Algorithm Settings let you customise how Opteo's Improvements algorithm checks your ad account. Instead of every account being held to the same standards, you can tune the algorithm to match your goals, and tell it which parts of your account it should never recommend excluding.
The result is a set of daily checks that work the way you want them to, with fewer recommendations that don't fit your account.
Where to find Algorithm Settings
You can access Algorithm Settings in two places:
From the Improvements page in any ad account
Or during setup, when opening a new ad account inside Opteo. Algorithm Settings is one of the setup steps.
Populate Algorithm
The fastest way to configure your algorithm is to let Opteo do it for you. Populate Algorithm uses AI to translate your account information and performance data into tailored algorithm values.
Open Algorithm Settings from the Improvements page
Select a Primary Outcome
Select an Aggressiveness level
Click Populate Algorithm
Review the populated values, then click Save Algorithm Settings
Opteo then fills in your algorithm values based on your selections and your account's performance data.
Primary Outcome tells the algorithm what you care about most:
Reduce Wasted Spend biases the algorithm towards cutting inefficient spend wherever it surfaces. Useful for budget-constrained accounts that need to improve spend efficiency.
Maintain Spend Efficiency is a neutral baseline that keeps the account aligned to its CPA and ROAS targets without nudging things too far in either direction. Useful for all account types.
Scale Up Conversions biases the algorithm towards increasing spend and generating more conversions. Useful for accounts with product-market fit and available budget.
Aggressiveness controls how boldly the algorithm makes recommendations. Cautious keeps things conservative, Aggressive casts a wider net, and Balanced sits in between.
Every value that Populate Algorithm sets can be reviewed and adjusted manually afterwards, so you always have the final say. If you want to start over, Reset Algorithm returns everything to the system defaults.
Available settings for each ad platform
Algorithm Settings are organised into sections, each controlling a different group of Improvements. The sections you see depend on the ad platform, since each platform supports different Improvement types.
Google Ads ad accounts have the full set of sections:
Keyword Bids & Pausing controls when keywords should be paused due to underperformance, and when bids should be adjusted
Broad Keyword Replacement flags broad match keywords lagging their performance targets, to be replaced with stricter match types
Segment Exclusions flags segments (like locations, demographics, devices, and networks) for exclusion when they consistently underperform, and holds your Protected Segments
Location Bids & Exclusions controls bid adjustments and exclusions for countries, regions, and cities
Demographic Bids & Exclusions controls bid adjustments and exclusions across age, gender, parental status, and income
Device Bids & Exclusions controls bid adjustments and exclusions across desktop, mobile, and tablet
Search Partners controls when disabling Search Partners should be recommended
Budget Caps & Campaign Bids controls when to raise daily campaign budgets due to strong performance, and when to reduce campaign bids due to budget constraints
Search Term Classification controls when unclassified search terms are surfaced to be added as keywords or negatives
N-Gram Negatives & Bids identifies underperforming n-grams (words) in search terms to create new negative keywords, and holds your Protected Terms
Microsoft Ads ad accounts have three sections: Keyword Bids & Pausing, Segment Exclusions, and Search Term Classification.
Meta Ads and LinkedIn Ads ad accounts have one section: Segment Exclusions.
TikTok Ads accounts don't currently have Algorithm Settings.
Protected Segments and Protected Terms
Protections tell the algorithm which parts of your account it should never recommend excluding.
Protected Segments cover your targeting: age ranges, genders, income brackets, devices, networks, and locations. If a segment is strategically important to your business, protect it and Opteo won't suggest excluding it, even if its recent performance would normally trigger an exclusion Improvement.
Protected Terms cover your search terms. Opteo pre-populates the list with your brand terms, and you can add or remove terms at any time. The algorithm won't recommend adding a protected term as a negative keyword.
Protections also feed into Populate Algorithm, so the values it sets respect them.
Note: Protecting a segment or term changes which Improvements Opteo generates. It doesn't change anything in your ad account itself, and it doesn't remove exclusions or negative keywords that already exist.
How Algorithm Settings affect your Improvements
Opteo checks your ad accounts every day, and your Algorithm Settings shape what those checks surface. A well-configured algorithm means the Improvements you see are more relevant to your goals, and segments or terms that matter to your business stay off the exclusion list.
Algorithm Settings apply per ad account, so you can configure each account differently depending on its goals.