Ad Rotation
01 Definition
Ad Rotation meaning: A Google Ads setting that controls how competing ads in an ad group are served.
Ad Rotation decides which ad shows when an ad group has more than one. Google Ads offers "Optimize" to favor ads expected to perform well, and "Do not optimize" to rotate ads more evenly. It affects serving within an ad group, not who wins the auction against other advertisers.
Why it matters
How Ad Rotation fits the work
The setting lets you choose between letting Google favor top ads or testing ads on more equal footing for cleaner comparisons.
In context
A team sets Ad Rotation to "Do not optimize" so both ad variants get similar impressions during a two-week headline test.
Practical note
"Optimize" can quickly starve a new ad of impressions, which complicates A/B tests. Use even rotation when you need fair data, then switch back.