How do you bulk upload placements with Google Ads Editor?
Part of Google Ads placements
The short answer
To bulk upload placements with Google Ads Editor, download recent changes, build a CSV with one placement per row under Campaign, Ad group and Placement headers in English, then choose Account, Import, From file. Review the column mapping, keep the proposed changes, run Check changes, fix any red errors, and post to the selected campaigns.
Key takeaways
- Download recent changes for the campaigns first, because a download that leaves out a campaign discards its unposted edits.
- Editor reads the first row as headers, needs English header names and a CSV file, and uses only the first value when a header appears twice.
- The import preview shows only 100 rows, so count the rows in the proposed changes rather than trusting the preview.
- Kept changes live only in Editor until you run Check changes and post; red errors block posting and yellow warnings do not.
- After posting, any campaign or ad group still shown in bold holds changes that did not post.
Which columns does Google Ads Editor need for placements?
A placement row needs three things Editor can match: the campaign, the ad group and the placement itself. Google's CSV preparation page (opens in a new tab) says each row must describe a single entity, so a list of 60 sites becomes 60 rows, each repeating its campaign and ad group names. The make multiple changes page (opens in a new tab) adds that column headers must be in English, even when the Editor interface runs in another language.
| Campaign | Ad group | Placement | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinic Display Fall | Family health reading | familyhealthnotes.example | (blank) | Enabled |
| Clinic Display Fall | Family health reading | kidsteethguide.example | (blank) | Enabled |
| Clinic Display Fall | Local parenting | prairieparentweekly.example | (blank) | Paused |
| Clinic Display Fall | Local parenting | couponcircle.example | Negative | (blank) |
| Clinic Display Fall | (blank) | quizrush.example | Campaign negative | (blank) |
The values in the Type and Status columns carry the instructions. Google's CSV column reference (opens in a new tab) says to enter Negative for an excluded item and Campaign negative for an exclusion at the campaign level. Status accepts Enabled, Paused or Removed, and negative items cannot be paused, so a Paused value on an exclusion row has no effect. Leave Type blank on rows you want targeted.
How do you import a placement list into Editor?
Seven steps to import a placement CSV
- Refresh the account. Click Get recent changes and include every campaign that has unposted edits. Google's recent changes page (opens in a new tab) warns that a campaign left out of the selection loses its unposted changes.
- Clear pending proposals. If Account, Import is grayed out, other proposed changes are still waiting; keep or reject them first.
- Open the import. Choose Account, Import, then From file to pick the CSV, or Paste text to paste rows straight from a spreadsheet.
- Check the header mapping. Editor shows each column with the header it assigned. Pick the right header from the drop down for any column it misread.
- Do not judge by the preview. The preview shows at most 100 rows; the rest of the file still imports.
- Import and read the errors. Select Import, then read the list of errors and warnings Editor shows for the file before choosing Review imported changes.
- Keep or reject. Keep proposed changes accepts every row, Reject proposed changes discards every row. The import can still be reverted later if a mistake turns up.
For Excel users, Google recommends saving the sheet with Unicode text encoding, which on a Mac is UTF-16 Unicode Text. The file extension may change from .csv to .txt, and Editor can still import it. Editor does not import XLS files at all.
How do you add placements to many ad groups at once?
Editor offers three ways to place one list in several ad groups, and each suits a different job. The choice matters when the same 40 sites belong in five ad groups split by creative or audience theme, because a wrong destination setting can multiply rows without warning.
| Route | How it works | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repeated rows in a CSV | Each placement is written once per ad group, with Campaign and Ad group filled on every row | Every destination is visible in the file, so the sheet doubles as the record of what was loaded | The file grows by one row per site per ad group, and a typo in one ad group name sends rows to a new or wrong ad group |
| Make multiple changes with columns | Select the item type, click Make multiple changes, tick the option that your data includes campaign and ad group columns, paste, then Process | Fast for pasting from a spreadsheet without saving a file | Nothing is saved outside Editor unless you keep the source sheet |
| Make multiple changes with selected destinations | Select several ad groups in the account tree, paste a single column of placements, and Editor adds it to each selected ad group | One short list reaches many ad groups in one step | Every selected ad group gets every pasted row, so a stray selection adds the whole list where it does not belong |
Google documents the destination choice in its pages on adding campaigns (opens in a new tab) and adding keywords (opens in a new tab) with the same tool: either the data includes campaign and ad group columns, or the selected destinations in the account tree receive every row. Placements in an ad group widen reach together with any topics or keywords there, so confirm each destination ad group holds only the targets the plan intends.
How do you review changes before posting them?
