TikTok Upgraded Smart+ Web Conversions: QA Test Guide

Overview

TikTok's Upgraded Smart+ Web Conversions API splits campaign creation into three sequential POST requests: campaign, ad group, and ad.¹ The objective_type for all web conversion campaigns must be set to WEB_CONVERSIONS.¹ This guide provides a structured set of QA test cases covering happy paths, boundary conditions, negative validations, field dependencies, migration regression, and idempotency for the v1.3 endpoint set.

The upgraded endpoints replace the legacy /campaign/spc/create/ single-call flow, which TikTok will sunset on 2026-03-31.²

Endpoint Sequence

Each call depends on the output of its predecessor.¹

1. POST /v1.3/smart_plus/campaign/create/ accepts objective_type, budget_optimize_on, budget_mode, budget, and special_industries; it returns a campaign_id.¹
2. POST /v1.3/smart_plus/adgroup/create/ accepts campaign_id, promotion_type, optimization_goal, billing_event, bid_type, targeting, placement, scheduling, and budget fields; it returns an adgroup_id.¹
3. POST /v1.3/smart_plus/ad/create/ accepts adgroup_id, creative_list, ad_format, identity_type, ad_text_list, CTA fields, landing page fields, and brand safety fields; it returns a smart_plus_ad_id.¹

Happy Path Test Cases

TC-01: CBO + Automatic Targeting + CONVERT

Create a campaign with budget_optimize_on: true, budget_mode: BUDGET_MODE_TOTAL, and a numeric budget.¹ Create an ad group with promotion_type: WEBSITE, optimization_goal: CONVERT, billing_event: OCPM, bid_type: BID_TYPE_NO_BID, and targeting_optimization_mode: AUTOMATIC.¹ Under AUTOMATIC mode, targeting_spec accepts Controls (guaranteed exclusions/inclusions) and Suggestions (optimization hints).¹ Create an ad with ad_format: SINGLE_VIDEO, one video creative in creative_list, up to 5 items in ad_text_list, and landing_page_url_list populated.¹ Verify all three calls return 200 with valid IDs.

TC-02: Non-CBO + Manual Targeting + Cost Cap + CLICK

Create a campaign with budget_optimize_on: false.¹ Create an ad group with budget_mode: BUDGET_MODE_DAY, a daily budget, optimization_goal: CLICK, bid_type: BID_TYPE_CUSTOM, and bid_price set (not conversion_bid_price, because the goal is CLICK).¹ Set targeting_optimization_mode: MANUAL and fully specify targeting_spec.¹ Confirm the ad group returns a valid adgroup_id.

TC-03: Spark Ad (AUTH_CODE Identity)

Create an ad with identity_type: AUTH_CODE.¹ Spark Ads use authorized creator posts; verify the creative references an existing authorized post.³ Confirm that no non-Spark creatives are included in the same campaign, since mixing Spark and non-Spark in one campaign is prohibited.¹

TC-04: Carousel Ad

Create an ad with ad_format: CAROUSEL.¹ Provide up to 35 images and 1 music track in the creative payload.¹ Verify the response returns a valid smart_plus_ad_id.

Boundary Test Cases

Test ID	Field	Limit	Input	Expected Result
BND-01	Ad groups per campaign	30	Create exactly 30 ad groups	All 30 succeed.1
BND-02	creative_list items	50	50 combined Video + Carousel + Post creatives	200 OK.1
BND-03	Carousel images	35	35 images + 1 music	200 OK.1
BND-04	ad_text_list	5	5 ad text entries	200 OK.1
BND-05	call_to_action_list	3	3 standard CTAs	200 OK.1

Negative Test Cases

NEG-01: CBO Uniformity Violation

With budget_optimize_on: true, create two ad groups where the first uses optimization_goal: CONVERT and the second uses optimization_goal: CLICK.¹ When CBO is enabled, all ad groups must share identical values for promotion_type, optimization_goal, optimization_event, billing_event, bid_type, bid_price, conversion_bid_price, deep_bid_type, vbo_window, and roas_bid.¹ The second ad group creation must return a validation error.

NEG-02: Cost Cap with Lifetime Budget

Set bid_type: BID_TYPE_CUSTOM on an ad group with budget_mode: BUDGET_MODE_TOTAL (lifetime budget).¹ BID_TYPE_CUSTOM is only valid with daily budget, not lifetime.¹ Expect a validation error.

NEG-03: LANDING_PAGE Without Pixel

Set optimization_goal: LANDING_PAGE and configure the event source using Events API only, with no Pixel installed.¹⁵ LANDING_PAGE optimization requires a Pixel event source.¹ Expect a validation error indicating the event source is incompatible.

NEG-04: Mixing Spark and Non-Spark Ads

In one campaign, create an ad with identity_type: AUTH_CODE (Spark) and another with identity_type: CUSTOMIZED_USER (non-Spark).¹ The API must reject the second ad because Spark and non-Spark ads cannot coexist in the same campaign.¹

NEG-05: Both landing_page_url_list and page_list Set

In the ad creation payload, populate both landing_page_url_list and page_list.¹ These fields are mutually exclusive.¹ Expect a validation error.

NEG-06: Both call_to_action_id and call_to_action_list Set

Provide both call_to_action_id (single CTA) and call_to_action_list (multiple CTAs) in the same ad request.¹ These are mutually exclusive.¹ Expect a validation error.

