The Optimization Tool allows you to create automated rules that control how clicks, impressions, and postbacks are handled across your Swaarm platform.
Using optimization rules, you can:
filter or discard low-quality traffic,
enforce targeting and budget constraints,
control postback behavior
Default Optimization Rules
Some optimization rules are created automatically by default to ensure the platform behaves as users typically expect out of the box.
Active by default
Rules that are essential for correct campaign behaviour are created and set activate automatically, for example:
offer targeting rules (country, OS, OS version, etc),
budget and cap rules (budget reached, etc)
basic eligibility checks (traffic control, etc)
These rules ensure that traffic which clearly does not qualify is not forwarded.
Inactive by default
More sensitive rules that may impact volume or require deliberate tuning are created but kept inactive. Examples include:
recency rules,
rate-limiting rules,
CTIT, Random Evaluation, etc
This allows you to: review these rules, adjust their thresholds, and activate them only when they match your performance control strategy.
Managing Default Rules
All default optimization rules are fully configurable. You can:
activate or deactivate rules at any time,
adjust thresholds and conditions,
add or remove filters,
limit rules to specific advertisers/offers/publishers where applicable.
How to Create an Optimization Rule
To create an optimization rule:
Go to Automation → Optimizations
Click +Create in the top right corner
Select Advertiser, Offer, or Publisher to scope the rule; otherwise, it applies globally:
Select the Rule Type:
Click - to filter clicks before redirect. 👉 Learn more
Impression - to filter impressions before redirect. 👉 Learn more
Lead - to validate and control lead before it is forwarded. 👉 Learn more
Postback Decision - control whether postbacks are sent to the publisher or held back. 👉 Learn more
Postback Status - control conversion status assignment in Swaarm. 👉 Learn more
Choose the specific Rule you want to apply and configure its conditions and thresholds.
Save and activate the rule.
Once activated, the rule is enforced in real time.
Common Questions About Optimization Rules
How can I check which optimization rules apply to a specific advertiser, offer, or publisher?
Option 1: Use filters on the Optimization Rules page
Go to Automation → Optimization Rules.
Use the Advertiser, Offer, or Publisher filters. The list will update to show only rules matching the selected entity.
💡 You can also use the Rule Type filter (for example, Click, Impression, Postback) to narrow the list further, or select a specific rule to review only that rule.
Option 2: Open the entity’s Automation → Optimizations section
You can also review rules directly from the entity itself:
Go to the Advertiser, Offer, or Publisher page.
Open the Automation → Optimizations section.
This view shows only the optimization rules that apply to the selected advertiser, offer, or publisher. You can also use the Rule Type filter here to quickly check, for example, only click rules or only postback decision rules.
How can I delete an optimization rule?
To delete an optimization rule:
Go to Automation → Optimization Rules.
Find the rule you want to remove.
Click on the trash icon:
Confirm the action
Once deleted, the rule is permanently removed and will no longer be applied to any traffic or postbacks.
What happens if I deactivate a global rule?
If you deactivate a global optimization rule, all traffic related to that rule type will be allowed to pass through the system.
Example: If you deactivate the global Inactive Offer click rule, clicks coming to inactive offers will no longer be discarded and will be processed normally.
How do I exclude a specific advertiser, offer, or publisher from a global rule?
To exclude a specific advertiser, offer, or publisher from a global rule, create a separate rule for that entity and leave it inactive(do not select 'Active' checkbox). This entity-specific rule will override the global rule and allow the traffic.
Example: You have an active global 'Offer Targeting Mismatch' click optimization rule and you'd like to exclude Test Publisher 2 traffic
What is the priority of optimization rules?
When multiple optimization rules of the same type exist, the most specific rule always takes priority over more general ones.
Example: you have
a global click recency rule set to 60 seconds, and
a second click recency rule set to 30 seconds for an advertiser called Test Advertiser,
then the 30-second rule will apply to all offers of Test Advertiser, and the global 60-second rule will be ignored for that advertiser.
Rule priority order (from highest to lowest)
Advertiser + Offer + Publisher
Offer + Publisher
Advertiser + Offer
Advertiser + Publisher
Offer
Publisher
Advertiser
Global
Do I need to select both Advertiser and Offer when creating an offer-specific rule?
No. If you want a rule to apply to a specific offer, selecting the Offer is sufficient. There is no need to also select the Advertiser. The same logic applies to publisher- or advertiser-specific rules.
Example: you want to set a postback decision CTIT optimization rule for offer id 2 - you may just select the offer in the Offers field, no need to additionally add the Advertiser of this campaign.