Google Ads Scripts for 2026: 5 Automated Workflows to Protect Your Budget

/**
 * Script 1: Hourly Spend Anomaly Sentinel
 * Execution: Hourly (e.g., Every hour at :05)
 * Author: Subhranil Naskar | Paid Media World (2026)
 */
function main() {
  const EMAIL_ALERT = "[email protected]";
  const HOURLY_SPEND_LIMIT = 250.00; // Trigger alert if any single hour exceeds $250
  
  const currentHour = new Date().getHours();
  const query = "SELECT campaign.name, campaign.id, metrics.cost_micros " +
                "FROM campaign " +
                "WHERE campaign.status = 'ENABLED' " +
                "AND segments.date = TODAY";

  const report = AdsApp.search(query);
  let highSpendAlerts = [];

  while (report.hasNext()) {
    const row = report.next();
    const campaignName = row.campaign.name;
    const todayCost = (row.metrics.costMicros / 1000000);
    const hourlyVelocity = currentHour > 0 ? (todayCost / currentHour) : todayCost;

    if (hourlyVelocity > HOURLY_SPEND_LIMIT) {
      highSpendAlerts.push(campaignName + ": Averaging $" + hourlyVelocity.toFixed(2) + "/hr (Today Total: $" + todayCost.toFixed(2) + ")");
    }
  }

  if (highSpendAlerts.length > 0) {
    MailApp.sendEmail(
      EMAIL_ALERT,
      "CRITICAL: Google Ads Spend Anomaly Detected!",
      "The following campaigns are burning budget above threshold limits:

" + highSpendAlerts.join("
") +
      "

Please review your bidding strategies and search terms immediately."
    );
    Logger.log("Spend anomaly alert dispatched for " + highSpendAlerts.length + " campaigns.");
  } else {
    Logger.log("Hourly spend velocity within normal parameters.");
  }
}

/**
 * Script 2: Broken Landing Page & Out-of-Stock Crawler
 * Execution: Daily (e.g., 04:00 AM)
 * Author: Subhranil Naskar | Paid Media World (2026)
 */
function main() {
  const EMAIL_ALERT = "[email protected]";
  const OOS_STRINGS = ["out of stock", "sold out", "item unavailable", "currently unavailable"];
  
  const adIterator = AdsApp.ads()
    .withCondition("Status = ENABLED")
    .withCondition("CampaignStatus = ENABLED")
    .withCondition("AdGroupStatus = ENABLED")
    .get();

  let brokenUrls = [];

  while (adIterator.hasNext()) {
    const ad = adIterator.next();
    const url = ad.urls().getFinalUrl();
    if (!url) continue;

    try {
      const response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url, { muteHttpExceptions: true });
      const statusCode = response.getResponseCode();
      const content = response.getContentText().toLowerCase();

      if (statusCode >= 400) {
        brokenUrls.push("HTTP " + statusCode + " Error: " + url + " in Ad Group: " + ad.getAdGroup().getName());
        // ad.pause(); // Uncomment to automatically pause the affected ad
      } else {
        for (let i = 0; i < OOS_STRINGS.length; i++) {
          if (content.indexOf(OOS_STRINGS[i]) !== -1) {
            brokenUrls.push("Out of Stock Detected ('" + OOS_STRINGS[i] + "'): " + url);
            break;
          }
        }
      }
    } catch (e) {
      brokenUrls.push("Failed to fetch URL (" + e.message + "): " + url);
    }
  }

  if (brokenUrls.length > 0) {
    MailApp.sendEmail(
      EMAIL_ALERT,
      "WARNING: Google Ads Broken URLs / Out-of-Stock Detected",
      "The following active ads are driving traffic to defective destinations:

" + brokenUrls.join("
")
    );
    Logger.log("Found " + brokenUrls.length + " destination URL errors.");
  } else {
    Logger.log("All active landing pages verified healthy (HTTP 200).");
  }
}

/**
 * Script 3: Negative Keyword Conflict Sentinel
 * Execution: Weekly (e.g., Monday 06:00 AM)
 * Author: Subhranil Naskar | Paid Media World (2026)
 */
function main() {
  const EMAIL_ALERT = "[email protected]";
  let conflicts = [];

