Optimize rules
Instead of editing products one by one, set a rule once. Your feeds drop the products you don't want to advertise and label the rest, so you can bid smarter in Google Ads.
What are optimize rules?
An optimize rule is an "if this, then that" instruction for your feeds. It has two parts:
- If a product matches your conditions, like a tag that contains
clearance, a price under 20, or stock under 5. - Then the app does one thing: removes it from the feed, keeps it in the feed, or fills a field with a value.
Rules also work on new products as soon as they arrive. Use them to:
- Stop wasting ad budget. Remove clearance items, cheap add-ons or products you can't restock.
- Bid smarter in Google Ads. Fill Custom label 0-4 with groups like
on_sale,budgetorbestseller, then set a different bid for each group. - Improve titles and descriptions. Add the brand or a key detail to every title in one go.
Nothing changes in your Shopify store. A rule only changes what the app sends to Google or Meta. Delete the rule and your feed goes back to how it was.
Where to find it
Go to Optimize in the app menu.
The page contains:
- Start from a preset: four ready-made rules to start from.
- Tabs All, Exclude, Include and Set a field to filter the list by what each rule does.
- A numbered list of rules, in the order they run. The Does column shows what each rule does. The Feeds column shows how many feeds use it. Not applied means the rule isn't used by any feed yet.
- Up and down arrows to change the order, and a
...menu with Edit, Duplicate and Delete.
Start from a preset
Not sure where to begin? Click a preset. Each one labels a group of products, so you can bid on it separately in Google Ads.
| Preset | Products it picks | Label it fills | What you can do with it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tag products on sale | Discount % is greater than 0 | Custom label 0 = on_sale | Push harder on discounted products |
| Tag low-priced products | Price is less than 20 | Custom label 1 = budget | Bid less on low-margin items |
| Tag products running out | Inventory is less than 5 | Custom label 2 = low_stock | Stop spending on products about to sell out |
| Tag your bestsellers | Tag contains bestseller | Custom label 3 = bestseller | Put more budget behind proven winners |
A preset only fills in the form. Nothing is saved until you review it, so adjust the numbers to fit your store first.
Create a rule
Open the rule form
On Optimize, click Add rule, or click a preset. Enter a Rule name you'll recognise, like "Clearance items".
Set the conditions
Under If, choose AND (the product must match every condition) or OR (matching one is enough). Each condition has a field, a comparison and a value. Click Add condition to add another, up to 10.
Choose what happens
Under Then, pick one action:
- Exclude from feed: the product stops showing on Google or Meta.
- Include in feed: the product stays in the feed, even if another rule removes it.
- Set a field: fill a Field with the Value you type.
Check the preview
Click Preview to see how many products the rule matches. Results are split by feed, with a few sample products showing their value before and after. The count is saved with the rule, so you see it again next time you open it.
Choose the feeds
In Apply to feeds, pick the feeds that should use this rule. You can filter the list by Google or Meta. Leave it empty to save the rule for later without changing any feed.
Save and publish
Save the rule. If it's used by a feed, the app asks Publish this rule? and shows how many products it touches in each feed. Click Publish changes and the feed syncs on its own. You don't need to click Sync.
Publishing sends the changes to Google and Meta. Products a rule excludes stop showing in your ads, not just in the app's counts.
Conditions you can use
The comparisons change with the field you pick.
| Group | Fields | Comparisons |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Title, Description, Product type, Vendor, Tag, Shopify category, Google category, Handle, Image link | contains, does not contain, equals, does not equal, starts with, is one of, is empty |
| Product | Image count, Discount % | equals, does not equal, is greater than, is at least, is less than, is at most, is between |
| Product | Collection | is in, is not in, is in no collection |
| Product | Status, Availability | equals, does not equal (pick from a list) |
| Variant | SKU, Barcode, Variant title | contains, does not contain, equals, does not equal, starts with, is one of, is empty |
| Variant | Price, Compare-at price, Inventory | equals, does not equal, is greater than, is at least, is less than, is at most, is between |
| Variant | Inventory tracking | equals, does not equal (pick from a list) |
| Metafields | Product metafield, Variant metafield | Search for the metafield by name. It must be synced first to show in the list. |
Example rule — hide clearance stock
- Logic: AND
- Condition 1: Tag contains
clearance - Condition 2: Inventory is less than 5
- Then: Exclude from feed
Clearance items with fewer than 5 left stop showing in your ads. The rest of your catalog stays.
