the rule set to give it more complex logic.

💾 Step 7: Save & Assign

Click Save Rule to add it to your Rules Library.

You can now assign this rule:

  • During Media Plan creation under Advanced Settings → Rules Program, or

  • In an existing campaign under Configuration → Advanced Options > Rules Program

📊 Step 8: Monitor Rule Performance

Once active, Trellis automatically triggers your rules based on campaign performance.

You can review results:

  • In the Advertising Dashboard → Ad Report (campaign-level overview)

  • Or at the keyword level, within each advertisement, to see:

    • Which bidding rules are currently active

    • When each rule was last triggered

✅ Best Practices

  • Ensure your rules cover all possible situations, as the rules will follow the logic you set out exactly.

  • Use Optimal Bid for new targets to stay aligned with algorithm logic.

  • Avoid overlapping or contradictory rules on the same metrics.

  • Review rules monthly to fine-tune behavior as campaigns evolve.