Bid Adjustment vs Budget Adjustment

When creating Dayparting rules, advertisers can configure different types of actions that modify how campaigns behave during selected time periods.

Two primary action types are available within Dayparting rules:

These actions allow advertisers to control advertising exposure by modifying either the competitiveness of bids or the amount of budget available during specific hours.

Although both actions influence campaign visibility and spending, they operate in different ways and serve different optimization purposes.

Bid Adjustment

Bid Adjustment modifies the bid value used when competing in advertising auctions during the selected time periods.

Because advertising placements are awarded through an auction system, bids determine how competitive a campaign is when competing for impressions and clicks.

When a bid adjustment rule is applied, the campaign’s bidding behavior changes during the specified hours.

For example:

THEN Increase Bid by 10%

In this scenario, bids become more competitive during evening hours, which may increase the likelihood of winning ad placements and generating traffic.

Bid reductions can also be applied when performance is typically weaker.

Example:

THEN Decrease Bid by 15%

Reducing bids during low-performing hours can help limit advertising costs while maintaining campaign presence.

Bid adjustments are commonly used when advertisers want to fine-tune auction competitiveness across different time periods.

Budget Adjustment

Budget Adjustment changes the amount of advertising budget available during selected time windows.

Instead of modifying bid competitiveness, budget adjustments control how much advertising spend is allowed during certain hours.

This type of rule can be useful when advertisers want to allocate more budget to high-performing periods or restrict spending during weaker periods.

Example:

IF Time = 12:00–18:00

THEN Increase Budget

In this case, the campaign is allowed to spend more budget during the hours when customer activity is strongest.

Similarly, advertisers may reduce available budget during low-performing periods to preserve spend for stronger hours.

Example:

THEN Decrease Budget

Budget adjustments help control the distribution of advertising spend throughout the day, ensuring that more budget is available during the most productive hours.

Choosing the appropriate adjustment type

The choice between bid adjustments and budget adjustments depends on the advertiser’s objective.

Many advertisers combine both types of adjustments to build a balanced Dayparting strategy that controls both visibility and spending throughout the day.