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Google Ads setup doesn't match your protection rules

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The banner Google Ads setup doesn't match your protection rules, with a Review campaigns button, means some Google Ads campaigns pay for clicks from countries your country rule treats as invalid. The same title heads a panel on the Google Ads page of Setup > Ad accounts.

The Google Ads setup doesn't match your protection rules banner on the dashboard

Why it happens

  • In Google Ads, a campaign's location targeting decides where its ads show.
  • In Tapper, the Block by country rule on a rule set's Countries tab (Setup > Rule sets) decides which countries' clicks are invalid. See Block or allow clicks by country.

When a campaign targets a country the rule blocks, or does not allow, Google keeps buying clicks there and Tapper treats each one as invalid. Tapper snapshots your campaigns once a day and compares their targeting with the rule set that governs each.

Fix it

You need the Owner or Admin role.

  1. On the dashboard, click Review campaigns, or open the entity and select Google Ads.
  2. Each row shows the campaign, one line per country that does not match, and a Rule: chip naming the rule set that governs it.
  3. Decide which side is right and use the one fix the row offers.
  4. After a fix, or a change you made yourself, click Re-check now. It reads Re-check requested and the panel updates shortly. Otherwise the next daily check picks it up.

The campaign is right: Fix in Tapper

Fix in Tapper opens Update your detection rule?. It adds the campaign's countries to the rule's allow list, so Tapper stops blocking them. The dialog says "Nothing changes in Google Ads." If the rule governs several campaigns, the dialog says how many: all of them stop blocking those countries. Confirm with Update rule.

The rule is right: Fix in Google Ads

Fix in Google Ads opens Change your Google Ads campaign? and says exactly what it will do: add location exclusions for the countries, set a campaign with no location targeting to target only the allowed countries, or remove a blocked country from its targeting. Your rule is unchanged. Confirm with Apply in Google Ads.

The mismatch is intentional: Dismiss

Dismiss opens Dismiss this mismatch? and asks Why is this intentional? before you confirm. Nothing changes on either side. The warning is muted for that mismatch and returns by itself if the configuration changes again.

Some rows have no fix button. Change the country rule or the campaign's locations yourself, then click Re-check now.

If it still happens

  • The row is still there after a fix: click Re-check now and wait for the panel to update.
  • Fix in Google Ads shows an error: read its sentence. If the account row reads Needs reconnecting or Not active, reconnect it first; otherwise make the change in Google Ads yourself.
  • The banner keeps coming back: a rule set scoped with Applies to may govern the campaign instead of the one you changed. The row's Rule: chip names it. See Rule sets: apply different rules to platforms, ad accounts or campaigns.

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