Stale Bid Modifier Audit
Finds device and location bid modifiers configured on Smart Bidding campaigns — where the algorithm ignores them and they only mislead whoever reads the settings.
by Dmytro Tonkikh·chiliad.io
Overview
Smart Bidding ignores manual device and location bid modifiers (the one exception: device -100% opt-outs) — yet accounts migrated from manual bidding keep carrying them, and they read like active strategy to everyone who opens the settings. Stale Bid Modifier Audit lists every device/location modifier in the account split into two groups: STALE (on Smart Bidding campaigns — remove them) and ACTIVE (on manual campaigns — where they genuinely work and deserve deliberate review instead of fossilizing).
Setup
- 1Open your Google Ads account and go to Tools → Bulk Actions → Scripts.
- 2Click the + button to create a new script and paste the code below.
- 3Set EMAIL_ADDRESS to receive the report; leave blank for logs only.
- 4Preview once to verify, then schedule monthly.
Configuration Variables
| Variable | Default |
|---|---|
EMAIL_ADDRESS | (empty) |
Expected Output
=== Stale Bid Modifier Audit === Campaigns with device/location modifiers: 4 --- STALE - on Smart Bidding campaigns (ignored by the algorithm) --- Generic — Broad: MOBILE -40%, LOCATION +15% Shopping — All Products: TABLET -100% --- ACTIVE - on manual campaigns (these DO work; review deliberately) --- Brand — Exact: MOBILE +10% Email sent to you@example.com
Notes
Device -100% still works under Smart Bidding as a hard opt-out and is intentionally not flagged. Campaign-level modifiers only — ad group modifiers are rarer and follow the same logic if you want to extend the query. Removing stale modifiers changes nothing about delivery; it just makes the settings honest.