Keeping proposed changes only stores them in Editor on your computer. Nothing reaches the account until you post, which gives a planner one clean point to compare the load with the approved list. Google's check changes page (opens in a new tab) has you click Check changes in the toolbar, choose the accounts, review the count of changes, and run the check.
| Icon | Meaning | What to do on a placement upload |
|---|---|---|
| Red | An error: Editor cannot check or post the item until the required change is made or an exception is requested | Select the row to read the instructions Editor shows, then fix it in Editor or correct the sheet and re-import |
| Yellow | A warning: the item can still post, and Google recommends checking it for accuracy | Read every one against the approved list before posting, since warnings do not stop the row |
| Green | The item passed Google Ads policy checks after Check changes ran | Ready to post, but still compare counts with the approved list |
Pre-post review for a placement import
- The number of new placements in each ad group matches the rows written for that ad group in the sheet.
- No ad group or campaign was created by the import; a new name in the tree means a name in the sheet did not match an existing one.
- Every exclusion row shows as a negative and none appears as a targeted placement.
- The Items with errors or warnings filter, under View filters, returns no red items.
- Topic and keyword targets in each destination ad group are the ones the plan intends.
Google also states in its error and warning checks page (opens in a new tab) that Google Ads Editor does not flag all editorial violations. A clean check confirms the rows are valid, not that the sites suit the brand.
What does a placement upload look like on a real brief?
Fictional example
A dental clinic group in Calgary and Edmonton
A fictional family dental clinic group in Calgary and Edmonton approves an English website list for an autumn awareness campaign: 48 sites on family health, children's dental care and local parenting. The agency's buyer splits them across two ad groups and adds six sites the client wants blocked as negatives.
The buyer writes 54 rows, one per site per destination, imports the file and sees only part of it in the preview. The proposed changes show 49 new targeted placements, not 48: one site was pasted twice into the parenting ad group. The buyer rejects the import, fixes the sheet and imports again.
Check changes returns one red error on a placement row. The buyer selects it, follows the instructions Editor shows, corrects the row and checks again. Then the buyer posts to the selected campaign only, copies the posting report into the campaign file, and confirms no ad group stayed bold.
How does PlacementGraph produce a file Editor can import?
What should you check after posting from Editor?
Google's posting page (opens in a new tab) says successfully posted changes show in the account immediately, with a slight delay before they reach the Google Network. Campaigns and ad groups with changes that did not post stay in bold, and the posting report can be copied into a separate document as a record.
After the post
- No campaign or ad group in the Editor tree is still in bold.
- The posting report, with any errors, is saved beside the approved list version it loaded.
- The placement count in the Google Ads account matches the count in Editor for each ad group.
- Exclusions show at the intended level, ad group or campaign, and not as targets.
- A date is set in the first week to read where ads showed and reconcile it with the list.
For reading served placements after launch, see the guide to the where ads showed report. For exclusions at the account level and shared lists, which Editor rows do not cover, see placement exclusions in Google Ads. The placement targeting hub covers which campaign types accept placements at all.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the Import option grayed out in Google Ads Editor?
Google's import page says the Account, Import menu item is grayed out when other proposed changes are still pending. Keep or reject the earlier proposals, for example from a previous import or a Make multiple changes paste, and the menu becomes available again. Posting is not required first, only a decision on the pending proposals.
Can I undo a placement import after keeping it?
Yes, before posting. Google's import page says you can still revert the import later if needed, and individual rows can be edited or removed in Editor. Once changes are posted they are live in the account, so the fix then is a new edit or removal posted from Editor or made in Google Ads.
Can I paste placements without saving a CSV file?
Yes. Account, Import offers Paste text as well as From file, and the Make multiple changes tool accepts rows pasted from a spreadsheet with tabs or commas between fields. The header rules are the same: English header names in the first row, or a header picked for each column when Editor asks.
Can an excluded placement be paused in Editor?
No. Google's column reference says negative items cannot be paused, and setting a negative row to Paused has no effect. To stop an exclusion, set its status to Removed or delete it in Editor, then post. To hold a targeted placement in reserve, Paused works as expected.
Sources
- Prepare a CSV file (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Editor Help
- CSV file columns (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Editor Help
- Use the make multiple changes tool in Google Ads Editor (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Editor Help
- Import a CSV file in Google Ads Editor (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Editor Help
- Review recent account changes (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Editor Help
- Add new campaigns (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Editor Help
- Add multiple keywords (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Editor Help
- Check changes before posting (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Editor Help
- Error and warning checks (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Editor Help
- Post changes to Google Ads (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Editor Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.