  // 1. Gather all active positive exact keywords
  const positiveKeywords = [];
  const kwIterator = AdsApp.keywords()
    .withCondition("Status = ENABLED")
    .withCondition("CampaignStatus = ENABLED")
    .withCondition("AdGroupStatus = ENABLED")
    .get();

  while (kwIterator.hasNext()) {
    const kw = kwIterator.next();
    positiveKeywords.push({
      text: kw.getText().toLowerCase().replace(/[\[\]"]/g, ''),
      campaign: kw.getCampaign().getName(),
      adGroup: kw.getAdGroup().getName()
    });
  }

  // 2. Inspect negative lists
  const negativeListIter = AdsApp.negativeKeywordLists().get();
  while (negativeListIter.hasNext()) {
    const list = negativeListIter.next();
    const negIter = list.negativeKeywords().get();
    while (negIter.hasNext()) {
      const negText = negIter.next().getText().toLowerCase().replace(/[\[\]"]/g, '');
      positiveKeywords.forEach(function(pos) {
        if (pos.text.indexOf(negText) !== -1 || negText.indexOf(pos.text) !== -1) {
          conflicts.push("Conflict in list '" + list.getName() + "': Negative '" + negText + "' may block bidded keyword '" + pos.text + "' in " + pos.campaign);
        }
      });
    }
  }

  if (conflicts.length > 0) {
    MailApp.sendEmail(EMAIL_ALERT, "ALERT: Negative Keyword Conflicts Found", conflicts.slice(0, 50).join("
"));
    Logger.log("Found " + conflicts.length + " potential negative conflicts.");
  } else {
    Logger.log("Zero negative keyword conflicts detected.");
  }
}

/**
 * Script 4: PMax Search Insights & Query Logger
 * Execution: Weekly (e.g., Sunday Midnight)
 * Author: Subhranil Naskar | Paid Media World (2026)
 */
function main() {
  const SPREADSHEET_URL = "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/YOUR_SHEET_ID/edit";
  const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.openByUrl(SPREADSHEET_URL).getActiveSheet();
  
  // Clear existing data and set headers
  sheet.clear();
  sheet.appendRow(["Campaign Name", "Search Term / Category", "Impressions", "Clicks", "Conversions", "Cost ($)"]);

  const query = "SELECT campaign.name, search_term_view.search_term, metrics.impressions, metrics.clicks, metrics.conversions, metrics.cost_micros " +
                "FROM search_term_view " +
                "WHERE segments.date DURING LAST_30_DAYS " +
                "ORDER BY metrics.cost_micros DESC " +
                "LIMIT 500";

  const rows = AdsApp.search(query);
  let count = 0;

  while (rows.hasNext()) {
    const row = rows.next();
    sheet.appendRow([
      row.campaign.name,
      row.searchTermView.searchTerm,
      row.metrics.impressions,
      row.metrics.clicks,
      row.metrics.conversions,
      (row.metrics.costMicros / 1000000).toFixed(2)
    ]);
    count++;
  }

  Logger.log("Successfully logged " + count + " search terms to Google Sheet.");
}

/**
 * Script 5: Hard Account Spend Cap Emergency Throttle
 * Execution: Hourly at :15 and :45
 * Author: Subhranil Naskar | Paid Media World (2026)
 */
function main() {
  const HARD_ACCOUNT_CAP = 2500.00; // Maximum allowed account spend per day
  const EMAIL_ALERT = "[email protected]";
  
  const query = "SELECT metrics.cost_micros FROM customer WHERE segments.date = TODAY";
  const report = AdsApp.search(query);
  let todayTotalSpend = 0;

  if (report.hasNext()) {
    todayTotalSpend = report.next().metrics.costMicros / 1000000;
  }

  Logger.log("Today Total Account Spend: $" + todayTotalSpend.toFixed(2) + " / Cap: $" + HARD_ACCOUNT_CAP);

  if (todayTotalSpend >= HARD_ACCOUNT_CAP) {
    Logger.log("HARD CAP REACHED! Pausing all enabled campaigns immediately...");
    const campaignIterator = AdsApp.campaigns().withCondition("Status = ENABLED").get();
    let pausedNames = [];

    while (campaignIterator.hasNext()) {
      const camp = campaignIterator.next();
      camp.pause();
      pausedNames.push(camp.getName());
    }

    MailApp.sendEmail(
      EMAIL_ALERT,
      "EMERGENCY: Account Daily Spend Cap Reached - All Campaigns Paused",
      "Account spend reached $" + todayTotalSpend.toFixed(2) + " (Cap: $" + HARD_ACCOUNT_CAP + ").

" +
      "The following campaigns have been safely paused:
" + pausedNames.join("
")
    );
  }
}