The SpendGuard algorithm is a predictive model that automatically identifies under-performing sites and will cap or block those sites accordingly. This is visible and controllable within the site report and campaign set-up page in Realize.
The automated SpendGuard algorithm is there by default, and doesn’t require direct action, unless you wish to disable it. It is protecting your budget based on conversion metrics (CPA & CVR), which align to the conversion rules that are measured in Realize.
When does SpendGuard activate?
SpendGuard will kick in as soon as specific data thresholds are met:
5 campaign conversions
200 campaign clicks
Publisher in question has at least 100 clicks
After which, SpendGuard will be able to identify whether the publisher is likely to cause wasted spend, and will cap the spend on that specific site or block the site altogether in more extreme scenarios.
For new campaigns (that has less than 14 days of activity) - SpendGuard will look at the data the campaign has accumulated by far.
For longer running campaigns, the SpendGuard algorithm will use a 14 day look back window to determine whether a publisher should be capped or blocked.
Where can I see what SpendGuard is doing?
SpendGuard is visible within the site report on Realize on an individual campaign. SpendGuard will only be activated at the campaign level. The following steps show how you can see what SpendGuard is doing within your campaign:
1. Navigate to a specific campaign at the top bar.
2. Click on the Sites tab to see the reporting by websites
3. You can see where the SpendGuard algorithm has activated against certain sites
When SpendGuard is active you can see the description under the status column that either says 'Capped by SpendGuard' or 'Blocked by SpendGuard'
How can I control what SpendGuard is doing?
1. Within the site report, navigate to a specific publisher where you can see SpendGuard is active. Select the small pencil icon on the right
2. Select Disable SpendGuard to stop the algorithm from capping spend or blocking that specific publisher
3. Click on Save
This will stop the SpendGuard algorithm from activating on that publisher.
You can also disable SpendGuard at the entire campaign level within the campaign set up should you wish to.
Note! If you disable SpendGuard from a site that was blocked, thus unblocking the site, SpendGuard will be disabled on that site going forward.