TL;DR Summary:
Automatic Keyword Reactivation: Google Ads is unexpectedly enabling paused keywords through "Low activity system bulk changes" without advertiser permission, marking a significant departure from the platform's historical behavior of only pausing underperforming keywords.Budget and Campaign Risk: When paused keywords are automatically reactivated, advertisers risk unplanned spending on keywords they deliberately disabled for cost or relevance reasons, potentially derailing carefully planned campaign budgets.Immediate Action Required: Advertisers should check their change history logs for bulk system changes, use the undo function if unwanted activations are found, and implement more frequent account monitoring to catch unauthorized modifications quickly.Google Ads Quietly Reactivating Paused Keywords Through System Updates
Google Ads advertisers are discovering something unexpected in their accounts. The platform appears to be automatically turning paused keywords back on without permission. This behavior represents a major shift from how the system normally works.
How Google Ads Auto Enabling Paused Keywords Started
Francesco Cifardi, a performance marketing consultant, first spotted this issue over the weekend. He shared his findings on LinkedIn, showing screenshots of his account’s change log. The entries showed “Low activity system bulk changes” had enabled his paused keywords.
Cifardi wrote that this was the first time he had seen this happen. He asked other advertisers if they noticed the same problem in their accounts.
The Low Activity System Changes Behavior
Historically, Google’s low activity system only paused keywords that weren’t performing well. It never reactivated paused keywords. This new behavior breaks that pattern completely.
Adriaan Dekker confirmed that multiple advertisers reported seeing these automatic keyword activations. The activity logs show the same pattern across different accounts. Keywords that advertisers deliberately paused are being turned back on through bulk updates.
Google has not provided any official statement about this change. The company’s Ads Liaison was tagged in the discussion but hasn’t responded yet.
Why This Matters for Your Ad Campaigns
When you pause a keyword, you do it for a reason. Maybe it was too expensive. Maybe it brought the wrong type of traffic. Maybe it competed with your other keywords.
Google Ads Auto Enabling Paused Keywords without your knowledge can mess up your budget planning. Those paused keywords might start spending money again. Your carefully planned campaigns could go off track.
The change logs do include an undo option. But you have to catch the changes quickly. Most advertisers don’t check their change logs every day.
What Advertisers Should Do Now
Check your Google Ads change history right away. Look for entries labeled “Low activity system bulk changes.” See if any show enabled keywords instead of paused ones.
If you find unwanted keyword activations, use the undo function immediately. The longer you wait, the more budget you might waste on keywords you meant to keep paused.
Set up more frequent account monitoring. This issue shows that Google can make changes without clear advance notice.
Tracking Competitor Ad Performance During System Changes
While Google works through this keyword issue, smart advertisers are watching their competitors closely. Tools like AdPeekr help you see how long competitors actually run their ads before making changes.
AdPeekr tracks ad longevity and shows you when competitors refresh or kill underperforming ads. This data becomes more valuable when platform changes affect everyone’s campaigns.
Google’s Response Still Pending
Google hasn’t confirmed if this is a new feature, a test, or a technical problem. The lack of communication leaves advertisers guessing about their account security.
Some advertisers worry this could be the start of more aggressive automation. Google has been pushing automated bidding and campaign management for years.
What This Means for Campaign Control
Google Ads Auto Enabling Paused Keywords raises bigger questions about advertiser control. When the platform makes changes without clear consent, it shifts the balance of power.
Your paused keywords represent strategic decisions. They reflect your understanding of your business and customers. Automatic reactivation undermines that expertise.
The advertising industry is watching to see how Google responds. Will they reverse this behavior? Will they make it an optional feature? Or will they expand automatic account management further?
Are you ready to dig deeper into how long your competitors’ winning ads actually lasted before they had to make changes?
