🚨 Alerts — How to Read & Use This Feature

The Alerts feature helps you stay on top of critical KPIs in your Google Ads accounts without constantly checking dashboards. Instead of manually monitoring campaign performance, you can set automated rules that trigger email notifications whenever a KPI moves outside of your defined boundaries, drops compared to last year, or shifts significantly week over week.

 

For SEA managers, this means faster reaction times, less wasted budget, and more control. You’ll instantly know when ROAS falls below target, when CPA spikes, or when conversion volume drops — so you can act before performance issues snowball.

đź’ˇ How to Use

Setting up an alert takes just a few steps and ensures you get notified about important KPI changes without constant manual checks.

 

1. Start the Setup

    1. Go to SEA Insights → Alerts.
    2. Click Create Alert.
    3. Best practice: Give your alert a clear, descriptive name right away (e.g., “CPA > €50 – Prospecting Campaigns”). This makes it easier to manage multiple alerts later.
    4. Choose one of the three alert types:
      1. Threshold Value (Boundary Alert)
      2. Seasonal Comparison
      3. Recent Changes (Change Detection)

2. Select KPI

  • Pick the KPI you want to monitor from the list (e.g., ROAS, CPA, CTR, Cost, Conversion Value).
  • Each alert is linked to one KPI and one Ads account, but you can create multiple alerts for different KPIs or accounts.

3. Configure the Alert

A) Threshold Value (Boundary Alert)

    • Define a minimum or maximum boundary (e.g., CPA above €50, ROAS below 300%).
    • Add the condition with the + Add button.
    • The boundary appears as a line on the chart.
    • You can add multiple thresholds for the same KPI (e.g., “Alert if ROAS < 200%” and “Alert if ROAS > 700%”).

 

B) Seasonal Comparison

    • Compare KPI performance with the same period in the previous year.
    • Choose a default period (e.g., last 30 days vs. last year) or set a custom number of days.
    • Define the % change that should trigger the alert (e.g., “Alert if Cost increases by more than +10% compared to last year”).
    • Multiple alerts can be set, but different custom periods require separate alerts.

 

C) Recent Changes (Change Detection)

    • Compare KPI averages between two time windows:
      • Observation window (e.g., last 7 days)
      • Baseline window (e.g., previous 30 days)
    • Default presets: Week-over-week or Month-over-month.
    • Define the % increase or decrease that triggers the alert (e.g., “Notify me if Conversions drop by -15% vs. last month”).
    • You can stack multiple alerts for the same KPI with different thresholds.

4. Finalize

    1. Review your chart visualization to confirm boundaries, seasonal lines, or change intervals.
    2. Click Create.

You’ll now receive an email notification whenever your condition is met.

🛠️ Example Use Cases
  1. Threshold Value (Boundary Alert)
    • Problem: Prospecting campaigns sometimes overspend, and CPA can suddenly jump above profitability levels.
    • Alert Setup: Create a boundary alert for CPA > €50 on your prospecting campaigns.
    • Benefit: You’re notified the moment CPA crosses your limit. Instead of discovering it days later, you can pause underperforming ad groups or adjust bids immediately, protecting your budget.
  2. Seasonal Comparison
    • Problem: Conversion volume usually increases in November due to Black Friday, but this year performance feels weaker.
    • Alert Setup: Set a seasonal comparison alert: Conversions this November vs. November last year, trigger if -15% or more.
    • Benefit: You’re alerted early when seasonal performance underdelivers. This allows you to increase budgets, push promotional creatives, or adjust product feed titles before you miss the seasonal sales peak.
  3. Recent Changes (Change Detection)
    • Problem: Week-over-week cost looks stable, but ROAS may suddenly decline after a campaign setting change.
    • Alert Setup: Create a change detection alert: ROAS drops by -10% when comparing last 7 days to previous 30 days.
    • Benefit: You quickly spot a negative ROAS trend that might otherwise be hidden in daily fluctuations. This helps you reallocate budget, adjust bidding strategy, or roll back changes before major losses occur.