Once a Google Search campaign is in Google Ads, section C of its campaign screen is "Settings, and updating Google Ads". Change anything on the screen: the budget, bidding and max cost per click, countries and places, languages, audiences, the ad schedule, search partners, keywords (add them, untick them, change bids), negatives, new ad groups, an ad group's page, or an ad's words.
- Press Check what will change. ADs saves the screen, reads the campaign from Google Ads and lists every change, for example "Daily budget: $20.00 to $25.00" or "Keywords: 3 added, 1 paused".
- Press Update Google Ads. ADs asks first, then sends only what is different, all in one go: if Google refuses any part, nothing changes and you see which part and Google's words.
What it never does:
- It never deletes anything you made in Google Ads yourself: ad groups, keywords and audiences ADs does not know are left as they are, and the screen says how many.
- A keyword you untick in ADs is paused in Google Ads, not removed. A keyword paused in Google Ads stays paused.
- It never switches the campaign on or off: use "Your campaign in Google Ads now" for that.
- Sitelinks, callouts, images and dates stay as they are in Google Ads.
An ad you rewrite goes back to Google's review before it shows again. With the direct connection the update happens at once. With the Google Ads script, the script reads the campaign on its next run (within the hour, or press Run on the script in Google Ads) and makes only the changes; the screen shows "Update waiting for your Google Ads script", then "Google Ads updated" with what changed. This needs the Google Ads script version 4 or later: copy it again from the Google Ads tab if the tab says a newer script is ready.
Want two campaigns side by side instead? "Make a second copy in Google Ads instead", folded under the buttons, creates a separate copy, switched off.
For Gmail, YouTube, Discover and Display campaigns, the budget, the bidding and switching on or off change from ADs (see "Managing Your Live Google Campaign"); their words, pictures and audiences change in Google Ads itself, or try new ones as a second copy.