As ecommerce advertisers, we’re always looking for ways to improve campaign performance without risking what’s already working. One of the most powerful, yet often misunderstood, tools in Google Ads for doing just that is the combination of Campaign Drafts and Experiments.
So, let’s answer a question I get asked all the time:
“Andy, when should I use Google Ads Experiments vs Campaign Drafts?”
If you’ve ever hesitated before making major changes to your campaigns—or if you’ve lost sleep over whether a new strategy will crash your ROAS—this article is for you.
What Are Campaign Drafts and Experiments?
Let’s start with the basics:
✅ Campaign Drafts
A Campaign Draft is a mirror copy of your existing campaign. It allows you to make proposed changes—whether that’s new ad copy, a bid strategy shift, or audience targeting—without impacting your live campaign. Think of it as a “sandbox” where you can safely test and preview ideas.
✅ Experiments
Once you’ve created a draft, you can turn it into an Experiment. This allows you to run the draft live alongside your original campaign, splitting traffic based on a percentage you choose (e.g. 50/50 or 70/30). The beauty of Experiments is that they allow you to A/B test changes in a controlled, measurable way.
So, the real power lies in combining the two: use a Draft to test your hypothesis and an Experiment to validate it.
When to Use Each One
Use Campaign Drafts when you want to:
- Plan changes but aren’t ready to go live
- Share proposed changes with a boss, team member, or client
- Visualize how a change will affect your campaign structure
- Set the stage for a future experiment
Use Experiments when you want to:
- A/B test changes in a live environment
- Collect real data to make informed decisions
- Compare performance metrics side-by-side
- Safely test changes without disrupting campaign history or performance
Real Ecommerce Scenarios
Let’s look at some real-world examples of when to use each tool.
- Testing a New Bidding Strategy
Let’s say you’re running a Smart Shopping campaign and want to try Maximize Conversion Value with a target ROAS instead of Maximize Conversions.
Rather than risk performance by making the change directly, here’s the smarter play:
- Create a Campaign Draft and adjust the bidding strategy
- Launch an Experiment splitting traffic between the original and the test
- Monitor the impact over time
Now you’re making data-backed decisions without gambling with your ad dollars.
- Trying New Ad Copy or Promotions
You’ve got a seasonal sale coming up and want to test fresh ad copy. Rather than overwrite what’s working:
- Create a draft version with the new ad creatives
- Launch an Experiment to test against your evergreen ads
- Compare CTR, conversion rate, and ROAS
This approach gives you hard numbers to prove which message resonates best with your audience.
- Working With a Boss or Client Who Needs Buy-In
Let’s say you’re running campaigns for a client who’s hesitant about change. You can:
- Build a Campaign Draft with your proposed updates
- Use the preview mode to walk them through what will change
- Once approved, turn it into an Experiment for testing
It’s a collaborative and professional way to manage campaigns that builds confidence and trust.
Why Not Just Change the Live Campaign?
Good question.
While you can make direct changes to a campaign—especially for minor tweaks or urgent fixes—larger structural updates (like bidding, budget, or targeting changes) can trigger Google’s learning phase, which can temporarily reduce performance.
Using Experiments helps you avoid this drop by testing changes gradually and scientifically. It’s safer, smarter, and way more reliable than making blind changes.
What Metrics Can You Track?
Once your Experiment is live, Google will track performance side-by-side. Key metrics to watch include:
- Click-through Rate (CTR)
- Conversion Rate
- Cost per Conversion
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
- Impression Share
Run your experiment for at least 2–4 weeks (or until you have enough conversion volume). Google will even show you whether one variant is performing statistically better—making your next step obvious.
Final Thoughts: Use Drafts to Plan, Experiments to Prove
Here’s the bottom line:
🔹 Use Campaign Drafts to map out and prepare your changes
🔹 Use Experiments to validate those changes with live data
🔹 Avoid campaign disasters and accelerate growth with informed optimization
When used correctly, this workflow is one of the most powerful strategies in all of Google Ads. You’ll not only improve campaign results—you’ll do it with confidence and clarity.
So, whether you’re running six-figure ecommerce campaigns or just launching your first product, understanding when and how to use Drafts and Experiments can help you make each click count.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What’s the main difference between a Google Ads Campaign Draft and an Experiment?
Answer:
A Campaign Draft is a copy of your original campaign where you can make changes without going live. An Experiment takes that draft and runs it in real-time alongside your original campaign, splitting traffic to measure performance differences.
- Can I run multiple Experiments at the same time in Google Ads?
Answer:
No, Google Ads only allows one active Experiment per campaign at a time. If you want to test multiple variables, you’ll need to run separate Experiments sequentially.
- Will Experiments affect the performance history of my original campaign?
Answer:
No, Experiments run separately from your original campaign and do not affect its history, performance data, or learning phase. That’s one reason they’re great for testing big changes safely.
- How long should I run a Google Ads Experiment to get reliable data?
Answer:
Typically, you should run an Experiment for 2 to 4 weeks or until you gather statistically significant data—especially if you’re tracking conversion metrics. The higher your campaign volume, the faster you’ll reach reliable results.
- What types of changes should I test using Experiments instead of live edits?
Answer:
Use Experiments for major changes like switching bidding strategies, adjusting audience targeting, testing new ad creative, or modifying budgets. Minor edits (e.g., pausing a keyword or updating a URL) can usually be made directly in the live campaign.
- How do I apply the winning Experiment changes to my live campaign?
Answer:
After the Experiment ends, Google Ads will prompt you to either apply the changes to your original campaign or convert the Experiment into a new, separate campaign. Choose based on how drastically the changes affect campaign structure.
- Do Experiments cost extra to run in Google Ads?
Answer:
Nope! There’s no additional charge to use Campaign Drafts or Experiments. You’re simply splitting your existing budget across two campaign versions to test which performs better.
Need Help with Google Ads? If you’re ready to take your online store’s performance to the next level with Google Shopping Ads but need a helping hand, consider reaching out. I’m Andy Splichal, author of Make Each Click Count and host of the Make Each Click Count podcast. Whether it’s about creating high-performing Shopping Ads or mastering your overall Google Ads strategy, I’m here to help. Let’s make those clicks count!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Splichal is the founder and managing partner of True Online Presence, author of the Make Each Click Count book series, host of the Make Each Click Count podcast, founder of Make Each Click Count University and certified online marketing strategist with twenty plus years of experience helping companies increase their online presence and profitable revenues.
He was named to Best of Los Angeles Awards’ Most Fascinating 100 List in both 2020 and 2021. To find more information on Andy Splichal, visit trueonlinepresence.com or read The Full Story on his website or his blog, blog.trueonlinepresence.com.