Fields you can fill
With Set a field, you can fill:
- Labels and groups: Custom label 0-4, Product type, Shipping label, Transit time label, Return policy label.
- Product details: Title, Description, Google category, Brand, Condition, Color, Size, Gender, Age group, Material, Pattern.
For Title and Description, a How box lets you add text at the end, add it at the start, or find and replace. Description can also be set to new text. A title can't be replaced in full, so you never lose the brand or size that Google needs.
Use each product's own details
Click </> at the end of the Value box to insert a product detail. Each product gets its own value. The list is the same as on the feed's Attributes tab, including synced metafields.
| Value | What the product gets |
|---|---|
{Vendor} - {Product type} | Nike - Shoes |
{Vendor} - {Product type} | Adidas - Bags |
{Vendor} | Nike (copies one detail into another field) |
Add rules to a feed
One rule can serve many feeds. You can add it from either side:
- From Optimize: pick feeds in Apply to feeds when you create the rule. To add several rules at once, tick them in the list and click Apply to feeds....
- From the feed: open the feed, go to the Conditions tab, find the Optimize rules card and click Select rules. Rules show in the same numbered order as on Optimize. New feeds also have an Optimize rules section in the create form.
Image feeds don't use rules, so they don't appear in the list.
Which rule wins
The higher rule wins. When two rules decide the same thing for the same product, the one with the smaller number applies. The rule below is skipped. Rules only clash when:
- One rule excludes a product and another includes it.
- Two rules fill the same field, like both setting Custom label 0.
Otherwise, all rules apply together. A rule that keeps a product and a rule that labels it both take effect.
| Rule | Order | Condition | Result on a Nike product tagged clearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Include Nike | #1 | Vendor equals Nike | ✅ Wins: the product stays in the feed |
| Exclude clearance | #2 | Tag contains clearance | Doesn't apply (rule #1 already decided) |
Tip: to make an exception, put the exception rule above the general one. If a rule higher up already fills the same field, the app warns An earlier rule already sets this field, so you can reorder or edit one of them.
A new order takes effect on the next sync. Moving a rule doesn't update your feeds right away, so rearrange freely.
Good to know
- Your own choices beat rules. If you excluded or kept a product by hand, a rule doesn't change it.
- Include only brings back products another rule removed. Out-of-stock products, products that fail the app's checks, and products you excluded by hand stay out.
- You can't delete a rule a feed is using. Remove it from every feed first. No feed changes without you knowing.
- See what's held back. On the feed's Products tab, the Excluded tab counts products that aren't sent, whether a rule removed them or they're out of stock.
- Check edited titles before publishing. Google reviews titles and descriptions closely. After changing them, run the feed check to catch promotional words first.
- A rule not used by any feed saves right away, with no publish prompt.
FAQs
Will a rule change my Shopify products?
No. Rules only change what the app sends to Google or Meta. Delete the rule and the feed goes back to how it was.
Do rules apply to products I add later?
Yes. New products are checked against your rules on the next sync, with no extra work.
Two of my rules disagree. Which one applies?
The one higher in the list, with the smaller number. Use the arrows on Optimize to change the order.
Can I use one rule in several feeds?
Yes. Pick several feeds in Apply to feeds, or add the rule from each feed's Conditions tab.
How many rules can I create?
Up to 50 rules per store, each with up to 10 conditions.
Still have questions?
Chat with us from the app, any time.