Search Atlas's Smart Ads tool lets you create, manage, and publish Google Ads campaigns — including Search and Performance Max (PMax) campaigns — directly from the Search Atlas dashboard. This article covers the most common questions about setting up and managing Google Ads through Search Atlas.
What is Smart Ads and what can I do with it?
Smart Ads is Search Atlas's Google Ads management module. 💡 With it you can:
- Create and manage Google Search campaigns
- Build Performance Max (PMax) campaigns with AI-generated ad copy and images
- Import existing campaigns from your Google Ads account
- View campaign performance metrics (impressions, clicks, conversions) from the Search Atlas dashboard
- Manage multiple client businesses and their ad accounts from a single agency hub
How do I connect my Google Ads account to Search Atlas?
Go to Smart Ads → Connect Account and follow the OAuth flow to authorize Search Atlas to access your Google Ads account. Select the Google Ads manager account (MCC) or individual account you want to connect. Once connected, your existing campaigns are available to import and your new campaigns can be published directly to Google Ads.
How many campaigns does my plan include?
- Agency plans: Google Ads (OTTO Google Ads) is included — check the account menu (person icon, top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups for your specific limit
- Starter, Growth and Pro plans: 1 connected Google Ads account and up to 10 campaigns are included; the OTTO Google Ads add-on ($199/month) raises this to unlimited accounts and up to 100 campaigns
💡 If you see a Google Ads add-on charge on your invoice on Growth or Pro, that is expected — Google Ads is only included on Agency plans.
How do I create a Performance Max (PMax) campaign?
From Smart Ads, click New Campaign → Performance Max. The PMax wizard walks you through:
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- Selecting your business and connecting your Google Ads account
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- Setting your campaign budget and geo-targeting
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- AI-generating themes, headlines, descriptions, and images
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- Reviewing and publishing to Google Ads
⚠️ Important: The PMax wizard does not auto-save between steps. If you refresh the page mid-wizard, your ad copy inputs (headlines, descriptions) will be lost. Complete the wizard in one session and publish before navigating away.
My PMax campaign import is stuck in "STARTED" status. What should I do?
A PMax campaign stuck in STARTED after importing from Google Ads usually means the import process hit a timeout during the initial sync. Steps: (1) Wait 5–10 minutes and refresh — in most cases the import completes on its own. (2) If still stuck after 15 minutes, try canceling the import and re-initiating it. (3) If it consistently fails on the same campaign, contact support with your Google Ads campaign ID — some PMax campaign configurations require manual handling.
Why did my PMax campaign ad copy disappear after a page refresh?
⚠️ This is a known limitation: the PMax wizard does not preserve unsaved ad copy on refresh. All text you enter in the wizard (headlines, descriptions, themes) is held in session memory only. If you accidentally refresh or your session times out, you will need to re-enter the content. To minimize risk: complete all ad copy entry in one continuous session and publish immediately. Avoid opening the wizard in multiple tabs.
How do I add or manage negative keywords?
Go to Smart Ads → your campaign → Keywords and use the Negative Keywords section to add terms you want to exclude from your ads. You can add negatives at the campaign level or ad group level. Bulk negative keyword management is available through the bulk actions menu in the Keywords tab.
Can I manage Google Ads for multiple clients from one Smart Ads account?
Yes. If you're on an Agency plan with the Google Ads feature enabled, you can manage multiple client businesses from Smart Ads. Each client business is set up as a separate entity under Smart Ads → Businesses. The number of businesses you can manage depends on your plan — check Avatar (top-right) → Billing → Plans & Top-ups for your business limit. ⚠️ On Growth and Pro plans, managing Google Ads requires the OTTO Google Ads add-on ($199/month); it is included on Agency plans.
How do I import existing Google Ads campaigns into Search Atlas?
Go to Smart Ads → Import Campaigns and select your connected Google Ads account. Search Atlas will list your existing campaigns available for import. Select the campaigns you want to manage through the dashboard and click Import. After import, campaign performance data begins syncing within a few minutes.
Why is my Google Ads account showing a 401 or 403 error in Smart Ads?
A 401 error means the Google OAuth authorization expired or was revoked — reconnect your Google Ads account at Smart Ads → Account Settings → Reconnect. A 403 error means the Google account you connected does not have sufficient permissions to the Google Ads account — ensure the Google account you authorized has at least "Standard" access to the target Google Ads account in Google Ads Manager.
What conversion tracking options does Smart Ads support?
Search Atlas supports Google Ads native conversion tracking. You can configure conversion goals at Smart Ads → your campaign → Conversion Goals. Supported conversion types: website actions (via Google tag), phone calls, and imported conversions from Google Analytics 4 (requires GA4 connected in Settings → Integrations).