NEG-07: BC_AUTH_TT Without identity_authorized_bc_id

Set identity_type: BC_AUTH_TT and provide identity_id but omit identity_authorized_bc_id.¹ BC_AUTH_TT requires both fields.¹ Expect a validation error.

NEG-08: SCHEDULE_FROM_NOW with Lifetime Budget

Set schedule_type: SCHEDULE_FROM_NOW on an ad group using budget_mode: BUDGET_MODE_TOTAL.¹ SCHEDULE_FROM_NOW is only valid with daily budgets.¹ Expect a validation error.

NEG-09: min_budget When CBO is Off

With budget_optimize_on: false, set min_budget on an ad group.¹ The min_budget and max_budget fields are only valid when CBO is on, the ad group uses a daily budget, and bid_type is BID_TYPE_NO_BID.¹ Expect a validation error.

NEG-10: Over-Limit — 31st Ad Group

After creating 30 ad groups under one campaign, attempt to create a 31st.¹ The maximum is 30 ad groups per campaign.¹ Expect a validation error.

NEG-11: Over-Limit — 51st Creative

Include 51 items in creative_list.¹ The combined maximum across Video, Carousel, and Post types is 50.¹ Expect a validation error.

NEG-12: Over-Limit — 36th Carousel Image

In a CAROUSEL ad, include 36 images.¹ The maximum is 35 images plus 1 music track.¹ Expect a validation error.

NEG-13: Over-Limit — 6th Ad Text

Provide 6 entries in ad_text_list.¹ The maximum is 5.¹ Expect a validation error.

NEG-14: Over-Limit — 4th CTA

Provide 4 entries in call_to_action_list.¹ The maximum is 3.¹ Expect a validation error.

NEG-15: Mismatched Brand Safety Partners

Set the viewability partner to IAS and the brand safety partner to Zefr.¹ When either partner is IAS, both must be IAS and share the same VAST URL; when either is Zefr, both must be Zefr.¹ Expect a validation error.

Non-CBO Uniformity

When budget_optimize_on is false, a separate uniformity rule applies: all ad groups under the campaign must share identical bid_type, deep_bid_type, vbo_window, and budget_mode.¹ Test by creating two ad groups with differing budget_mode values (e.g., BUDGET_MODE_DAY and BUDGET_MODE_INFINITE) and confirming the second call is rejected.

Field Dependency Matrix

The table below maps fields that become required or forbidden depending on the value of a controlling field.¹

Controlling Field	Value	Required Fields	Forbidden Fields
budget_optimize_on	true (CBO)	budget_mode: BUDGET_MODE_TOTAL or BUDGET_MODE_DYNAMIC_DAILY_BUDGET; budget	Ad group-level budget fields
budget_optimize_on	false	—	min_budget, max_budget (at ad group level)
budget_mode (non-CBO)	BUDGET_MODE_INFINITE	—	budget
budget_mode (non-CBO)	BUDGET_MODE_DAY or BUDGET_MODE_TOTAL	budget	—
bid_type	BID_TYPE_CUSTOM + CONVERT/LANDING_PAGE	conversion_bid_price	—
bid_type	BID_TYPE_CUSTOM + CLICK	bid_price	—
bid_type	BID_TYPE_CUSTOM	daily budget (not lifetime)	budget_mode: BUDGET_MODE_TOTAL
optimization_goal	LANDING_PAGE	Pixel event source	Events API-only source.5
identity_type	BC_AUTH_TT	identity_id, identity_authorized_bc_id	—
identity_type	CUSTOMIZED_USER	—	Spark Ad creatives
schedule_type	SCHEDULE_FROM_NOW	daily budget	lifetime budget (BUDGET_MODE_TOTAL)
landing_page_url_list	populated	—	page_list
page_list	populated	—	landing_page_url_list, deeplink fields
call_to_action_id	populated	—	call_to_action_list
call_to_action_list	populated	—	call_to_action_id
CTA disabled	true	—	All destination fields
CBO on + daily budget + BID_TYPE_NO_BID	all true	—	(min_budget, max_budget become optional)
special_industries	populated	Advertiser in US or Canada	—

Migration Regression

The legacy single-call endpoint POST /v1.3/campaign/spc/create/ is scheduled for deprecation on 2026-03-31.² After that date, any call to the old endpoint should return an HTTP error (expected 4xx) indicating the endpoint is no longer available.² QA should verify this by sending a previously valid legacy payload after the sunset date and confirming the error response. Before the sunset date, verify both old and new endpoints function to confirm backward compatibility during the migration window.²

Idempotency Testing

Send an identical campaign creation request with the same request_id twice in succession.¹ The second call should return the same campaign_id without creating a duplicate campaign.¹ Repeat this test for the ad group and ad endpoints to confirm idempotent behavior across all three calls.¹ Test with a modified payload but the same request_id to verify the API returns the original response rather than processing the altered payload.

Placement and Targeting Notes

The placement_type field accepts PLACEMENT_TYPE_NORMAL for manual placement selection or can be omitted for automatic placement.¹ When manual, the placements array accepts PLACEMENT_TIKTOK, PLACEMENT_PANGLE, and PLACEMENT_GLOBAL_APP_BUNDLE.¹ Under automatic targeting (targeting_optimization_mode: AUTOMATIC), the targeting_spec object distinguishes between Controls (enforced constraints like geo or age) and Suggestions (non-binding signals the algorithm may use for optimization).¹ Smart+ web campaigns support both modes, but TikTok recommends automatic targeting for broader reach.⁴